tolerance is intolerable!

[ebonywnd]

A chill wind
Originally published December 3, 2004

THE UNITED Church of Christ is a pretty mainstream American institution.
The notion that the 1.3 million-member church would accept worshippers
regardless of race, ethnicity, age, economic status or sexual orientation
seems no worse than idealistic. (Or dare we say, downright Christian?)
Yet, the church's new 30-second television ad promoting that idea has been
rejected by two broadcast networks, CBS and NBC, as too controversial.
That's right: The idea of tolerance suddenly can't be tolerated.

Officials with the Cleveland-based church are understandably perplexed.
The UCC is still going forward with its campaign - timed to run during the
Advent Season - on other networks. In a statement, the Rev. John H.
Thomas, UCC's general minister, says he finds it ironic that after an
election "awash in commercials based on fear and deception by both parties
seen on all the major networks, an ad with a message of welcome and
inclusion would be deemed too controversial."

Amen.

The 30-second ad opens with a couple of burly bouncers in front of an
unnamed church. They decline to let two men past the velvet ropes but do
allow a well-dressed white man and woman. Some minorities are also
refused. The announcer intones, "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do
we." The scene shifts to a happy and diverse assembly of people posing for
a group photo. The announcer ends with, "No matter who you are, or where
you are on life's journey, you are welcome here."

Still missing the controversy? A CBS official writes that "because this
commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority
groups by other individuals and organizations and the fact the Executive
Branch has recently proposed a Constitutional amendment to define marriage
as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for
broadcast."

The lesson is clear: That chill you're feeling right now is the legacy of
President Bush's re-election campaign. Our homophobia has reached such an
extreme that being openly nice to them - or suggesting that others aren't
- is strictly verboten. The networks don't want to offend red-staters.
They've been scared into self-censorship, and that's scary indeed, because
UCC tested the commercial last spring on local TV stations (including a
total of 11 CBS and NBC affiliates) from Oklahoma City to York, Pa. How
many complaints did they hear? Zero.

Maybe this is an isolated incident, and maybe a few network executives are
just extra fearful on this issue. Maybe. But if such a fundamental tenet
of Christianity can be deemed off-limits by networks running shows such as
The Biggest Loser and Fear Factor, we have to wonder what kind of values
the nation has embraced.

[Aimepenser]

Well I must say, it's an interesting spot.

As best I can tell, Jesus didn't have a church building. So He didn't turn people away in the same sense. According to some sources, however, He did get pissed once and chase a bunch of people out of the temple, which seems similar. By this same source he also is known to have demanded things of people which sometimes made them leave of their own volition. I would imagine that while this source is not respected by all it is probably respected by the ministers in question, at least in part.

On a stylistic note it would seem churches could find better ways to recruit than by drawing comparisons with some really crappy churches. "Come to our church because we're not racists!" Surely they can do better.

Why don't some networks want to show the ads? If there was an ad for a gay bar showing other bars turning away gay couples, I imagine they probably wouldn't show that either. Maybe they feel that such negative imagery should be reserved for times when it can make a difference in society, not for a commercial purpose. After all they are trying to entertain us much of the time, and they probably don't want to interject the shocking realities of discrimination into every other commercial break of Bob and Mary's favorite sitcom.

That's just my guess of course. What do you think?

[ebonywnd]

While it is true that the Bible has incidences where Jesus is...less than all-forgiving...doesn't it also have the commandment of Love thy neighbor? I guess these people being turned away weren't geographically close enough for Jesus.

The message that the church was trying to convey is good... it may indeed be a little off in the way they portray it though. But the thing is...I don't think there can be a better advertisement for a church than "we don't discriminate, everyone is loved and welcomed, we'll trust God to judge you correctly." What better church sentiment can there be? "Join us or you go to Hell?"

One of the reasons they give for not airing the commercial is "because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority groups by other individuals and organizations and the fact the Executive Branch has recently proposed a Constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast."

Did I read this wrong, or does it seem like he is saying it is ok to discriminate against gay couples because the executive branch says they can't marry? Are these people married? No. Are they screwing? Assuredly. Or perhaps does he mean that since the propose amendment is so blatantly religious and intolerant, that we should emulate it? Hmm.

Allah forbid we ever imply there is such a thing as discrimination.

Happy ChrismaHanuKwanziKah to you.

[Aimepenser]

Yes, love thy neighbor, true, but loving thy neighbor isn't all smiles and hugs. Jesus, I think acting in love, is said to have told a rich young person once to sell all he had and give the money to the poor. This was love, even though it was asking the person to do something quite drastic and temporarily quite unenjoyable. As for Jesus and discrimination, it is said that he met and related amiably to samaritans (so he probably wasn't racist) and prostitutes (so he probably wasn't classist). I'm not sure Jesus ever met a gay couple, but I wish he had.

"Join us or you go to Hell?"
If the 'us' is any particular church, I take this as a sign that they are largely unfamiliar with scripture.

My reading of CBS: Because this touches on a controversial issue, part of which is the subject of an amendment being put forward by Bush, and we wouldn't like to disagree with the administration, we don't want to broadcast this.

If this is what they're trying to say, then my reaction is that this is a clear copout. They don't want to broadcast it for their own reasons and they blame it on the current climate to avoid responsibility for their decision. After all, since when does CBS not air something because the Bush administration wouldn't like it. It just doesn't jive with my past experience.

Alternate reading of CBS: Because this is a highly charged and serious issue we feel that it is inappropriate to air a 'commercial' which uses it to sell a product (even if the product is a church).

Also, I'm not quite sure how one determines that two men are both gay and 'screwing' simply by looking at them. I guess I would have to see the ad, but this judgement is likely premature. (unless of course they are screwing on the ad , but then CBS would use that as the excuse not to air it)

There is certainly discrimination and there are certainly PSAs, news reports, documentaries, and sitcom plots about it on television. But it is my personal opinion and possibly that of CBS that the subject is largely inappropriate for use in commercial advertisements.

Would the networks air an ad that implied we should,
"Come to Disney World because we hire more homosexuals and minorities than Six Flags" I think they would not, but they do currently air ads that illustrate and oppose workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Now, if this church put together and funded a tasteful PSA with the message of inclusion and love that left out the 'come to our church' line and CBS still didn't air it, then I would say 'poo poo on CBS,' because the networks already air other similar spots.

Shalom