Posted on 10/31/2006 11:39:25 PM PST by Mrs Ivan
The BBC are facing accusations of anti-Christian bias after a BBC drama portrayed evangelical extremists murdering Muslims.
One Christian group said the corporation had a "sinister" and "malicious" agenda against their faith, while another claimed the BBC1 Spooks programme could be an "incitement to hatred" against them.
The row comes in the wake of recent revelations that senior BBC executives had admitted that the corporation was guilty of bias against Christianity at a special "impartiality" summit.
Christians were outraged by the episode of the drama, which showed a group of evangelical terrorists who carry out a number of attacks on the Muslim community and attempt to spark a religious war in the UK.
The programme also depicted a rogue Bishop, who was also a government advisor, organising the assassination of a radical Islamic preacher.
Christian Voice National Director Stephen Green said: "This could even be incitement to hatred against Christians. It is completely ludicrous and brings the BBC into more disrepute."
"Most people watching it will just spot another bit of BBC bias and inaccuracy - nevertheless it shows a worrying mind-set in the people that are producing the programme to even think that there are Christians contemplating violence against any Muslims whatsoever - it is just not what we do."
Religious group Evangelical Alliance has also hit out at the BBC accusing them of trying to smear evangelical Christians as being likely to commit acts of terrorism.
It's head of public affairs Don Horrocks said: "This is yet another outrageous example of the BBC's anti-Christian bias. "This beggars belief. I do think that there is a sinister and malicious agenda at work here and that they are trying to plant the seed of the idea through fiction that evangelical Christians are just as likely to carry out terrorism as some members of the Islamic faith."
He said the programme showed the BBC's "politically correct mindset" and said that in the corporation's eyes Evangelical Christianity was "beyond the pale".
"They would never dream of depicting groups such as homosexuals in the same way", he added.
The BBC received 16 complaints about the programme's portrayal of Christianity and media regulator Ofcom got a further two complaints about the issue.
The programme aired on Monday night at 9pm.
In the programme the Christian terrorist group was seen carrying out a hand-grenade attack on Muslims and planing to blow up a Mosque in Manchester.
It featured a video broadcast by the fictional group saying: "Britain is a nation under Christ - we will no longer tolerate the Muslims in our ranks - this is a declaration of war against Islam."
The programme showed the group as a "network of devoted killers prepared die for their cause" and its leader was depicted as a man who had wanted to train for the priesthood. In the programme he was seen saying he was doing "God's will" and that he was going to restore "God's Kingdom".
The controversial programme follows on from the row about the BBC's attitude towards Christianity. At the recent impartiality summit BBC bosses admitted that they would happily broadcast the image of a bible being thrown away - but would not do the same for the Koran.
Early last year BBC chiefs received 55,000 complaints before it broadcast hit West End show Jerry Springer - The Opera and a further 8,000 after it was broadcast. Christian's accused the BBC of broadcasting "blasphemy" at the time.
A spokeswoman for the show said: "Spooks is an award-winning drama series which is based entirely on fiction and we are confident our viewers understand that episodes do not portray real events.
"Throughout the show's five series we have featured a wide variety fictional terror threats which are all derived from our script-writers' imaginations." The BBC also recently came under fire after it was revealed that bosses at the corporation had agonised over whether to let news-reader Fiona Bruce carry on wearing a necklace with a cross on it while presenting the news.
They wondered whether the symbol might cause offence to viewers by suggesting a religious affiliation on the part of the presenter, who also fronts Crimewatch.
A BBC spokesperson said: "Claims that the BBC has an anti-Christian bias are totally untrue. The BBC broadcasts a wide-range of programming that reflects the diversity of life in Britain.
"This includes religious-based programmes, and many that celebrate Christianity such as 'Songs of Praise', 'Choral Evensong' and 'The Convent'."
Hmm... so basically they portrayed Christians as muzzies? Seriously, it sounds like that's what they did. I mean grenades, blowing up places of worship, the rhetoric, who does that sound like?
All too often, when liberals make movies, it is the world as they would like it to be. In the real world, Christians (whom they don't like) don't engage in frequent, widespread violence, while Muslims (whom liberals do like) do. So they make a fictional world, where the nasty Christians are in the wrong and their darling Muslims are in the right.
What if it had been Muslim extremists murdering Christians?
I guess it wouldn't be drama then; it would be news. How would the BBC portray that?
BBC fantasy is rather odd. Also, it seems the BBC television you get is far more liberal than the BBC news website (it's liberal, but has some balanced news sometimes).
what, no riots? No christians threatening to chop off everyone's heads? no burning buses, overturned cars, innocent casualities?
The website is quite reasonable, although I do find that certain stories that ought to be included are not.<
The best bet is BBC radion - I think the medium is rather more difficult to spin than one that has visual content.
your tagline is interesting. obviously you mean, "on your knees" in subservience to a tyrant. But what about before God?
Sinister
This is why His name is God and our names are not. Those are two totally different things. Being on your knees for Jesus is the only way to go. Thanks for knowing the difference. Amen.
I'm not a bigoted and marauding evangelical Christian, but I play one on BBC TV.
What surprises me is that this kind of thing surprises anybody. The BBC's attitude to religion, (in fact the whole of the British media actually, lets be fair) is an unholy mix of contempt and cowardice. Like good secularists they treat anyone with faith, any kind of faith, as some kind of demented, neanderthalic anti-intellectual oddball. Oh you can complain, and they will nod and say they didnt really intend to offend, and you are overeacting, the point of the drama was something completely different...but really, they don't really believe you are offended. That would be irrational wouldnt it? And of course in their mindset it is.
On the other hand, they don't mix it with Muslims or anyone from Ulster, because they send death threats and set bombs off when they get offended. The message is quite clear. If you want respect from the British media threaten them with violence. Its the only way they will take you seriously - and what kind of message is that to be sending?
Whitewash your news with new BBC Radion! :0)
You've got to love unintentionally humourous typos.:)
What annoyed me about this Spooks episode (which I didn't watch after seeing the trailer) was the BBC's inability to face up to real, actual issues.
Running stories where the bad guys are British nationalists, American abortion-bombers or fanatic Christians - well I suppose these shows have to get stories from somewhere. But the only times Spooks addresses Muslim or Left wing terrorism, it does so in a distinctly reverential way (e.g. I remember the episodes with the doctor from Deep Space Nine, playing a sympathetic muslim - or the episode with Giles from Buffy, playing a lefty trying to destroy Air Force One)
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
A bit of realism would be nice though - the idea that a group of Christians would do the things suggested is ludicrous - they are peculiarly Islamist tendancies.
I guess a bit of variety in storylines is nice but keep it real and address some actual issues instead of playing out a propagandist's fantasy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.