Posted on 12/09/2005 5:50:13 AM PST by NYer
Catholic League president Bill Donohue remarked today about last nights episode of South Park (it will run again for the next three nights):
A South Park character gets a DWI and is ordered to attend AA meetings. Told about the 12-step program, he concludes that he needs a miracle to cure him. The plot then focuses on a statue of the Virgin Mary who is bleeding out her ass. The Vatican dispatches a cardinal to investigate and he is sprayed with blood when he walks behind the statue. He then declares this to be a miracle, which draws even more people. The alcoholic, now in a wheelchair, is also sprayed with blood: he then claims he is cured and jumps out of his seat.
Pope Benedict XVI goes to investigate. He, too, is sprayed with blood when he walks behind the statue. A reporter says, The pope investigated further and determined that the statue was not bleeding out its ass, but its vagina. To which the pope replies: A chick bleeding out her vagina is no miracle. Chicks bleed out their vaginas all the time.
Comedy Central is a subsidiary of MTV, which is owned by Viacom. On the board of directors of Viacom is a practicing Catholic and a distinguished public servant, Joseph A. Califano; he served under Presidents Johnson and Carter. We are writing to him today requesting that he intervene in this matter. We want a) an apology to Roman Catholics and b) a pledge that this episode be permanently retired and not be made available on DVD. In the event Viacom does not cooperate, we are asking Mr. Califano to issue his own statement of condemnation. We are asking our members to contact him as well. Remember, they chose to insult Our Blessed Mother on the eve of the Immaculate Conception, and the holy day itself.
Joseph A. Califano is chairman of the board of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. He can be reached at CASA, 633 Third Avenue, NY, NY 10017; phone, 212-841-5200; fax, 212-956-8020; email, employment@casacolumbia.org.
Suppose they were to depict someone tearing pages from a Koran and using them to wipe their butts. If they do that I will hold the coat of a Muslim who cuts their throats.
HOLY COW!
More hogwash. The 12-step program doesn't even require that you believe in God; it DOES require that you recognize "a higher power." You can define that as anything you like -- including some secret well within yourself.
And that is the problem with casual observers of such a program thinking they are in a position to condemn it as "proselytizing" or a "religion." Because there are spiritual aspects to its philosophy, the theophobes run away screaming.
As for it being "preached" as the sole method of sobriety, that's poppycock. I don't know anyone in AA who "preaches" at all. They are quick to share their experiences, but are slow to judge others. Unlike certain posters on this thread ...
The world is full of them, that's what makes people so darn fun to watch :~D
Monkeys are so irrational
No offense, but you're now the seventh person who's followed up to tell me that, and I'm starting to feel like the Count from Sesame Street.
Ha ha ha! SEVEN follow-up posts! *thunder crashes*
I guess this means you just can't answer yes or not, as to whether you believe a statue can weep or not, thanks anyway.
LOL. I'm not shocked about that. I'm shocked about a Freeper assisting a Muslim ...
Ah - the consequences of the early errant post on FreeRepublic. ;~D
That was pretty ridiculous.
I'm very sorry I missed that.
But didn't it require a belief in God before the ACLU got involved?
Yes, it's scary to think that only seven replies means I'm getting off pretty easy.
Thanks for correcting my faulty memory. Point was, I found it kind of freaky that they kept track of stuff like this, especially the breast milk of the Virgin Mary (according to my friend the Vatican was not too happy about that one.)
We did see quite a few first order relics, fingers, bones, etc of various Saints in the various cathedrals from Notre Dame to the ones in Rome.
We stayed at the Santa Ana hotel, very near St. Peters. According to my friend, we could put all our souvenirs from the various local shops on the window sill, within the sound of the Pope's voice, and they would be 'blessed' by the Pope (JPII at the time). I had bought myself several pairs of the bright red socks at the vestment shops, hoping my feet would be infallible. Still can't dance.
GIVE ME A BREAK.
The show has nothing to do with the virgin Mary and respect you believe should be shown for her (although I don't know why) as much as it does with the idiots that run around the world looking for bleeding statues and images on toast as some sort of sign. Sure it was a little over the top but I didn't think it was that bad
It was offensive, but it wasn't directing its anger at the church this time. Rather at people and especially at AA. It was in poor taste but there is nothing wrong with that.
What's most telling to me is that after 475 posts, you are the first person to recommend this. I expect the reason the creators of South Park stay away from Muslims is because they are scared. Catholics, after all, are soft targets. Except RobbyS, who will hold a Muslim's coat.
"That episode is probably in the works."
I doubt it. It'll be the ol' double-standard for Hollywood. Always was. Always will be.
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