If a show about Muslims were written by sarcastic evangelicals who liked to poke fun at Islam, can you imagine the cultural outcry across America? That show would be shot down so fast, you wouldn’t have time to say “politically incorrect!”
Now, imagine a show in which Jesus himself is a regular character who pals around with a priest. Imagine it’s written by “a recovering Catholic” who is apparently very interested in the idea of reincarnation, and who thinks a lot of the “myth” surrounding Christ may be untrue…
Does that show get shot down?
No. It’s gets a prime time spot on NBC, and any Christians who cry foul are just “of little faith,” apparently. I mean, why get all riled up about prime-time blasphemy and network-broadcast disrespect?
Here’s Media Girl’s mainstream take on “The Book of Daniel.”
If ever a show needed some Act One graduates to enact a hostile takeover, this sounds like the one.
My porn filter has that site marked as pornographic. Is that a mis-categorization?
At any rate, I couldn’t read it.
The show sounds awful from your description…
“The Book of Daniel” sounds like what the modern-day Episcopal Church has become. Plus “South Park” has a false Christ in “Jesus & Friends.” All the protests thrown at that show did not get it or the movie cancelled. In fact, episodes of it are now played on Fox’s broadcast channel in my city, not just on Comedy Central.
Jeff,
I usually find myself in agreement with you on most matters entertainment, but I don’t understand what the big problem is here. It’s a show about a flawed, dysfunctional church family, and it looks like we’re being asked to relate to them as much as laugh at them (how is that any different from “The Simpsons”?) Nothing about “Media Girl’s” description of Christ’s portrayal in the show shouted “Buddy Christ” to me. My impression was that this is going to be one of those shows that tries to respect Christ (as best as it can, coming from a secular pov) but mocks the foibles of Christians and organized religion. As is the trendy stance to take towards Christianity these days.
Yeah, the “recovering Catholic” tag is snotty, but… eh. The show isn’t the writer. (And “I don’t know if all the myths are true” is a curiously ambiguous statement: it implies some level of uncertainty about Christianity’s truth claims.)
Of course, this very well could turn out to be the Worst Show Ever, but I don’t think it’s an inevitability.
Don’t you always say that Christians should “test all things” before passing judgement?
>>>If a show about Muslims were written by sarcastic evangelicals who liked to poke fun at Islam, can you imagine the cultural outcry across America? That show would be shot down so fast, you wouldn’t have time to say “politically incorrect!”>>>
That doesn’t seem like a very good analogy. Muslims are a minority, and not a particularly popular one right now. Christians are the majority, and considered part of mainstream American society. Mocking one is not the same as mocking the other.
Also, the show isn’t being written by members of another religion, but by a lapsed Catholic, which, rightly or not, probably goes a long way towards making it okay (again, from a secular pov). A laspsed Muslim would probably be given a fair amount of leeway to mock Islam, too. Far moreso than an Evangelical would, anyway (and rightly so.)
>>>If a show about Muslims were written by sarcastic evangelicals who liked to poke fun at Islam, can you imagine the cultural outcry across America? That show would be shot down so fast, you wouldn’t have time to say “politically incorrect!”>>>
Reflecting on transatlantic girl’s comments–the only outcry about Salman Rushdie’s satirical criticism of Islam in “The Satanic Verses” came from Islamic fundamentalists, while free-speech advocates of all stripes, religious or irreligious, stuck their necks out for Rushdie. That would seem to be an appropriate analogy for this. If this is truly something pejorative toward Christianity, methinks we should read Matthew 5 again (particularly verses 9-12), and get back to being salt.
Sounds like the movie is Fight Club without the irony.
I have the graphic novel (well, Pete has it right now, *cough*) and I seem to recall Moore stating in the introduction that “V for Vendetta” was a reaction to the kind of society that was beginning to take root in Britain under Margaret Thatcher. It was a time of enormous socail and political upheaval in the UK, as you might recall.
Moore’s story is about a free society vs. a strictly controlled one with fingermen and cameras on every corner. Evie Hamilton becomes a moral center in this universe, rejecting V’s murderous ways. V is the way of destruction and Evie the way of construction.
I was initially interested to see thisfilm, but have cooled to it since discovering the Wachowskis were involved.
>>Evie Hamilton becomes a moral center in this universe, rejecting V’s murderous ways. V is the way of destruction and Evie the way of construction.
[blink] REALLY? Boy, then the Wachowski’s really HAVE changed things.
Peter, that’s exactly what I wrote down to use as the starting point of my review: Fight Club. Except that this time, love doesn’t save the day… love only fuels the Fight Club’s desire to overthrow any government violently.
>>Evie Hamilton becomes a moral center in this universe, rejecting V’s murderous ways. V is the way of destruction and Evie the way of construction.
[blink] REALLY? Boy, then the Wachowski’s really HAVE changed things.
Hmmm… now I am curious. I won’t say much more because you should read it for yourself. What I will say is that Moore’s belief would seem to be that destruction of what had been was integral – necessary evil, but the construction of something new and better was imperative. Perhaps childhood to adolescense into adulthood would be an appropriate example to draw upon?
V’s anarchy aspires to the idea of “Do What Thou Wilt” (a nod to LaVey) which is an entirely different animal than the baser urges found in the chaotic “Land of Do as You Please”.
I finally started reading The Shining Path’s copy of the graphic novel last night — and I made it about a third of the way through — and I just want to say that the girl’s name, at least there, is Evey, not Evie. 🙂
Oh, and I love the way Alan Moore layers everything — “V” sounds like “Evey”, “V” is the number “5”, “V” is the initial used by every word in that five-word Latin phrase that V quotes, etc.
Well, not to be smug, but I feel vindicated in my comments of an earlier post about being wary of things as Christians. Yea something may appear to bring to light issues that are not being spoken of but that doesn’t mean we jump to make people aware of whatever it is without knowing what it’s all about for ourselves. I’ve got many gripes with our current government period (this doesn’t hinge on Left or RIght as Bush is more liberal then conservative in my eyes and government is FAR too big as it is) but unfortunately well reasoned and balanced answers don’t really come from a Hollywood film.
Great….not only did I sound smug but also preachy….