Why is this soap opera called "Guiding Light"?

Question

Why is this soap opera called "Guiding Light"?

Answer 1

Guiding Light was created by Irna Phillips waaaay back in 1937. It started out as a radio *serial* and moved to CBS tv in 1952.

Ms. Phillips is considered the *Mother* of the soap genre and she created GL based (it) on personal experiences. After giving birth to a still-born baby at age 19, she found spiritual comfort listening to the on-air sermons of Preston Bradley, a very famous Chicago preacher and founder of the Peoples Church, a church which promoted the brotherhood of man. It was these sermons that formed the nucleus of the creation of The Guiding Light, which began as a radio show.

The show's title refers to a lamp in the study of Reverend Dr. John Ruthledge, a major character when Guiding Light debuted in 1937, that family and residents could see as a sign for them to find help when needed.