Just how does art imitate life and life imitate art? That is the question.
This article proposes no generic reference to the office as what may be your workplace but to “The Office,” the television program. Au fond; The Office is a very well done show consisting of very funny dialogue and endearing characters.
This is true of both the original UK version and the US version—how one comes up with lines such as “the toad is the ugliest of the amphibians” (from the UK version) is a mystery.
The original version was created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and was adapted to the palate of US audience by Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Greg Daniels. In the UK version Ricky Gervais plays David Brent; regional manager of the paper company “Wernham Hogg” with the US version starring Steve Carell as Michael Scott; regional manager of the paper company “Dunder Mifflin.”
This article’s title referred to atheism and Christianity at The Office is due to the fact that both versions of the show are essentially atheistic, meaning nihilistic, and the US version has become downright and exclusively anti-Christian.
By “atheistic” and “nihilistic” what is being referenced is that the ultimate meaning in life is strictly subjective (as there is no meaning in such a view) and in The Office amounts to seeking to fill the God shaped void in every human heart by 1) pocking fun at others via practical jokes for self-amusement, 2) engaging in unmarried fornication as a mere bodily function to be engaged upon with as many partners de jour any time, any place and 3) particularly in the case of David Brent/Michael Scott, spending one’s time attempting to be liked, fulfilled and looked up to by others (wanting to be thought of as funny when one is not, artistic when one is not, friendly when one is not, etc.)—for a discussion of meaning and/versus purpose see here.
While a congregation at Corinth seemed to take pride in their tolerance, the apostle Paul writes to them flabbergasted and states,
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! (1st Corinthians 5:1)
Likewise, The Office has turned Angela, the resident Christian, into the very worse of the worse to the point that her co-workers find her behavior deplorable. Are there no deplorable Christians? Indeed, but that is not the point.
The point being that Angela is the only character whose worldview/religion we are made aware (Kelly is an Indian but is not a practicing Hindu; she engages in some culturally relevant celebrations but knows nothing about Hinduism). Indeed, that Angela is a Christian has always been known and that she is a stuck-up, party-pooping, fuddy-duddy has always been emphasized. Yet, as of late, it has gone from bad to worse.
Of the 15, or so, main characters there is no single one that has not engaged unmarried fornication with multiple partners (Stanley is married but has an “affair” and others eventually got married—one while pregnant). In fact, is there one single character in all of television who has not engaged unmarried fornication? There are many TV show for which engaging in unmarried fornication is the very premise.
In the next segment we will consider what they have done with Angela.