Gilligan’s Island

What fun it was to watch Gilligan’s Island when I was a kid! I was 10 years old in 1964 when it first came out. It ran for 3 seasons and I suspect it’s been in re-run syndication somewhere in the world ever since.

As I’ve mentioned before in some of my earlier writings, I spent a lot of time watching TV when I was young. Probably too much. It kept me “busy,” a bit distracted from reality, but for the most part it entertained and kept me company.

🎼 “Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship. The mate was a mighty sailor man, the skipper brave and sure. Five passengers set sail that day for a three-hour tour. A three-hour tour.” 🎶

It was all about a group of seven people who were stranded on a deserted island, and in which most of the episodes were centered around getting off the island. They also entertained themselves with crazy skits and just plain silliness.

The irony and endlessly frustrating thread throughout the series was that somehow other people came to the island but somehow always managed to get off the island. But, the seven castaways always failed to get off of the island! And invariably, it was Gilligan who sabotaged their attempts to escape the island.

Recently, I learned that the show’s creator, Sherwood Schwartz, was noted as saying that each of the “Gilligan’s Island” characters represented one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

For example,

1. The Professor was guilty of pride.

2. Mary Ann was envious of Ginger.

3. Ginger was lustful.

4. The Skipper was a glutton.

5. Mrs. Howell was angry often.

6. Mr. Howell was wealthy and greedy.

7. And last, but not least, Gilligan was the sloth.

Interestingly, I also found an article that deepened the plot. The plot twist being that Mrs. Howell was actually the sloth, that the Skipper had two sins, gluttony and anger, and that Gilligan represented the devil. The writer reasoned that since Gilligan always wore a red shirt, and sabotaged every attempt to get off the island, aka “hell,” that he represented the devil. Hmmm…..

I prefer the first theory over the second. I always liked Gilligan, but who knows. I could be wrong. So maybe Gilligan was the devil and he just acted likable? The Bible does warn us that Satan sometimes disguises himself as an angel of light. Maybe Gilligan’s sabotages were ultimately to keep them all there in their private hell, forever bound in their sin….

Wait!

it was just a TV show!

Anyway, I found it interesting that the inspiration behind the creator of Gilligan’s Island was based upon the theology of the Seven Deadly Sins.

While I’m not a Catholic, I do agree that sin is deadly, but more so because it’s a matter of life or death as it pertains to our salvation.

Because…..

The bad news is that we’re all sinners, (Romans 3:23.)

And, the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23a)

But the good news is,

…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,… 1 Timothy 1:15

….the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23b)

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

So,

Whoever stays in their sin and never comes to an authentic faith and relationship with Jesus Christ will “never get off that island” and will spend eternity separated from Him.

Sin is a snare of the devil. Don’t be fooled. Don’t “castaway” your life for the fleeting pleasures of sin.

Turn to Jesus today in repentance and faith; place your trust in Him alone.

And rest assured,

Christians not only make it “off the island” but have eternal life beginning here and now and forever into eternity with Jesus.