BISHOPS' PRESIDENT BLASTS 'SOUTH PARK' EPISODE LAMPOONING MARY (Disgusting!)

Catholic News Service ^ | 12/19/2005 | Staff

[FerdieMurphy]

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The president of the U.S. bishops blasted a recent episode of the cable television comedy "South Park" that he said showed Mary in "a tasteless and ugly fashion."

In a Dec. 14 letter to Tom Freston, co-president and chief operating officer of Viacom International, parent company of Comedy Central, the cable channel that shows "South Park," Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., said the channel showed "extreme insensitivity" in choosing to show the episode.

The episode, which first was shown Dec. 7 and had repeat showings in the week following, was titled "Bloody Mary." During the episode, a "South Park" character claims to have been sprayed with blood from a bodily orifice of a Virgin Mary statue.

When Pope Benedict XVI investigates in the show, he declares that she was merely menstruating. The episode's premiere date came the day before the feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation for Catholics.

[rwfromkansas]

I call her blessed.

I don't call her a co-mediatrix.

[singfreedom]

If you expect us to accept this as a valid charge, then we should also consider the charge that you are anti-Semitic valid as well.

Many posters have explained and given examples of the fact that the SP episode in question does NOT express contempt for Mary, but for people who accept idols as gods.

[MarkL]

Does South Park ever make fun of the Holocaust or any other important Jewish subject? I suspect not -- as a rule, Hollywood blasphemes Christianity but not Judaism -- but maybe this isn't the case with South Park, maybe that show is an equal-opportunity blasphemer. Anyone know?

Well, first off, there's Cartman always going after Kyle for being a Jew. Or the Passion of the Christ episode, where he organizes the South Park citizens for the "final solution." There was the "Jew Scouts" episode... And of course, let's not forget about the "Concentration Camp of Tolerance."

Did I leave anything out?

Mark

[Alouette]

the only time you hear farting noises or fart jokes is while the kids are watching their favorite cartoon, "Terrance and Phillip."

They also did an episode where people were spontaneously bursting into flame, and Stan's dad decided it was because of gas buildup, so he encouraged the whole town not to hold in their farts.

I think this is the same episode where Stan and Kyle crucified Cartman.

[A.Hun]

"54": And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

"55": Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

"56": And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

Matthew 13

I'm pretty sure my Bible says Jesus had brothers and sisters.

[singfreedom]

Which is the way liberals like to portray ALL of us!

[Alouette]

"Ike's Bris" and Kyle goes to yeshiva (that was the "Jon Edward is a Douche" episode)

[humblegunner]

Let me know when you are going to try to stone humblegunner.

Always a dicey proposition.
Better to kill him outright if you can and abuse his corpse.

It's still dicey even then.

[A.A. Cunningham]

"The inference he [Helvidius] drew from it was, that Mary remained a virgin no longer than till her first birth, and that afterwards she had other children by her husband . . . No just and well-grounded inference can be drawn from these words . . . as to what took place after the birth of Christ. He is called 'first-born'; but it is for the sole purpose of informing us that he was born of a virgin . . . What took place afterwards the historian does not inform us . . . No man will obstinately keep up the argument, except from an extreme fondness for disputation."
John Calvin, "Harmony of Matthew, Mark & Luke", Geneva, 1562

"There have been certain STRANGE folk who have wished to suggest from this passage [Matt 1:25] that the Virgin Mary had other children than the Son of God, and that Joseph had then dwelt with her later; BUT WHAT FOLLY THIS IS!"

"For the gospel writer did not wish to record what happened afterwards; he simply wished to make clear Joseph's obedience and to show also that Joseph had been well and truly assured that it was God who had sent his angel to Mary. He had therefore NEVER dwelt with her nor had he shared her company....

"And besides this, our Lord Jesus Christ is called the first-born. This is NOT because there was a second or a third, but because the gospel writer is paying regard to the precedence. Scripture speaks thus of naming the first-born whether or no there was any question of the second. Thus we see the intention of the Holy Spirit. This is why to lend ourselves to FOOLISH SUBTLETIES WOULD BE TO ABUSE HOLY SCRIPTURE...."
John Calvin, Sermon on Matthew 1:22-25, Geneva, 1562

"We have already said in another place that according to the custom of the Hebrews all relatives were called 'brethren.' Still Helvidius [a 4th century heretic] has shown himself to be IGNORANT of this by stating that Mary had many children just because in several places they are spoken of as 'brethren' of Christ."
John Calvin, Commentary on Matthew 13:55, Geneva, 1562

""Concerning what has happened since this birth the writer of the gospel SAYS NOTHING...certainly it is a matter about which NO ONE will cause dispute unless he is somewhat curious; on the contrary there never was a man who would contradict this in obstinacy unless he were a PIG-HEADED and FATUOUS [i.e. foolish and stupid] person."
John Calvin, Commentary on Matthew 1:25, Geneva, 1562

[Oztrich Boy]

I wouldn't expect a South Park afficianado to come up with his or her own zingers.

There are no such things as sure fire funny "zingers"

Humour is all about delivery, and .... timing.

[A.Hun]

Thank goodness you are humble...LOL!

[humblegunner]

Thank goodness you are humble...LOL!

I have to call 'em like I see 'em!

And besides, someone has to do it.

[A.Hun]

We all carry a burden. Carry on!

[MarkL]

But you said you don't do things you don't want your children to know about, so I'm assuming you tell them every time you have sex, right?

Or invite them in to watch?

Mark

[redrock]

"And regarding Calvin (just another flawed bigoted man to me)....."

Just about perfect in describing Calvin.

redrock

[MarkL]

Yes the show makes fun of Jews. As when Cartman tells Kyle, "Shut up you goddam Jew!"

Or when Kyle learns that it's illegal for Jews to eat "Christmas snow."

And then there's the original Mr. Hanky episode... "... A lonely Jew, at Christmas."

Mark

[MarkL]

"Your mother was on the cover of crack whore magazine"

Well, Carman's mother WAS on the cover of Crack Whore magazine.

Mark

[singfreedom]

TOUCHE!!!!

[BigSkyFreeper]

All Christians should be angered by this blasphemy.

Let God sort that out. You don't like it? Don't watch it.

[BigSkyFreeper]

News-Flash - South Park shows EVERYTHING in "a tasteless and ugly fashion."

They do have a disclaimer at the beginning of the show that says something to the effect that "if you have not been offended, we apologize".