Posted on 05/25/2005 4:57:31 PM PDT by wagglebee
When shareholders of media conglomerate Viacom show up for their annual meeting tomorrow, they'll face the wrath of Catholic League President Dr. William Donahue over a shocking Showtime episode that slandered the late Mother Teresa and her order of nuns in the vilest of terms.
According to Donahue, who plans a press conference in front of the hotel in New York City where the Viacom meeting is being held, an episode of Showtime's Penn and Teller show "Holier Than Thou” was a "Nazi-like assault on Catholicism, and on the person the show calls "Mother F***ing Teresa.” Showtime is owned by Viacom.
Stormed Donahue, "In the 12 years that I have been president of the Catholic League, I have never witnessed a more vicious attack on Catholicism than what appeared this week on the Showtime program, ‘Penn and Teller.’ The episode, ‘Holier Than Thou,’ was a frontal assault on Mother Teresa and her order of nuns, Missionaries of Charity (as well as Gandhi and the Dali Lama).
"Like most Americans, I like parodies and have no problem, per se, with irreverent humor. But when humor becomes insult, that is a different story. And that is what happens here: comedy quickly morphs to vitriol. Indeed, as the show progresses, the level of anger becomes palpable and the degree of distortion becomes mindboggling. This is no comedy—it is Nazi propaganda right out of the Leni Riefenstahl school of filmmaking.
"The Mother Teresa that the world has come to love and revere is made to look like a cruel, exploitative, self-serving nun who ripped off the poor. We are told that Mother Teresa intentionally let the poor suffer, providing neither beds nor bathroom facilities. ‘She had the f***ing coin and pissed it away on nunneries,’ says Penn. As for the nuns who worked with Mother Teresa, they are referred to as ‘f***ing c***s.’
"It does not bother me when they call me ‘Catholic Boy’ on the show (though the term ‘Jew Boy’ would never cross their lips), nor does it concern me when they talk about ‘f**ers like Bill Donohue [who] only see good in her.’ But when they mock the Catholic Church’s teaching on the meaning of suffering, and when they say of the poor that ‘They had to suffer so that Mother F***ing Teresa could be enlightened,’ then they are behaving like monsters.
"We will mail a tape of select portions of this broadcast to many interested parties, including the bishops. And we will hold a press conference tomorrow outside the hotel where Viacom is holding its annual stockholders meeting. They haven’t heard the end of this yet.”
Donohue, who will be joined by some Catholic League staff members, said he will answer any questions following a few remarks. He promised that copies the Catholic League news release on this subject, "Mother F***ing Teresa—Courtesy of Viacom,” will be distributed to Viacom shareholders as they enter the hotel.
Exactly. Remember how he promised to raise her sons? Where the heck was he when her youngest donned a Nazi uniform for a costume party? Or when the kid was smoking pot? Or... You get the idea.
The whole thing gave me immense sympathy for the republican movement in Britain. Aside from the Queen and the late Queen Mum, I would do away with the whole ridiculous German brood.
I didn't know about Michael Douglas' comment. I bet that did seem weird!
Ping!
See my #197. If she did negotiate with any dictators, it was them who were swayed by her holiness, apparent even in her earlier years, and they were the better for it. She found the good in all around her, even the outwardly evil and her detractors. She may have started many convents, but they did not live the high life. Simple saris, donated buildings, often in deep disrepair. Check out their order. Read about Mother Teresa. She was able to see 'the Jesus in everyone'.
I would suggest if you don't want any more replies, to flag your own post to the moderator by hitting abuse and requesting your post be removed.
LLB already suffers from low self esteem. Let's pray for her.
But you know, as much as I loath what Hitch writes about Mother Theresa and Reagan too for that matter, when he's good, he's really good! Anyone here ever read his book "No One Left to Lie To?" Oh that was great! He could hammer Clinton better than anyone. And I really respect the way in which he broke ranks with his former colleagues at "The Nation." That took integrity.
Christopher Hitchens suffers from low esteem. LB is just young and uninformed. No excuse for a bump on a log like Hitch to say the things he said.
I would not, however, assume that he was sober when writing whatever it is you are reading.
His fixation on Mother Theresa is frankly bizarre, to the point of suggesting some kind of relatively mild mental illness.
Are you being serious here? If so, LLB, don't be ashamed. You handled yourself admirably. And you're obviously a bright gal.
Hitchens is a self described drunk and so far left that he's darn near a Communist.
You know what? Leave her the hell alone, she has an opinion and doesn't need folks to judge her and offer prayers for her, just because (egads!) she has an opinion!
Yeah, he does like to exercise the old elbow a little too much. It's an occupational hazard I'm afraid. You're right, his Mother Theresa thing is truly strange. I want to ask him, "were you beaten up as a child by an Albanian nun or something?"
Yes, that's my opinion. I know she's young and brash at times.
Hey you. Read ALL of the posts. She pinged me herself, as did petronski and fortunecookie and wagglebee. I don't give a rip about her opinions, and I'll pray for anyone I wish, thank you very much.
I think you just are angry, because folk like you were the target of the show?
Life is too short, people think what they want, don't waste prayers on anyone else, just do your own life.
BTW, the show was funny, I watched it, I doubt that more than a handfull of folk here watched it. I appreciated the digs they made at William Donahue, I think he is a joke, they also made fun of Hitchens.
Folks like me are the target of a show I didn't watch, a show I had not heard about until I 'scanned' this article and you think I am angry? Preposterous! FOTFL.
CS, don't be so dang foolish.
You are only a target if you allow yourself to be a target.
If you can't take critisism of your religion, then maybe you should shore up your beliefs.
I don't give a damn if someone hates Catholics, its their life, its their hate, I don't need it.
The show was pretty funny though...
Chris" monthly liquor tab exceeds what she spent in food for a Year.
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