Study – Grow – Know

“Hateful,” “Intolerant” Christians Over SNL Skit

February 24, 2013 at 11:53 AM 2 comments

You know, I have to laugh at the amount of inconsistency and intolerance those on the Left often use against Christians who simply do what the law fully allows.  Most know of the recent (deplorable) skit from Saturday Night Live (SNL) that featured a Jesus who had risen from the grave for “revenge” against the Romans.  This Jesus (taking His cue from the movie “Django Unchained”) went to town on Romans who had crucified Him, complete with swearing.

Sears (as well as JC Penny) advertised during that particular show.  American Family Association (AFA) sent out email alerts to let folks know what was going on and asked that Christians contact the people at these companies to register their displeasure that they advertised with SNL.  I sent notes to Sears and the folks at SNL.

What is interesting to me is that, according to many, when Christians do this, we are “intolerant” and “haters.”  In other words, Christians are supposed to simply suck it up and shut up.  If we don’t like something, we should keep our opinions to ourselves.

I went to the Sears page on a social network site and noted how often Christians who had posted their disapproval of SNL’s recent skit essentially mocking Jesus.  These folks were castigated by others who came along after them to post their responses that were often sarcastic and mocking.  Some Christians were accused of attacking the 1st Amendment or simply being a hater.  The most common word used was “intolerant.”

I have to wonder why it is perfectly okay for Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition to boycott any company that they deem appropriate and no one calls them into question.  No one says that Jesse Jackson is a hater or intolerant because he chooses to use boycotts to his advantage.  Christians, on the other hand, are apparently not supposed to avail themselves of the opportunities that exist under the Constitution I guess.

I feel pretty confident in stating that the reason neither SNL (or other production companies) do not take pot shots at Muslims (via Muhammad) is due to this one fact:  there are too many Muslims who would be deeply offended and would not only threaten to do something about it, but in all likelihood, would do something about it.  It would involve physical altercations with people they deemed to have said or done something offensive.

We know that a Danish filmmaker – Theodoor “Theo” van Gogh – was stabbed to death by an offended Muslim in 2004.  A Danish cartoonist was also killed and several others have had attempts on their lives.

No one that I am aware of here in the Christian community in America is advocating this type of response to SNL.  However, to say that Christians do not have the same rights everyone else in America has with respect to the fact that we are allowed – under the same 1st Amendment that allows SNL to express themselves in a play that portrays Christ as something He is most definitely not.

I also find it interesting that in the skit, Jesus attacks the Romans, because they were the ones who actually and physically crucified Him.  Why were not the Jewish religious leaders included in the skit, with Jesus taking “revenge” on them?  Well, because that would highly offended Jewish people of today and might have created problems for Jewish communities.  So, it’s just easier to take it out on the Roman soldiers, since Roman soldiers don’t exist today, but Jewish people do.

We know that SNL would never even consider producing a skit in which Muhammad was portrayed in a bad light.  Why?  Because of the problems that it would create for SNL and NBC (and very likely those who advertised during that segment).  Members of the Islamic community would be up in arms.

What is interesting here is that some even within the American Islamic community had a big problem with the skit.  Here’s a released statement from the executive director of CAIR:

“Such misrepresentation of what Jesus, peace be upon him, stands for is extremely offensive to Muslims and to all those who believe in his message. While we understand the use of shocking imagery and bizarre juxtapositions to provoke a humorous response, we believe such a distasteful portrayal of a religious figure revered by billions of Muslims and Christians worldwide crosses the comedic line.

“We strongly support free speech rights for all, but one would hope that common decency and respect for the beliefs of others would help avoid such unfortunate depictions.” [1]

So why are Christians being castigated for even deigning to boycott companies like Sears or JC Penny?  Because non-Christians do not believe we should and they believe by doing so, we are somehow intolerant.  But when SNL shows its intolerance by producing a skit that is not even funny, that’s okay?

We know that the folks at SNL would never dare to create a skit that tended to mock the name and character of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., or Gandhi, or other leaders who used peaceful means to bring about change.  Of course, neither of these two gentlemen founded a religion either, so maybe that’s the problem for some.

