NPR Station Censors 'God'

FamilyNews ^ | 2/19/03 | Terry Phillips

[ppaul]

A National Public Radio station in Colorado has touched off a controversy by deciding that God can't be mentioned in what are essentially commercials.

A dentist in the Four Corners area of the Southwestern United States uses the phrase, "Gently Restoring the Health God Created," as a theme in his practice. "It's on our stationary and our appointment cards, and things like that," said Dr. Glenn Rutherford, based in Pagosa Springs, Colo.

But when he used the phrase in sponsorship of programs on KSUT-FM, a taxpayer-funded National Public Radio station in the area, the staff wouldn't have it. A station representative broke the news to the doctor.

"He said, 'Well, we had a staff meeting and there was universal agreement that that couldn't go on," Rutherford said.

The "that" was the mention of God. But when Don Wildmon, president of the Tupelo, Miss.-based American Family Association, got involved, the reason for editing "God" appeared to have changed. Wildmon said KSUT station manager, Beth Warren, wrote a letter that said, in part: "'The station is bound by (Federal Communications Commission) rules for public broadcasting, and works daily to comply with lots of regulations set forth by Congress.' "

Said Wildmon: "She's implying that it's illegal to do this, when it's not."

When Family News in Focus called Warren for clarification, she said the matter was between the station and Dr. Rutherford, and hung up. Subsequent calls to KSUT were not returned.

Said Rutherford: "I was a little incensed the station could run gay and lesbian coalition sponsorship spots — but I couldn't mention God in mine?"

TAKE ACTION

The KSUT Web site contains a contact form that you can use to send comments.

[Squantos]

Ok I've heard the US taxpayer twice now.....I seem to remember hearing them say something about sponsors, not unlike PBS gets. I can yank my congress critters chain just fine regarding the discrimination angle and taxes spent to do and will but who are the corporate backers if any ?

Stay Safe !!

[Squantos]

http://www.npr.org/about/place/corpsupport/index.html

This is what I was speaking about......."Sponsors" not taxpayers.

Stay Safe !

[Smile-n-Win]

Aha, so unconstitutionally using taxpayers' money to fund a propaganda outlet is OK--as long as they don't mention God?

[EGPWS]

Do ya have a list of their sponsors , donors , supporters ? Yeah. The US taxpayers.

[Humidston]

That was that &$$#&**^()(&@ Barry Lynn (sp) who CLAIMS he's an ordained minister but yaps constantly that he hates God.

....Well, he might as well hate God by the way he talks and acts! There's a special place reserved in hell for that sorry man.

[Squantos]

http://www.npr.org/about/sponsors/

More sponsors of discrimination........Stay Safe !

[Mo1]

I don't think taxpayers should have to PAY FOR IT, too.

Yep .. they have every right to be on the air .. but they don't have a right to be funded with our tax money

[EGPWS]

I love God unashamedly. Faith has seen me through the dark times in my life to the sunnier uplands of life. He is my light and my salvation - of whom shall I be afraid? Let NPR censor the human spirit and its love of the Perfect Father.

Mmm, let me guess, your one of those ingrates that doesn't appreciate what government does for you, and you don't appreciate their sincere concern for your mental well being by doing their best to convince you that your way of thinking is wrong and for your own benefit, at your expense, they are going to help you get over this hurdle of yours. Don't think of it as censorship, think of it as people helping people. SARCASM OFF!!

[stands2reason]

This is worse, a man fired for saying "God bless you" when it was his job to do so...

[goldstategop]

That we should be like them? Heaven forbid.

[henbane]

Do ya have a list of their sponsors , donors , supporters>

These sponsors appear in a pop-up on the homepage of KSUT.

Don't know if these tourist-centered sponsors have encountered KSUT's "ATHEISTS ONLY" advertisement policy.

These sponsors may not feel altogether comfortable paying cash to a radio station that accepts only the "Godless" as clients.

Ice House Lodge

Camels Garden Lodge

[.45MAN]

NPR is now on my list of things I will do without.

[FenianOfEire]

Freep-mailed and BTTT

[Lion Den Dan]

bump

[EGPWS]

That we should be like them? Heaven forbid.

Now doesn't that depend upon what ones definition of "them" is?

LOL!

I DO hope you appreciated the "sarcasm" in my posts.

Regard's

EGPWS

[Las Vegas Dave]

Ping!

[Kerberos]

I thought the whole thing about NPR was that they didn't do advertising. That they are funded by tax grants and private donations so that listeners didn't have to inundated with commercials.

Did that change?

[jonatron]

Help NPR stick to it's "morals"

: Made sure they receive none of that green paper bearing the slogan "In God We Trust."

[glockmeister40]

NPR and the corp. for public broadcasting need to completely sheared of public funding. Let them stand on their own merits, if they can.

[auggy]

"That was that &$$#&**^()(&@ Barry Lynn (sp) who CLAIMS he's an ordained minister but yaps constantly that he hates God."

He is an ordained minister? Must be the Church of Satan And His Demons.