Commentary on the News
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Jack Kinsella - Omega Letter Editor
This past season, NBC aired a short-lived TV series called "The Book of Daniel" as one of its prime-time offerings. The series revolved around an drug-addicted Episcopal priest with an alcoholic wife, a gay son, and a drug-dealing teenaged daughter.
At the office, the priest's lesbian secretary is sleeping with his sister-in-law. The priest, Daniel Webster, (hence the clever title) would have periodic discussions with 'Jesus', who when asked to do something for Daniel in one scene, replied, "Who do you think I am? God?"
NBC defended its offering as a 'serious drama about Christian people and the Christian faith'. It wrapped the series in the 1st Amendment and aired the series over the objections of the many network affiliates who refused to carry it.
After airing only three episodes, NBC unceremoniously dumped the show. The media started screaming 'censorship' by the religious right. The fact is, by the third airing, all the program's sponsors had pulled out. Not because of threats or violence. Because of economics. The show was awful and nobody watched it.
Read the entire commentary here
cwilli note: Another outstanding article from Jack Kinsella. He points out the obvious truth that the media continues to disrepect Christianity while clearing respecting Islam. They are only upstaged by the ACLU who is determined to stamp our Christianity but defends the rights of Muslims....
Posted by cwilli at February 20, 2006 06:38 PMActually, as far as "The Book of Daniel" goes, I watched the 2 hour premier just to see what all the fuss was about. I don't remember being offended by it at all. I DO remember thinking how stupid it was and how it actually had some funny moments - few, but they were there.
The most I remember about it was how sad it was - and most of the time it was sad was not at the time it was trying. It was sad because:
1) It showed how truely close minded, controlling, judgmental and man made denominations can be and how unwilling they mostley are to even interract with people of other beliefs. For example, there was one point when Daniel - an episcopal priest - was getting some "advise" from a catholic priest (or whatever he was). Daniel's friend (a fellow episcopalian) came up to him and asked why he was going to the catholic guy saying basically that the church had split away from them centuries ago and that there HAD to be a good reason for that. It was as if Daniel was being condemed for even speaking to the guy.
2) It was very sad to see that once again, this is how hollyweird - in all of its close minded view - sees Christianity. Ok, it's true, the majority of Christians in America do come from some sort of denominational practice. I think Catholicism *may* very well be among the top of the list of practicing followings in this country. Maybe not....I actually care more about the history of my neighborhood street outside of my window than I care about the actual answer....REALLY! My point is, whenever *I* turn on the tv to watch ANYTHING and whenever the characters on that show do anything that is remotley related to the church - it shows a priest and stained glass windows and someone praying to a crucifix. Well, I've never talked to a priest, it's been YEARS since I've been inside a church with stained glass windows (and I'm not convinced that I ever regularly attended one with those windows to begin with), and I don't believe I've ever even TOUCHED a crucifix in my hand before. It would be nice to see hollyweird portray church the way many Christians are starting to come around to....non denominational. Getting back to the actual Word of God and not some man made BS attached to it for extra points. Concentrating on the inward man and not the outward appearance of someone when they show for church on Sunday.
Posted by: mrs. muddy at February 20, 2006 07:47 PMI only viewed a few minutes of it and thought "what a pile of trash this is" to myself. I am shocked that it was pulled, after all how long have we had to endure sex in the city, desperate househoes and the like?? That garbage should of been pulled faster.
Posted by: muddy at February 21, 2006 08:15 PM