After a discussion on snorting powder drink and the potential for maggot infestation of the nasal passages, Dr. Phil asks the eighth grader about controlling his own actions.
Phil: “What if you get back to school and your buddies are saying, ‘Hey, we got some alcohol over here at my friend’s house. Let’s spend the night, and we’ll do some drinking’?”
Sam pauses. “I might,” he says.
Phil: “Do you have the power or the desire to say no?”
Sam: “No, sir.”
“So what’s in your future? If you get a chance to get drunk, are you going to take it?”
“Probably.”
“If you get a chance to smoke dope, would you take it?”
“Probably.”
Sam: “No, sir.”
“So what’s in your future? If you get a chance to get drunk, are you going to take it?”
“Probably.”
“If you get a chance to smoke dope, would you take it?”
“Probably.”
Christianity says, contrary to the world, that we have neither the power nor the desire to do good. The lack of will power is not with regard to vague actions but specific and precise things. It is about the lack of power and desire to say no to snorting powder drink or smoke dope, etc rather than the vague temptation of the world.
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COMMENTS
4 responses to “Powerlessness on Dr. Phil”
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maggot infestation of the nasal passages?? Really??? That is sooooo gross.
I wonder what Dr. Phil would have said if the boy had said that he did have the power. Hmm.
I used to watch Dr. Phil when I wanted to get real mad. Then I took a job working for his production company for a month and told everyone on the crew how much I didn’t like him while running up huge debts on his/his son’s credit card. True story.
Great post Drakester
haha! I love the personal addition to the Dr. Phil insight Mr. Corrigan. Kate- I was wondering the same thing! I wonder if he would have pressed the kid to say ‘no’ through other questions.
Also, Matt Magill and I were talking today about 1) how the title of the segment, “Shocking Admission” is actually the confession that all of us have deep down (but rarely recognize) and 2) how the parents (total Christians) have a deep sense of their own powerlessness. Here is a quote from the parents: “This has been my concern: that he doesn’t have the power to say no. I’ve been seeing things, off and on, for the past two years. What started in attitude moved into behavior,” Maureen says. “That’s why I wrote, because I don’t know what else to do.”