The largest religion in the world today is Christianity, with 2.4 billion followers, comprising 31% of the planet's total population. In second place is Islam, with approximately 2 billion followers.
Even though it is the largest religion in the world, Christianity is often attacked in the mainstream media and in popular culture. It happened again during a disgusting display at the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
French organizers thought it was clever to make a satirical spectacle of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting of The Last Supper. Filling the role of the apostles were drag queens, including one who was partially naked, a transgender model, a singer dressed as a Greek god, and a child. Representing Jesus was a scantily clad overweight woman in an outrageous costume.
For many Christians, the presentation was incredibly sacrilegious and a blatant attack on the religion. The Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Salvini, labeled the performance “sleazy” and noted that “Opening the Olympics by insulting billions of Christians across the world was a really bad start.”
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) blasted the opening ceremonies as a “mockery of The Last Supper.” He said it was “shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world.” Johnson also lamented that “The war on our faith and traditional values knows no bounds today.”
Of course, the French defended the opening ceremonies. The spokesperson for the Paris Olympics, Anne Descamps, said “there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group.” She claimed that the intention of the opening ceremony was to “celebrate community tolerance” and insisted their goals were “achieved.” For the critics of the ceremonies, Descamps said “If people have taken any offence, we are really sorry.”
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Well, the French were not sorry at all, for example, the Artistic Director of the Paris Olympics, Thomas Jolly, defended his “sleazy” show. He said the opening ceremonies focused on “inclusion,” and “diversity” and “artistic freedom.” Jolly stated that critics raised “questions” and attacked the ceremonies because he included “everyone” and did not “exclude anyone.”
Mr. Jolly, the “questions” stem from your decision to use a peculiar collection of performers to ridicule the world’s largest religion. Media personality Piers Morgan said it was an “appalling decision” to mock The Last Supper. He also asked an important question, “Would they have mocked any other religion like this?”
The answer is a categorical “No!” These so-called “artists” expressing their “freedom” would have been too scared to attack Islam. As Morgan wondered, “Imagine if they’d mocked Islam like this.” Any type of similar attack upon Islam would have been met with severe consequences.
The only religion that the cultural elite is comfortable mocking is Christianity. It is regularly done with almost no consequences as Christians have been reluctant to respond.
Fortunately, this nonchalant attitude might finally be changing. C-Spire, a Mississippi based phone service company, posted on social media, “We were shocked by the mockery of the Last Supper during the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics. C Spire will be pulling its advertising from the Olympics.”
The company’s decision was praised by Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, who said, “God will not be mocked. C Spire drew a common-sense, appropriate line.” Hopefully, this courageous decision will be followed by others in the corporate world. The Christian hating elites must pay some economic price for their mockery, or it will continue.
Joining in the outrage was French European Parliament member Marion Maréchal who claimed the presentation was “not France,” but “a left-wing minority ready for any provocation.” The French Bishops’ Conference blasted the “mockery of Christianity” and expressed solidarity with “all Christians on all continents who have been hurt by the outrage and provocation of certain scenes.”
Other Catholic leaders expressed their fury at the sacrilegious Olympic display. Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester called on Catholics to “make their voices heard” in response to the “gross mockery of the Last Supper.”
Archbishop Fernando Chomali of Santiago, Chile called the performance a “grotesque parody of the most sacred thing we Catholics have, the Eucharist.” He added, “The intolerance of the ‘tolerant’ has no limit. This is not the way to build a fraternal society. We witnessed nihilism at its maximum expression.”
Father Fray Nelson Medina, a Colombian Dominican priest, said the display was so offensive he “will not watch a single scene from the Olympic Games.” He said that the opening ceremony was “disgusting” and lamented that it mocked “the Lord Jesus Christ and his supreme gift of love.”
Father Medina also remarked that members of the Paris 2024 committee were “cowards: they wouldn’t mess with Muhammad.” Of course, Father Media is right, only Christians bear the brunt of such attacks.
Nonetheless, Catholic First Lady Jill Biden praised the gaudy display, calling it “spectacular.” In addition, French President Emmanuel Macron heaped compliments on the opening ceremonies. He said the performance “made our compatriots extremely proud” and claimed that the artists and athletes delivered a “great spectacle.”
In response, we must ask why such a “spectacle” was necessary to begin the event. The Olympic games are an athletic competition that supposedly is used to “bring the world together.” This is purportedly a unifying event, not one that attacks followers of the world’s largest religion.
Sadly, the radical elitists want to push their agenda at every opportunity. Whether it is a movie, a sporting event, or an advertisement, no chance is missed to browbeat people to accept their radical cultural agenda.
For the opening ceremonies, most viewers undoubtedly believed they were going to watch a wholesome event. Some may have allowed their children to watch. Instead of family-friendly entertainment, they were subjected to drag queens, transgender performers, nudity, and religious attacks, all in the name of artistic freedom.
Speaking of freedom, let us hope viewers use it to turn off the Olympics and send these insufferable elitists a resounding message.
Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian, and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America's Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-9 a.m. & 6-7 p.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America's Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com
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