The Censor-Ship Sets Sail

fitz0

There's not even a pilot yet, but Comedy Central's plan to develop an animated project about Jesus Christ has the biggest names in the TV watchdog business forming a protest supergroup to preemptively smite the show.

Comedy Central's JC is in development, which means it's still a couple of steps from getting the green light as a series. The project is about Jesus trying to live as a regular guy in New York City and wanting to escape the shadow of his "powerful but apathetic father".

Because Comedy Central recently censored South Park for its portrayals of the Prophet Muhammad, some Christian leaders see the prospect of a Jesus cartoon as proof of an offensive double standard.

A Coalition Against Religious Bigotry has been formed in the United States by, among other groups, the Family Research Council, the Catholic League, the American Alliance of Jews and Christians, and the Parents Television Council.

CARB will hold its first press conference tomorrow to urge advertisers not to support the project, should it ever hit the air.

"After we reveal the vile and offensive nature of Comedy Central's previous characterisations of Jesus Chris and God the Father, we expect these advertisers to agree wholeheartedly to end their advertising on Comedy Central and discontinue their support for unabashed, anti-Christian discrimination," Brent Bozell, president, Media Research Centre, said in a statement.

"Why should they be supporting a business that makes a habit of attacking Christianity and yet has a formal policy to censor anything considered offensive to followers of Islam? This double standard is pure bigotry, one from which advertisers should quickly shy away."

Comedy Central had no comment.

Reuters

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0602/breaking37.html

I knew this was going to happen. As soon as CC censored Moohammed they opened the doors to crap like this. How long until the christians see that threats work much better than a pressure group? I really hope that this doesn't affect the production of the show (even though CC aren't known for quality shows.)

The worst thing is, I think they have a point about the double standard of CC in selective censorship (not that I agree with censorship of any kind.)

Dr. Loon

Yeah, they kinda shot themselves in the foot on this one. Pity, it may have been amusing.

ChocolateSauce

It seems to me they should show Muhammad, and then they'd be off the hook.

Fear of being murdered shouldn't dissuade them!

Zombrex

Those freaking Muslims I'm so sick of their nonsense trying to censor anything that offends them, well sorry but the West is build on Christian principles of tolerance and open discourse and if they don't like it they can feck off home

...wait a minute... :pac:

GLaDOS

Ironically, South Park said this exact thing in their Family Guy episode i.e. if you get one thing censored, everyone else can get things censored too

Dr. Loon

Surely if the Catholics\Christians\whatever let it go ahead, it would be a good message. It would show that they can take a joke, unlike the Islam crowd.

kiffer

A whole series about Jesus ... Wow... That's a lot of air time. If we look at how the portray Jesus in southpark then I don't think they've too much to worry about.

This week Jesus tries to help some hookers but is beaten up by a pimp, he returns with his friend the holy spirit in the form of a dove... With hilarious results.
This week Jesus goes on holiday but is unable go SCUBA diving due to his magic feet, when the bar runs out booze Jesus saves the day!
This week Jesus goes to Mexico... No one is surprised by his name, untill some nuns recognise him only to denounce him when he asks them not to hit the children in their care... With hilarious consequences.
This week Jesus has a date with a girl, who accuses him of date rape... Jesus' lawyer wants to use the fact that anything Jesus does is good, because as God he makes the rules... Jesus is against it because it makes him look like a douche and he didn't do it... Turns out it was a case of mistaken identity and some Mexican guy goes to jail...


Hmmm yeah... Might be a bit much.

robindch

Dr. Loon wrote: »

It would show that they can take a joke, unlike the Islam crowd.

Can't say I've noticed much Jesus-directed humor amongst the christians I know!

Zillah

I agree it's a double standard. We should never have censored muhammed.

Does this mean we can ban the bible and koran for being homophobic? Let's admit it guys, we tried this freespeech lark, the experiment has failed.

DeBunny

'The Coalition Against Religious Bigotry'?
Finally, people are coming together and making an organised stand against....... oh wait.........crap.

Busi_Girl08

Slightly off topic, but that show sound pretty crap.

And it pretty much stole the idea from that Family Guy episode where Peter found Jesus living one Earth, working in a record store...trying to live like a normal guy...

But Peter thought he was here to spread the word...

Back on topic, it's aaalways Comedy Central. :rolleyes:

wonderfulname

Zillah wrote: »

Does this mean we can ban the bible and koran for being homophobic? Let's admit it guys, we tried this freespeech lark, the experiment has failed.

The bible isn't actually homophobic, some ehm.. interesting translations and interpretations are, but mainly the homophobia just stems from those dirty oul priests.
And this free speech lark has failed when the WBC haven't been ceremoniously shot yet..

But back on topic, south parks jesus isn't actually insulting, I wonder have any of these people actually seen an episode featuring him? Now south parks God.. theres an insult..

Sam Vimes

wonderfulname wrote: »

The bible isn't actually homophobic, some ehm.. interesting translations and interpretations are, but mainly the homophobia just stems from those dirty oul priests.

Leviticus 18:22: Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

Not homophobic no?

The Mad Hatter

Sam Vimes wrote: »

Leviticus 18:22: Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

Not homophobic no?

No, that's just an interesting translation. The original said "yucky."

wonderfulname

Sam Vimes wrote: »

Leviticus 18:22: Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

Not homophobic no?

It is actually just an interesting translation, out of context and originating from the 16th century when being gay became unpopular again. Another example is the story of the sodomites, the gay connotation comes from the king james translation, not the Hebrew original which says "qedeshim", which means "the consecrated ones."

Considering Christians use the bible to back up their homophobia you, as someone who seems to be quite level headed, shouldn't be helping them do so.

monkeyfudge

A good few years back the BBC made a full cartoon series called Popetown.

But it never got aired due to pressure from Catholic groups.

I picked it up on DVD though. It really wasn't very good... and certainly wasn't terribly offensive either... the reality of how the church operates is certainly a lot worse than the little fantasy world that was portrayed in the cartoon.

strobe

Anyone remember "God, Bob and the Devil"? A cartoon from a few years ago. Now that was a good show, petty it never really took off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_dZ4G0B974

Sam Vimes

wonderfulname wrote: »

It is actually just an interesting translation, out of context and originating from the 16th century when being gay became unpopular again. Another example is the story of the sodomites, the gay connotation comes from the king james translation, not the Hebrew original which says "qedeshim", which means "the consecrated ones."

What is the context and translation that makes such a pronouncement not homophobic?

wonderfulname wrote: »

Considering Christians use the bible to back up their homophobia you, as someone who seems to be quite level headed, shouldn't be helping them do so.

I wholeheartedly support people using the bible to back up their homophobia. That way maybe rational people will realise that the god of the bible is not the happy, lovey dovey, hippy type character that he's portrayed as. As Richard Dawkins says: "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully" and people need to realise that rather than blinding themselves to the horror of the bible with excuses about context as is done by this guy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK7P7uZFf5o

The god of the bible is not a nice person and the sooner people realise that the better

The Mad Hatter

strobe wrote: »

Anyone remember "God, Bob and the Devil"? A cartoon from a few years ago. Now that was a good show, petty it never really took off.

That was an amazingly sharp show. Cancelled after one series, damn you American Christian Right.

Also, it's God, The Devil and Bob...