After repeated invasions of privacy former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson has released a documentary telling her story in her own words, but sadly there’s no mention of faith.
The golden era of TV was 90s Saturday nights on ITV. It was Baywatch, Gladiators and Blind Date and I can confirm we had a lorra lorra laughs. I remember watching the red swim-suited lifeguards performing their vital duties with no concept of the difficulties one in particular was facing off camera.
Watching Netflix’s new Pamela Anderson documentary, I couldn’t help but feel sad. Abused as a child and with very little support and guidance, Pamela was chewed up and spat out by powerful men in media. It’s a time old story and one that has had a fair amount of publicity this year with the release of the controversial Marilyn Monroe film. As I watched, I started to wonder, where was Jesus in all this? I wondered if she’d been taken to church or if it had ever occurred to her as an adult that Christ could bring her some comfort amid all the abuse and exploitation.
So I, of course, Googled it. There’s little on Pammy’s faith and a few sites with questionable authority describe her as an atheist. But then I did see some news that indicated to me, she has toyed with faith.
Pamela Anderson always stops to give money to every homeless person she sees, because “one of them might be Jesus”.
Aside from the fact she’s been spotted wearing a “Jesus is my homeboy T-shirt” the model also told ContactMusic.com that she always stops to give money to every homeless person she sees, because “one of them might be Jesus”. Biblically this isn’t impossible, we know that Jesus appeared to the disciples after the resurrection with a different physical appearance. Plus Hebrews 13:2 tells us: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” So Pammy’s genuinely onto something with this generous practice.
Next, and this could just be a decent moral and social conscience rather than her faith, she has actively spoken out against pornography. And before you jump in to say how hypocritical that makes her - please remember that while she posed nude, she never voluntarily starred in porn. She was the victim of a leaked stolen sex tape she made with her husband and she made no money from its release. In an interview on ITV’s This Morning, she said: “I have some regrets in my life and I also feel great that I have this perspective because I’ve been the product of this and treated like an object. I have an authority on the subject. In the age of technology there’s so much access and I think people becoming desensitized … it’s a big concern.”
Pamela said: “There have been bad times and good times and I have had religion to get me through. I think it’s important as I’ve always believed in God.”
Finally, the most compelling argument for her faith is that back in 2002 Pamela announced in an interview that she was leading her children and their friends with weekly Bible readings in Sunday school. It was a long time ago, but Pamela did speak on BBC1’s The Hand Of God, where she told how her faith had helped her through difficult moments. She said: “I’m teaching at my sons’ Sunday school. It’s reading the Bible, getting out jelly beans and setting the kids a good example. There have been bad times and good times and I have had religion to get me through. I think it’s important as I’ve always believed in God. It’s just I’ve joined a new church and my kids are at Sunday school.”
So despite not hearing her reference faith in the film, I did feel encouraged. Pamela Anderson knows where to go when she wants to connect with God and I pray she does so regularly.
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