Get thee to a nunnery
The ABC will be filming a new reality TV series in August called The Abbey. Modelled after the BBC's The Monastery, in which five men went to live in Worth Abbey in West Sussex for 40 days and 40 nights, The Abbey will focus on the experiences of five women who will forsake the world to go live in rural Australia with an order of nuns for 33 days, one day for each year of Christ's life. They are expected to participate in the community by doing things like getting up at 4 am, praying and meditating, working on the farm, making handicrafts and taking vows of silence. (The latter, I am sure, will make very interesting television!) Each woman will be assigned a Sister who will be her spiritual mentor. Any questions or issues can be discussed with this Sister.
But what is the point of it all? Will the women be voted out of the abbey, one by one, week by week, based on how competently they say Hail Marys? Is there a million dollar prize or a nice car at stake? No, says the ABC, “[T]his is not a game show or competition. The reward is the unique experience” (source). Volunteers don't have to be Christian or even vaguely religious; they just have to be willing to “put their beliefs and lifestyle to the test” and be open to “another very different way of life”—a simpler way of life—one without mobile phones, television or the internet.
Such an approach betrays a consumerist mindset: it's about what religion can give me. In this case, it's the thrill ride—some sort of higher undefined spirituality brought on by mild asceticism—an alternative to the frenetic pace of modern life. It's about experience, not relationship; the journey, not the destination. It's certainly not about acquainting oneself with one's creator and judge.
‘Reality’ TV? You be the judge.