Now when we die and go to heaven, we won't be separated by barbed wire and barking dogs...

Woody: I love you, Kelly - that's why I'm now a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Just like you.
Kelly: Oh, Woody! You saved our marriage... What a wonderful sacrifice! Now when we die and go to heaven, we won't be separated by barbed wire and barking dogs... What was it exactly that saved you, Woody?
Woody: Something Dr. Crane said.
Kelly: ...That thing about how true love can overcome all differences?
Woody: Not exactly. He took me aside and said that I'd better get used to giving into you on every point for the rest of our lives if I ever want to see you naked again.
     --from Cheers episode The Beer Is Always Greener (1992)

One of the funniest tv episodes I've ever watched is Cheers episode 2 from season 11 (from which I pulled the above few lines between newlywed characters Woody and Kelly Boyd). The entire episode is great, but the Lutheran troubles between Woody, who is Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS), and Kelly, who is Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), steal the show (along with the "counseling" they receive from Frasier and Lilith Crane). It's funny, yeah, but it's also sad, because of the sheer number of disagreeing Lutheran church bodies, separated by doctrine (mostly). The ELCA is the largest Lutheran body in the U.S., followed by the LCMS, and then the Wisconsin Evangelical Synod, making up "the big three." Believe it or not, there are about 30 in North America, depending on one's definition of church, congregation, synod, etc. A short (4:28), edited clip highlights the Lutheran controversy, but the whole episode is worth a look! (I should add that a familiarity with the main characters will help with the humor, particularly the character of Diane Chambers who was written out of the series in season 5, as well as some knowledge of the ELCA and LCMS.) The entire episode is available for streaming on Google Play.

Comedy aside, this episode showcases the very real issue of marital compatibility, and religion too often becomes a fulcrum point, especially when children are involved... However. I would balk at the use of a sitcom to broaden one's theological horizons. (And some people already think Lutherans are a some kind of cult with branch offices or, worse, Catholic Lite.)

On an abjectly unrelated topic, this headline caught my eye in this morning's paper: Pride, anger mix at LGBT marches across US. My curiosity got the best of me so I started to read the article and then had to chuckle at this part: “We're here, we're queer, get that Cheeto out of here,” was among the chants directed at Trump. That "Cheeto"?! What in the world does that mean? Well...

According to this Washington Post article: A Cheeto, as it turns out, is an evocative metaphor, and politicians and activists across the spectrum bring up the dusty orange snack when they want to conjure up a certain image of their opponents: That they’re junky, artificial, bad for you, bad for America and likely to leave you with crumby fingers and a weird aftertaste.

What a colorfully derisive and divisive world we live in, eh?

¡Vaya con Dios, ya'll!