The Christian Right Strikes Again
I had intended today on writing about myself and my reasons for setting up this blog (mainly so I could engage in my interest in writing), but a news item today has prompted me to talk about that instead.
Tomorrow the BBC will be broadcasting "Jerry Springer - the Opera", and there have been tens of thousands of protests from Christians about certain parts of the play which show Jesus in what they would consider blasphemous situations. Of course all their protests are succeeding in doing is giving the programme some free publicity. I know I didn't know about it before the news started talking about the controversy that had been provoked by the programme and I know other people who also didn't know about it before this. I'm sure there are programme makers that deliberately add a controversial aspect to their programme just to make people talk about it and watch it. It's an obvious tactic. That is probably not the tactic here, however.
This has been on the stage for over two years with no reaction from Christian groups. It's only been when the BBC announced that it was going to broadcast the show that the uproar began. They were happy to ignore the show while it was only being performed at a theatre, but somehow having it on the TV gives it a special significance that demands a much higher standard. The protesters are indeed saying that the BBC should be more selective in it's programming and uphold the moral standards of the nation. (I didn't know Britain still had any moral standards! I thought we lost them a long time ago.) They are saying that we all have to pay a licence fee for the BBC so we shouldn't have to pay for programming that offends us, but of course that isn't the idea of the licence fee. It may be an out-dated way of funding broadcasting but at the moment it is how the BBC is still funded, but that doesn't mean that we can all choose what should or should not be funded. There have been scenes of people burning their TV licences, which is an interesting public display but rather drastic since it means they can now no longer legally watch any TV (whether BBC or not) until they buy a new licence.
The real issue is not whether this Opera is blasphemous but if it was would that mean it shouldn't be shown. Christians say that it is blasphemous and so, of course, it shouldn't be broadcast, but I don't think many of these people who are complaining about the programme have been to see the play and much less have seen the programme which isn't on till tomorrow. Begs to wonder how they know it's blasphemous, they are all going on hearsay. They have heard that there are some 'bad' sections in it and that's all the information they need. It makes you wonder what these people would think if they had actually seen it. The Director-General of the BBC was interviewed about the programme and he said that he was a practising Christian and he didn't find it blasphemous. Other Christians who have seen the programme may disagree, but if some of these protestors were to watch tomorrows programme expecting to be offended they probably will be.
The question of whether a programme is blasphemous depends entirely on who is watching it. The question of whether that same programme should be taken off the air because it is blasphemous is a difficult one to answer. Christian groups are percieving this as an attack on their religion, that leftist atheists run the BBC and are determined to indermine everything Christians believe in. I don't believe that this is the case but let's not foget that there will be people who will be just as vocal as the Christians if it is taken off the air. In a free society should a part of the community be allowed to dictate what everyone else can watch on TV? I would tend to answer no to that question. If we allow that to happen then we open the door for any small group to dictate what we can and can't watch. Atheist groups don't complain about Songs of Praise even though it defies their belief that their is no God. People should be free to watch what they like so long as it doesn't endanger those who are more vulnerable in our society. The material in this play is clearly not suitable for children and accordingly the BBC is not showing it till ten o'clock at night. Adults who choose to watch it can do so in the privacy of their own homes. If they don't want to watch it they don't have to; we have many more channels to choose from.
I think one reason that the Christians are protesting so strongly about this is that they are fed up with the way the Christian religion is being targetted like this when no one would dare to attack Islam in this way. Last month a theatre in Birmingham was attacked by Sikhs because of a play that was being staged there. The play was subsequently taken off specifically because of the violent reaction that it had produced. I commented to my father at the time that if the play had been set in a Christian church instead of a Sikh temple the worst that the theatre would have got was a viscious letter writing campaign; and the play would have stayed on. Chistians are too nice to get violent about comething that offends them. The stereo-typical image of a Christian is of a weakling who wouldn't say boo to a chicken, therfore people think they can get away with ridiculing Christian values because if the Christians did complain it would only provide them with some free publicity. Christians were too nice to do anything bad. This time I think Christians are taking this more personally that usual and are getting very worked up over the opera (more than it really deserves). Christians are fed up with being walked on; now they are going to fight back! Of course it isn't working, they are still too nice, but now it looks like they are whining about something they can't control.
Now I must admit that I am a Christian and go to a local Pentecostal church. Many of the people in my church are going berserk over this. Others are not. Just like everywhere it takes all sorts! I personally am not bothered what the BBC show, I won't watch it. I suggest everyone else in my church does the same. Everybody else out there is perfectly free to do whatever they want. What right have I to empose my principles on anybody else?
