Posted on 02/18/2006 2:48:35 PM PST by Panerai
SBS TV has "deferred" an episode of the cartoon series South Park that caused outrage in church circles in the US and New Zealand.
Dubbed "Bloody Mary", the episode features a statue of the Virgin Mary that bleeds "out her ass".
It was screened in the US before Christmas, and its scheduling in New Zealand has caused heated controversy in New Zealand.
The Australian reports that the statue sprays blood over everyone who walks behind it, including Stan's father Randy, who declares it a miracle as it stops him drinking. Pope Benedict XVI turns up to investigate and is also sprayed.
In the US, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights was outraged and called for the episode to be scrapped. It was not run in the season end wrap-up.
Melbourne's Archbishop Denis Hart recently wrote to SBS and asked that they not screen the episode, scheduled for 6 March. According to The Diary in the Media section of today's Australian, he received an unpleasant reply from the network's programming director Matt Campbell, "telling him to mind his own business".
But, The Australian's columnist D.D. McNicoll says, "someone clearly overruled Campbell".
"When Diary called yesterday to check what was happening, Campbell replied: 'Given the current worldwide controversy over cartoons of religious figures, we've decided to defer this program and give some more thought to its scheduling. It's an entertainment program so timing of broadcast is not a critical issue as it might be if it were news and current affairs.'"
(Excerpt) Read more at cathnews.com ...
South Park Ping
Well, I would wonder about anyone who would produce such a thing. I wouldn't commit violence against those stupid enough to do it. I would however not like to be in their shoes on judgement day.
Are you serious? Hell for insulting the "Virgin Mary"?
Hey, man, it is South Park.
I don't watch it more than once a year but of the very few times I've seen it they boil up just about everybody and every subject.
They have a keen eye for getting a point across.
I watch it just about every night. I don't have to watch the episodes that I don't like. Amazing how that freedom of choice works isn't it?
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Would you like your mother lampooned that way?
Did anyone advocate South Park be taken off the air or the government step in? Whose freedom was being limited?
Well, Christians were rioting, looting, burning embassies, and murdering people left and right, so that was undoubtably a factor...
Yes. I would. If my mother somehow became a focus of magical, superstitious beliefs, then I would certainly want those beliefs satirized and thereby deflated. (I'm not talking about serious Catholic views here, even including Mariology. I'm talking about facile, "quick fix" views, for example that "faith healing" can be achieved by touching sacred objects, which is what the episode was in fact addressing.)
Oh yeah, I guess you jumped in to claim freedom of choice because your panties weren't in a wad. Okay then...
LOL, my mistake.
Did you watch the episode in question ?
Let's see, insulting God's mother. Yeah, I'd say it's probably not the best way to punch your ticket to Heaven ....
I am just as annoyed as you are when people make outlandish claims, but people were doing what you say, the Virgin Mary wasn't.
I'm not a Catholic. I was raised not to respect Catholacism, but this is insulting not only to their beliefs but to Christians at large.
For the record, I don't attend church and haven't in decades.
I don't deify Mary, but I do respect the mother of Christ.
To portray such a thing to make a point is a poor way to make a point. The point could have just as easily have been made by showing one of those 'cross in a window' things and showing how idiotic people are with regard to them.
Thanks for the comments.
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