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Christians bristle at animated raunchiness: Cartoons often pick religion for ridicule
Lexington Herald ^ | 05/13/2006 | Catherine Holahan

Posted on 05/13/2006 4:12:08 PM PDT by Panerai

The Virgin Mary and Jesus are the new stars of animated comedy.

But many Christians aren't laughing.

In the online premiere of Empire Square -- the adult cartoon that debuted on American cable last month -- the lead character receives a burn scar resembling the Blessed Mother. The mark becomes part of a get-rich-quick scheme involving a Christian rock band and masturbation-related stigmata.

Another episode of the British cartoon, titled Passion of Richie, dubs Jesus the "gayest superhero ever."

"People tend to fall back on these things when they can't think of anything else. They think, 'How can I create attention? Oh I know, let's make fun of Jesus,'" said Kiera McCaffrey, communications director for the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, which regularly asks television executives not to air offensive portrayals of Christianity.

"I think it's a cheap trick," she said.

In the world of animated adult comedy the biggest rewards -- and largest number of advertiser-coveted 18- to 49-year-old viewers -- are often reserved for those who regularly cross the lines between humorously off-color, distasteful and deliberately appalling.

As a result, animated series seem increasingly willing to attack various religions, with the most raunchy shows vying to offend the most people.

Empire Square, which was nominated for the UK's version of an Oscar, is celebrated for pushing the envelope of bad taste further even than South Park, the Comedy Central network series that has featured a menstruating statue of Mary and a Jesus vs. Santa Claus death match.

South Park won a Peabody Award last month and an Emmy in 2005. Some 3.5 million people watched this year's season premiere, which included a thinly veiled assault on Scientology.

(Excerpt) Read more at kentucky.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: bloodymary; cartman; cartoons; christians; comedy; southpark
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1 posted on 05/13/2006 4:12:12 PM PDT by Panerai
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To: EveningStar

There we go again


2 posted on 05/13/2006 4:12:36 PM PDT by Panerai
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Comment #3 Removed by Moderator

To: Panerai
Satan gets stronger every week.....

The End of Days is near.

4 posted on 05/13/2006 4:21:27 PM PDT by CROSSHIGHWAYMAN (I'm a proud GRINGO......is Bill Clinton still the president?...Seems that way sometimes!)
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To: Panerai; .cnI redruM; 537cant be wrong; 68 grunt; A. Patriot; A_Conservative_Chinese; ...

I'm not familiar with those other 2 shows. Let's ping the rest of the SP list and see what know.


5 posted on 05/13/2006 4:22:34 PM PDT by EveningStar
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To: rightwinggoth

Slay those who make stupid posts.


6 posted on 05/13/2006 4:23:54 PM PDT by stands2reason ("Patriotism is the highest form of dissent." - Mark Steyn)
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To: EveningStar
Man, there was a cartoon movie in the late 70s (?) I think, Wizards(?). It drove some people nuts. I think the other one was Felix the Cat (?).

Hard to shake stuff out of this old brain.
7 posted on 05/13/2006 4:27:50 PM PDT by PeteB570 (Guns, what real men want for Christmas)
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To: EveningStar

Not familiar with either one. No mention of Moe-ham-head being insulted.


8 posted on 05/13/2006 4:28:42 PM PDT by dynachrome ("Where am I? Where am I going? Why am I in a handbasket?")
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To: Panerai

Since people are getting killed for mocking Mohammed, its pretty hard to view these people as edgy, courageous, out-there, pushing the envelope, when all they are doing is mocking people who will do them no harm.

Freedom of speech is under attack, but not by us, there are people who will saw your head off if you offend them. Lets see who is really interested in defending free speech. Lets see if these writers have the grit to go after people who might actually come looking for them.


9 posted on 05/13/2006 4:33:19 PM PDT by marron
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To: marron

This is by far the funniest religious cartoon I've EVER seen.

Beware the obscenities! (if easily offended)

http://www.zipperfish.net/free/yaafm12.php


10 posted on 05/13/2006 4:37:03 PM PDT by diverteach
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To: PeteB570

Fritz the cat.

Though Felix sometimes pushed the envelope. Magic bag, Rock Bottom...


11 posted on 05/13/2006 4:37:09 PM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: Panerai; rightwinggoth
The Catholic League's response to a menstruating Virgin Mary on a South Park episode, which aired last December, wasn't a boycott but a letter-writing campaign asking Comedy Central to be more sensitive to Christians

A stark difference between this and the reaction for the Islamist to insulting cartoons about Mohammed.

12 posted on 05/13/2006 4:38:40 PM PDT by Pontiac (Ignorance of the law is no excuse, ignorance of your rights can be fatal.)
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To: Panerai
Sadly, in a society that prides itself on its freedoms, this is one of the costs. In order that we may not be called hypocrites, we have to put up with whiny punk cowards taking cheap shots at our sacred institutions.

The irony, of course, is that the tolerance taught by those institutions is the only thing preventing us from tearing these peoples' heads off.

13 posted on 05/13/2006 4:40:52 PM PDT by IronJack
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To: stands2reason
I think he forgot his <sarcasm> </sarcasm> tags.
14 posted on 05/13/2006 4:41:46 PM PDT by Denver Ditdat ("Deus Vult" is the answer to "Allahu Akbar")
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To: marron
Since people are getting killed for mocking Mohammed, its pretty hard to view these people as edgy, courageous, out-there, pushing the envelope, when all they are doing is mocking people who will do them no harm.

Since the Danish cartoon attacks, things have changed. The retards used to just be attacking Christianity. As far as I'm concerned, this new batch cartoons are basically pledging allegiance to fanatic Islam.

When the worthless "First Amendment Warriors" avoided the pictures of Mohammed like they were the plague, that was simple, everyday cowardice; the same as you'd expect from any overgrown child.

But doing this crap today goes miles beyond that. The only thing the libtards are mocking now is themselves. It's like a real-life Kent Brockman putting up signs and saying: "I for one welcome our new Muslim overlords!"

15 posted on 05/13/2006 4:49:42 PM PDT by noncommie
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To: Denver Ditdat

Soooooo not the point.


16 posted on 05/13/2006 5:04:13 PM PDT by stands2reason ("Patriotism is the highest form of dissent." - Mark Steyn)
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To: PeteB570

Wizards is one of my least favorite films ever, being perhaps the most explicitly anti-science movie of all time. The animation sucks too.


17 posted on 05/13/2006 5:06:09 PM PDT by RightWingAtheist (Creationism is to conservatism what Howard Dean is to liberalism)
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To: tutstar; DieHard the Hunter; NZerFromHK; Miss Maam; Michael Goldsberry; wmfights; TFMcGuire; ...

Baptist See tag line ping


18 posted on 05/13/2006 5:07:39 PM PDT by WKB (Gal. 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.)
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To: WKB

I wish I could say I won't watch the show but since I don't anyway...........


19 posted on 05/13/2006 5:12:40 PM PDT by CindyDawg
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To: Panerai

Let them have at it.

I'm not their Judge.

But the Judge of the Universe will have His last say in the matter.

It may be funny to them now. It used to be funny to me, before I was a Christian.

In 2Ti 2:24,25 we read, "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth."

It's not for me to bat them over the heads.

That's the job of the Holy Spirit, if He so decides to get their attention in this life ....

.... before it's too late.


20 posted on 05/13/2006 5:13:59 PM PDT by Westbrook (Having more children does not divide your love, it multiplies it!)
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