Tomorrow the BBC will be broadcasting "Jerry Springer - the Opera", and there have been tens of thousands of protests from Christians about certain parts of the play which show Jesus in what they would consider blasphemous situations. Of course all their protests are succeeding in doing is giving the programme some free publicity. I know I didn't know about it before the news started talking about the controversy that had been provoked by the programme and I know other people who also didn't know about it before this. I'm sure there are programme makers that deliberately add a controversial aspect to their programme just to make people talk about it and watch it. It's an obvious tactic. That is probably not the tactic here, however.
This has been on the stage for over two years with no reaction from Christian groups. It's only been when the BBC announced that it was going to broadcast the show that the uproar began. They were happy to ignore the show while it was only being performed at a theatre, but somehow having it on the TV gives it a special significance that demands a much higher standard. The protesters are indeed saying that the BBC should be more selective in it's programming and uphold the moral standards of the nation. (I didn't know Britain still had any moral standards! I thought we lost them a long time ago.) They are saying that we all have to pay a licence fee for the BBC so we shouldn't have to pay for programming that offends us, but of course that isn't the idea of the licence fee. It may be an out-dated way of funding broadcasting but at the moment it is how the BBC is still funded, but that doesn't mean that we can all choose what should or should not be funded. There have been scenes of people burning their TV licences, which is an interesting public display but rather drastic since it means they can now no longer legally watch any TV (whether BBC or not) until they buy a new licence.
The real issue is not whether this Opera is blasphemous but if it was would that mean it shouldn't be shown. Christians say that it is blasphemous and so, of course, it shouldn't be broadcast, but I don't think many of these people who are complaining about the programme have been to see the play and much less have seen the programme which isn't on till tomorrow. Begs to wonder how they know it's blasphemous, they are all going on hearsay. They have heard that there are some 'bad' sections in it and that's all the information they need. It makes you wonder what these people would think if they had actually seen it. The Director-General of the BBC was interviewed about the programme and he said that he was a practising Christian and he didn't find it blasphemous. Other Christians who have seen the programme may disagree, but if some of these protestors were to watch tomorrows programme expecting to be offended they probably will be.
The question of whether a programme is blasphemous depends entirely on who is watching it. The question of whether that same programme should be taken off the air because it is blasphemous is a difficult one to answer. Christian groups are percieving this as an attack on their religion, that leftist atheists run the BBC and are determined to indermine everything Christians believe in. I don't believe that this is the case but let's not foget that there will be people who will be just as vocal as the Christians if it is taken off the air. In a free society should a part of the community be allowed to dictate what everyone else can watch on TV? I would tend to answer no to that question. If we allow that to happen then we open the door for any small group to dictate what we can and can't watch. Atheist groups don't complain about Songs of Praise even though it defies their belief that their is no God. People should be free to watch what they like so long as it doesn't endanger those who are more vulnerable in our society. The material in this play is clearly not suitable for children and accordingly the BBC is not showing it till ten o'clock at night. Adults who choose to watch it can do so in the privacy of their own homes. If they don't want to watch it they don't have to; we have many more channels to choose from.
I think one reason that the Christians are protesting so strongly about this is that they are fed up with the way the Christian religion is being targetted like this when no one would dare to attack Islam in this way. Last month a theatre in Birmingham was attacked by Sikhs because of a play that was being staged there. The play was subsequently taken off specifically because of the violent reaction that it had produced. I commented to my father at the time that if the play had been set in a Christian church instead of a Sikh temple the worst that the theatre would have got was a viscious letter writing campaign; and the play would have stayed on. Chistians are too nice to get violent about comething that offends them. The stereo-typical image of a Christian is of a weakling who wouldn't say boo to a chicken, therfore people think they can get away with ridiculing Christian values because if the Christians did complain it would only provide them with some free publicity. Christians were too nice to do anything bad. This time I think Christians are taking this more personally that usual and are getting very worked up over the opera (more than it really deserves). Christians are fed up with being walked on; now they are going to fight back! Of course it isn't working, they are still too nice, but now it looks like they are whining about something they can't control.
Now I must admit that I am a Christian and go to a local Pentecostal church. Many of the people in my church are going berserk over this. Others are not. Just like everywhere it takes all sorts! I personally am not bothered what the BBC show, I won't watch it. I suggest everyone else in my church does the same. Everybody else out there is perfectly free to do whatever they want. What right have I to empose my principles on anybody else?