Posted on 02/24/2005 7:06:21 PM PST by wagglebee
An episode of the NBC sitcom "Committed,” featuring two characters who flush a Communion wafer down a toilet, has created a firestorm of protest among Catholics.
During the February 22 broadcast, two non-Catholics are mistakenly given Holy Communion at a Catholic funeral Mass. As recounted by the Catholic League:
"Nate, who is Jewish, and Bowie, a Protestant, don’t know what to do with the Eucharist, so they make several failed attempts to get rid of it. For example, they try slipping it into the pocket of a priest, dropping it on a tray of cheese and crackers, etc.
"At one point, the priest, who is portrayed as not knowing the difference between the Host and a cracker, goes to grab the 'cracker' from a tray of appetizers; he initially balks when he discovers that it is the last one. Then he changes his mind, saying, "Oh, what the hell.”
"By far the most offensive scene occurs when Nate and Bowie accidentally flush what they think is the Host down the toilet."
Catholic League President William Donahue is demanding that NBC apologize.
"To say that Catholics are angry about this show would be an understatement - the outrage is visceral and intense," he said Thursday.
"NBC has made a direct frontal assault on Roman Catholicism, choosing to mock, trivialize and ridicule the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ," Donahue added. "More than an apology is needed. This episode should be retired for good, and that is what we will demand.”
Ping.
When did Donohue promote homosexuality? I must have missed it.
I agree....but they were writing about people ignorant of Catholic rituals.
If they wrote my experience above, it would have been absolutely true....and I wasn't trying to demean anything.
It occurs to me that if communion in the hand were prohibited as it rightfully should, it would be much less difficult to blaspheme the eucharist, either in real lifeor on TV. Anyone with any respect for the Eucharist ought to receive on the tongue...
While the show might have been funny to some, the Host is sacred, and represents the body of Christ.
I must be a stick in the mud. This treatment of all things Christian by an at best indifferent US media, especially Catholic, is just plain beyond the pale.
It's a little like the upcoming rerelease of the Passion movie, without much of the scourging. Did we really think all that was a pleasant way to ready someone for death?
I do remember seeing Nuns on the Run and laughing myself silly, but you don't make fun of the Host. Ever.
Not all Christians believe the Communion wafer is the actual body of Christ as Catholics do, so I'm not sure all would consider this blasphemy.
However it is insulting to the Christian faith.
Yet these same networks will go out of their way to be certain that they do nothing that could possibly offend any Muslims, and I have a feeling that few if any Hollywood writers have any real familiarity with Islamic rituals (unless you count murdering the "infidels," but Hollyweird prefers to overlook that).
It doesn't just represent the Body of Christ - it IS the Body of Christ.
Any wonder why people are upset?
You're right. I noticed upon rereading that I was a bit confused there in my wording. Too tired. Must stop.
He does this how?
's OK. ;-) It's getting past my bedtime, too.
BUMP
Evangelicals see the wafer as representing the Body of Christ also.
I'm not amused. Some people are in for a rude awakening.
Maybe you are not aware but for Catholics we believe that IS Jesus. The One and only. It is not merely a symbol. It IS His Body.
Not treating the Host with the reverence you would show Jesus face to face is a serious mistake since they are one in the same. This IS the King of kings. This IS the Son of God. Here is The Messiah.
That's a new one for me, but then I'm not a theologian.
Do you have any examples of Christian denominations who do not believe in the Holy Eucharist as it is spelled out in the Holy Bible?
I've known plenty of priests and nuns who have no problem with "harmless" jokes about their callings; however, what this involves is blasphemy against the Body of Christ. And it is on this issue that it becomes most egregious, Roman Catholicism's doctrine of the Eucharist is VERY different from the Protestant's, and I have a feeling NBC is aware of this.
However, for Roman Catholics, the Eucharist IS the Body of Christ, and this is a very important distinction which makes NBC's actions all the more objectionable.
Many faiths use it to represent the Body of Christ, but dogma dictates in Catholicism that it BECOMES the Body of Christ. It is NOT merely representative. The Host IS Jesus.
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