Young Sheldon needs to stop using Christianity for drama

The portrayal of Christianity on Young Sheldon has always been divisive, but it’s probably time the show stopped using religion for drama.  

For a show exploring Sheldon Cooper’s childhood through his own eyes, it would be wise to guess that science would lead the way in Young Sheldon. Always favoring facts and logic over absolutely everything else, Sheldon’s entire personality is shaped by what he finds in math problems and textbooks — yet there’s another belief that dominates the show. Where Sheldon finds solace in science, his mother, Mary, grounds herself in faith, devoting her adult life to Christianity.

Reading between the lines through conversations Meemaw has with the kids, Mary’s strict faith was an unexpected U-Turn after an unruly childhood. According to Meemaw, Mary was a wild child in her younger years, swayed into romance by George’s motorcycle, and ending up pregnant with Georgie not too long after. Later in life, Mary devoted her free time to the local church, enamored in different ways with Pastor Jeff and Youth Pastor Rob.

With fact and faith butting heads for so long in Young Sheldon, one has possibly taken over from the other in later seasons, fuelling the Cooper family drama. Now that Georgie and Mandy are getting married, Mary’s ties to her faith are arguably going to get even stronger. But has Young Sheldon taken its Christian drama too far, and should it stop?

Has Mary finally gone too far?

Young Sheldon fans have made no secret of their “hatred” of Mary, particularly when it comes to her religious agenda. As Reddit user New-Emphasis9726 puts it, “Mary’s obsession with religion and God is nothing less than irritating. Sometimes I feel like her dedication to God overpowers her role as a mother and impacts the way she raises her kids immensely.” While this hasn’t always been the focus of her character, Mary’s faith is coming back full throttle in Season 7.

In Young Sheldon Season 7 Episode 6, Mary takes her Baptist faith to a new level by tackling Georgie and Mandy’s impending marriage head-on. After she effectively pressures the pair into getting wed as “the right thing to do,” she then invites Pastor Jeff to the house to baptize baby Cece before Mandy’s Catholic parents can — without the consent or knowledge of either of Cece’s parents. While Mandy’s mum, Audrey, tries to do the same thing from the Catholic perspective, this is where Mary’s steadfast approach to her faith works against her, causing rifts when the rest of the family finds out.

Unsurprisingly, fans slammed these scenes from the moment the week’s previews were released. YouTube commenters quickly pointed out how this portrayal of Catholicism was only making matters worse, claiming Mary has been “inappropriate” and “lost her mind”. Given the rocky history of what fans think about Young Sheldon’s perspective on Christianity — in short, some think it’s an apt look at ‘80s Texas while others believe it to be an overwhelming stereotype — this new storyline was only going to go one way.

There’s definitely a case to be made that the women of Young Sheldon are treated too harshly by fans, but Mary is seriously letting herself down in recent Young Sheldon episodes. After setting herself up for a wholesome, rekindled romance with George while away in Germany, she’s gone straight back to her old ways by fixating on her baptism, alienating everyone around her in the process. This makes the Episode 6 cliffhanger all the more interesting, though – how will she react when she’s not invited to her own son’s wedding?

Young Sheldon is light-hearted — we shouldn’t forget that

Regardless of opinion, Christianity has been at the center of plenty of Young Sheldon drama and is likely to feature heavily in future episodes. Taking Mary and Audrey’s latest actions into account, it could be argued that the prequel has now taken things too far — and that could cause a conundrum. The balance between fact and faith is something that has made Young Sheldon what it is while also being a key part of the Cooper family dynamics.

At the same time, Young Sheldon is a family-friendly show, and going too deep into heavy debate might take away from what the show sets out to achieve. Tuning in each week to see 20 minutes of relatable yet relatively harmless storylines is what keeps millions of people tuning in this week, not to mention its incredible streaming figures. With many rival shows rightfully digging deep into thought-provoking narratives, Young Sheldon stands out from the crowd by being a light-hearted, easy watch — and it should remember that.

There is certainly a place for Christianity in Young Sheldon — the Coopers saying grace at dinner, attending church, and their charity work are all essential parts of the show — but it doesn’t need to fuel any drama. Instead, Mary’s handle on her faith should continue to highlight what makes her family so special, which is the fact that even when they slip up, they are humans fuelled by love and curiosity. Even Sheldon believes that in his hours of need, prayer might be what gets him through, no matter what his stance on religion is.

While you wait for the next episode, you can catch up with our other Sheldon content, like our Season 7 theories, filming locations, how to watch Season 7 outside the US, and when Season 7 will be coming to Netflix.

You can also check out all the best new TV shows coming out this month.