Does NBC hate Christians?
I pondered that question over the weekend as I sat on my couch and watched Saturday Night Live blaspheme Jesus Christ in a violent and bloody Quentin Tarantino parody – just three days after Ash Wednesday.
The fake movie trailer for “Djesus Uncrossed” featured the Savior brandishing guns and blowing away Romans in classic Tarantino-style. Blood and gore and profanity spewed from flat screens from coast to coast – at one point Jesus sliced a man’s head in half.
“Critics are calling it a less violent ‘Passion of the Christ,’” the announcer declared. “I never knew how much Jesus used the n-word.”
Offending Christians is apparently what passes for entertainment these days.
A few days before the SNL episode -- NBC Sports blogger Rick Chandler wrote a scathing smear against a prominent Christian church in Dallas.
The First Baptist Church in Dallas had invited Tim Tebow to speak at an upcoming service. Chandler urged the outspoken Christian football player to reconsider.
“Tim Tebow to speak at virulently anti-gay, anti-Semitic Dallas mega-church,” read the headline on Chandler’s hit piece.
Sing Oldham, a spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention, told me he’s not surprised by NBC’s blistering assault on American Christians.
“It’s open season on those who profess personal faith in Jesus Christ and pattern their lives by biblical morality,” he said. “Evangelical Christians are treated with contempt and targeted for ridicule.”
And at the Peacock Network, the contempt and ridicule are on steroids.
NBC removed the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance during a produced video that aired during the U.S. Open.
NBC medical editor Nancy Snyderman infamously denounced the religious part of Christmas during an episode of Today.
“I don’t like the religion part,” said Snyderman. “I think religion is what mucks the whole thing up.”
The “religion” she was referring to is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
The network has also produced religion-bashing shows like “The New Normal” and “The Book of Daniel.” That particular show is so offensive it led American Family Radio chairman Donald Wildmon to declare, “We are tired of NBC’s anti-Christian bigotry.”
I wish I could tell you that this sort of anti-Christian bigotry is an anomaly. Sadly, it is not.
We’ve seen the networks and national news publications denigrate the Christian faith with great flair – from the “Good Christian B****es” of ABC to Newsweek’s Christmas essay about the “The Myths of Jesus.”
I find it interesting that the networks always mock and ridicule Christianity – but they give other religions a pass.
Why aren’t the writers at SNL churning out weekly skits about Islam – or the Prophet Mohammed? Where’s the mock movie trailer for “Jihad Undetonated?” Where’s the television show called “Good Muslim B****es?” Or the magazine essay about “The Myths of Mohammed?”
I suspect we all know the answer to why.
Maybe 30 Rock chooses to attack followers of Jesus because Christians are easy targets.
Southern Baptist spokesman Oldham said it should come as no surprise that networks like NBC target Christians for ridicule.
“Jesus said, ‘the world will hate you because of my name,’” he said, referring to a passage in the New Testament.
As best as I can tell the folks over at NBC are either ideological bullies or religious bigots. Either one is enough for me to change the channel.