Mr. Rogers was A Minister Whose Career Was a Product of His Religion
For children of a certain age, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood was a fond childhood memory. The warm, genial man who sang “won’t you be my neighbor?” used puppets to illustrate stories of love and companionship. What people might not realize is how much Fred Rogers’ Christian beliefs guided his career.
Beloved Children’s Entertainer Mr. Rogers Was Guided By God[/tweetthis]
Mr. Rogers was a Presbyterian minister who was officially ordained. His mission was creating children’s television programming that was nourishing and to help guide children using the messages of Christian ethics. But instead of using it as a forum for dogmatic religious views, Mr. Rogers spoke about universal lessons on the need for treating each other well and being kind, for as the Bible states: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
A trailer for a new documentary about his life was just released by Focus Features. Tom Hanks will also play Fred Rogers in an upcoming biopic.