In truth, Jesus warned that all people would hate His followers.  Why?  Because of who Jesus is and what He accomplished on Calvary’s cross.  We know that this world is often controlled by the efforts of Satan and his minions and since Satan hates God with every fiber of his being, then it is clear that this hatred would naturally extend to the followers of Jesus Christ.

You know, the best years of SNL were when the very first Not Ready for Prime Time Players were there.  Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Garrett Morris, Gilda Radner and the rest made that show.  The sketches were funny and often political and usually dripping with creativity.

When Dan Aykroyd took on the persona of the repairman with Gilda Radner and Jane Curtain (I believe it was those two) laughing in the background because of his butt crack, while Aykroyd carries on completely obvious to that reality, it was hilarious.  Or when Aykroyd became Julia Child. How about Bass-o-matic? How about the cereal “Quarry”?  There were so many creatively funny skits then that they are difficult to recall all of them.  Even when Aykroyd became Richard Nixon, it was funny because it took something about Nixon that was true and exaggerated it.  It did not create something about Nixon that was not true and went from there.

They all had their break-out characters and moments on SNL.  Sadly, it jumped the shark not long after the first group of players started bailing ship for movies.  You can’t recreate that type of humor, yet Lorne Michaels has been attempting to do that since then.  Guess he can’t let go of the money.  Ever since then, SNL has been hit or miss and I stopped watching it routinely some time ago.  In truth, much of SNL today has very hit or miss creativity and most of it (the times I’ve watched) are pure raunch.  There have been some great moments though, created largely by Kristin Wiig.  Of course, she then goes off to do a movie called “Paul” and you think, “Come on Kristin, you’re much better than that!“  I laughed at nothing in that movie.  It simply wasn’t funny, then again, maybe the intended audience was supposed to be 12-year-old boys…

But frankly, I’m more than a bit alarmed at how easy it is for those of this world to refer to Christians as “haters” or “intolerant,” yet they cannot even see their own hatred and intolerance.  Atheists continue to appear to me as some of the least tolerant people on the planet, along with those on the Left.

It seems to me that when most individuals on the Left open their mouths, they intolerance and hate they speak is their native tongue.  It’s perfectly fine for them to bad mouth anyone on the Right (especially Christians), but when we do things like choose to boycott a company, then we are classified as haters.

It’s ironic how many in the world know just enough about the Bible to be dangerous.  They’ll (mis)quote how we (Christians) are not to judge, yet they apply their own meaning.  They will refer to the fact that Jesus said we should turn the other cheek and go the extra mile.  Yet, they have no real clue about what these phrases actually mean, based on the context of the day.

It’s similar to a person who misquotes 1 Timothy 1:6 by saying “money is the root of all evil.”  How many times have you heard that one?  But that is not what the Bible actually says.  It says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil,” and that difference is stark.  The two only appear to be close, but the difference is a football field apart.  Money, in and of itself, is not evil.  It is a person’s love of it that causes all sorts of evil.  Just watching the History Channel’s docudrama “Men Who Built America” drives that point home repeatedly.  In their case though, the accumulation of great wealth was the equivalent of great power.  The two go hand in hand and in truth, power was what men like Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, and Ford were after.  It is nearly impossible to have great power without also having great wealth.

Those of the world will always think as they do and it will only be when the Lord opens their eyes to the truth of His Word will they even be able to recognize that they have been living a lie.  Even then, they may reject His truth, preferring to continue to live the way they live even if it means the rejection of the One who offers the only hope of salvation.

Personally, I believe if a Christian does what he/she can do to protect the Name of Jesus, it speaks volumes.  That doesn’t mean I’m going to do something illegal by pummeling someone.  If that was the case, I would be in fistfights all day long because of the way Jesus’ Name is used as an epithet on a fairly regular basis by most in the world.  Neither would I suggest (as some within Islam are suggesting) that we should limit what people say or how they express themselves.  We don’t need more laws for that, nor do we need to add limitations to the 1st Amendment.  What we need are for people to stop thinking of ratings and sales and do what is right.

My choice to boycott a company like Sears is my choice.  It’s the only place that I can actually show them that I don’t like what they have done.  In this case, it has worked because all of us Christian “haters,” have caused Sears to take a look at who they advertise with and they have said it won’t happen again.  There is nothing wrong in what many Christians have done in stating their opinion to Sears that the skit portrayed on SNL was offensive and they should be careful where they spend their advertising dollars since Christians also have jobs, earn money, and spend it.

