Muslims throughout the world are outraged at a set of cartoons published by a Danish newspaper (and later republished by a Norwegian paper), which depict the “prophet” Muhammad. As a general rule, the Muslim belief states that no images of Muhammad, or any other prophet, should be made. This is to help avoid idolatry. However, they were further outraged by the fact that Muhammad was demeaned in several of the cartoons; including one that showed Muhammad with a bomb for a turban. This outrage has ranged from silent discontent to the firebombing of Scandinavian embassies.
When discussing Muslim extremists, the President (as well as others in his staff) has said that the extremists are misinterpreting the holy texts and are twisting them to their own goals. The President also said that they are bringing shame to an otherwise noble religion.
Now we have this:
Quote:
NBC, fresh from giving us the anti-Christian The Book of Daniel, has decided to hit back at the Christian community by presenting an episode of Will and Grace which mocks the crucifixion of Christ.
On the April 13 edition of NBC’s Will and Grace, Britney Spears will appear as a Christian conservative sidekick to Sean Hayes’ homosexual character, Jack, who hosts his own talk show.
Jack’s fictional network, Out TV, is bought by a Christian TV network, leading to Spears contributing a cooking segment called “Cruci-fixin’s.” To further denigrate Christianity, NBC chose to air it the night before Good Friday.
– American Family Association
Groups have called for boycotts of NBC’s advertisers. They have called for boycotts of NBC itself. They have letter writing campaigns. They have petitions circulating. They encourage all “true” Christians to contact the NBC corporate offices, as well as their local affiliates.
But, where is the outrage?
If a television show in a primarily Muslim country tried to have an episode mocking the prophet Muhammad, what do you think would happen? I’ll tell you; the same thing that is happening now, because of the cartoons. There would be riots. Buildings would be burned. People would be killed.
I am by no means suggesting that we should hurt anyone. I am not suggesting that we should firebomb our local NBC affiliates. However, the current answer appears to be to just ignore it. It’s the world being the world.
It IS the world being the world, but that doesn’t mean we should sit back and enjoy it. We should not surrender to the theme of tolerance eating away at our country. We shouldn’t accept a society that is calling the Muslim faith noble, while at the same time is demeaning the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior.
NBC says the plot details which the AFA references are not in actuality what will be in the episode. In fact, they say that the episode has not even been written yet. Additionally, the network said this, “The reference to ‘Cruci-fixins’ will not be in the show and the storyline will not contain a Christian characterization at all. We value our viewers and sincerely regret if this misinformation has offended them.” Does that matter? Does the fact that they will not be using ‘Cruci-fixins’ mean the show is now wholesome family entertainment. It certainly does not.
I hope you helped keep NYPD Blue off the air, when it first tried to run on ABC. I hope when Will and Grace first aired, you tried to keep it away from our communities. But, even if you didn’t, don’t let that stop you now. Don’t let people say you are hypocritical because you didn’t protest a homosexual themed show until it was purported to mock the very act that washed away our sins. Admit that the show was always wrong, and is still wrong. Don’t deny allegiance to Christ when He is attacked in front of you.
As with any task which God sets before us, He has shown us how to act. It is certainly acceptable to approach anyone regarding their sin. So, too, it is fine to address NBC employees (including the president) concerning the sin of promoting sinful behavior and/or mocking Jesus. However, it may not be expedient. In Acts 19:23-41, we can see the interaction of Paul with a community. We are not told whether or not Paul approached the silversmiths for the temple of Artemis, but we are told what had the positive effect on the community. Paul spoke with the people. As people were converted, they stopped buying shrines of Artemis. It sent the silversmiths into a panic. If Paul had spoken with the silversmiths, till he was blue in the face, it is unlikely he would have changed their minds. However, by spreading the word of god he affected the entire community, including the silversmiths. It would be fine to write letters to NBC, but it would be better to simply spread the word of God throughout your community. If the community no longer consumes the product NBC is putting out, NBC will change their product. The Book of Daniel was taken off the air, not because the American Family Association protested it, but because no one was watching it.
We should strive to change people’s hearts, not a few executive’s minds.
