Taking the facetious portrait of
Christ as a hard-line avenger and going a step further to poke fun at the style
of a filmmaker may not be blasphemous, but the big CR is having none of it: for
years, Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association has touted a kind of Rambo
Jesus - a Messiah who will
come back to kick ass. He's also an ardent NRA supporter and rip-snortin'
vigilante. So why is his AFA (American Family Association) upset at SNL for
DJesus Uncrossed? (See video below). Is he just warning SNL, or is the man
actually salivating at the possibility that DU will come to pass?
Also from the AFA:
WARNING!!!
This NBC video contains offensive material!!!Advertisers sponsor vicious
anti-Christian skit. Probably the most anti-Christian skit in the history of
television! Decide for yourself. Watch the ENTIRE video! Click
here. This e-mail will reach NBC: <Email address removed">.
Companies which sponsor the on-line version of this video include: JC Penny -
Penny is blocking our e-mails. Try sending an e-mail directly from your e-mail
to <Email address removed">. K-Mart
and Sears - owned by the same company. Send your email to Email address removed">\. Target
- Call 1.800.591.3869. You can also call your local
store and ask for the manager. Get involved today! Help stop the anti-Christian
bias in the media. Join with 50,000 other pastors! SIGN
THE STATEMENT! Be part of the
solution, not the problem. If you have already signed, please forward this to
fellow pastors.
Blasphemy
Fake - Blasphemy Real
Blasphemy
may be in the eye of the beholder, but when it impacts the well-being of
others, it becomes a matter of national concern. In this case,does a comedy
skit/video impact as many people as the portrayal of the Messiah as a deadly
force to be reckoned with?
The depth of the blasphemy and its origins have to be considered: a tangential spoof by a comedy show vs. a sincere (albeit it skewed) portrayal by a religious group promoting family values is what the Djesus Uncrossed controversy may boil down to, making groups like the AFA look more than a little hypocritical. The scriptural passage "I come with a sword" has been used to promote the image of a vengeful Jesus, quite different from the "Meek and Mild" taught to previous generations. It is used to instill fear into the hearts of evildoers and quell any images of love and compassion. The kumbaya crowd is duly appalled, but the paranoid and self-righteous are pleased.
Which is what groups like the AFA seem determined to do: give their people the right feel indignant and justified with the wrath of the Second Coming.
So the
point of blasphemy remains: which is fake and which is real?
Who Will Come To SNL's Defense?
Of
course, not all Christians are p*ssed off. From Religion
Dispatches :
And the award for Jesus Outrage That Totally Missed
The Boat goes to the American Family Association for its outrage over Saturday Night Live's mockery of
Quentin Tarantino. Yes guys, it's a mockery of Tarantino for the silly
historical revenge fantasy kick he's been on with Inglourious Basterds and the recently
released Django Unchained.
Undoubtedly,
both sides of the punditry aisle will be out in full force: Bill Maher come
immediately to mind, since his Religulous was, in its own way, blasphemous. But
the force of groups like the AFA might bring some tsk-tsks from usually liberal
sources.
Whatever the backlash, it will be very, very interesting.
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