I know there are some Christians who don’t believe in boycotting companies.  That’s fine.  It’s their prerogative.  I support their right to not boycott.  At the same time, I have the legal right to make use of the options that are available to me and if it seems like the right direction to move in, then boycotts are not off the table.  It has nothing to do with hatred or intolerance.  It has everything to do with making a point.

There are many companies that are boycotted by conservatives and Christians alike.  Not all of them change their policies because of it.  In fact, more often than not, they essentially wind up telling Christians and conservatives what they think by continuing on their same course of action.  That is their right as a company to do what seems best to them and their shareholders.  It’s simply business.

One thing is certain as well.  Those who are part of SNL should be prayed for by the entire Christian community, that their eyes would be open and that Jesus might save them from themselves.  Whether their most recent skit was done to intentionally offend and anger, or simply increase ratings, I have no idea.  Maybe it seemed like a good idea at the time. Maybe they wanted something out there they knew would garner attention and help increase their viewership.

It is difficult to believe they would have not realized that the idea of a skit like this would not have created tensions within the Christian community.  Again, would they have shown Muhammad in such a way, that might be considered offensive to Muslims?  Would they have defamed MLK or Gandhi?  The answer is no, because SNL never has produced a skit portraying Muhammad to my knowledge and I doubt they will consider it.  It would cause tremendous problems for them with the Islamic community.  I cannot imagine them portraying MLK or Gandhi in a negative light either.  So, they know how to make good decisions, don’t they?

People need to recognize that Christians are a part of America, whether they like it or not.  We always have been part of America and this country was founded upon biblical principles.  The Bible was brought over here on the Mayflower.  It is part of society even if people hate that reality and want to redact history.

Christians are here and we aren’t going away any time soon.  Our beliefs should be – at the very least – respected as much as everyone else’s here in America.  If people cannot respect our beliefs then they need to at least stop being so vocally intolerant and hateful when we address certain issues.

There are plenty of programs on TV where many issues are explored.  Whether it’s the gay and lesbian lifestyle, or living together, or something else entirely, I see this as a reflection of the way life is going in America and the world.  In some sense, these types of shows might even get us there faster.  I don’t often spend time commenting on those shows.

The shows I comment on are the ones that specifically portray aspects of Christianity in a light that is either inaccurate or don’t give a full explanation of what Christianity is to the viewer.  That has included the show, “Good Christian B*tches” and now this skit from SNL.  I have every right to comment on those shows because they affect the way the world sees Christians and Christianity.

The rest of the shows?  Who cares.  It’s not my job to attempt to force my morality onto a world that wants absolutely nothing to do with God.  Of course, at the same time, the world at large believes it’s fine to force their morality (such as it is) on me.  That’s what a lost world does and I hope and pray that the Lord will take the time to open the eyes of those who are blind to the truth.

I’m hopeful that people will at least understand that they do not have to resort to lowering themselves as SNL has done to gain cheap laughs, by going where there really is little to no humor.  If not for the shock value alone, these skits would receive no notoriety at all.

Jamie Foxx stands up and refers to Obama as “our lord and savior” and wants everyone to clap and give a standing ovation. I’m sure he’s viewed as that by many today, but not by me.  Is Jamie Foxx offensive because of what he said?  Again, it’s shock humor.  If Foxx wants to believe that Obama is his lord and savior, that’s fine.  At least he didn’t say Obama was the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

The world getting worse and worse.  I’m writing a new book now that explores the 1950s, 60s, and 70s and the changes that took place throughout these decades to bring us where we are today.  Having lived through the 60s and 70s, it is interesting to travel back through time revisiting those things that caused tremendous upheaval and change in societal mores.

We did not arrive to 2013 overnight.  We got here by going through some very difficult times, including wars, rebellion, civil rights, labor problems, and much more.  It’s pretty sad to see how far people have fallen though and even though it’s right in front of us, most are unable to see it because they never take the time to compare between now and then.

It would be nice to be able to believe that there will come a point in society where people will want to go backwards, at least a little, to a time when respect was shown and intolerance toward Christians and Christianity was an issue that really rarely came to the fore.  Yes, I know.  It’s a pipe-dream.

I know this won’t happen.  The Bible lays it all out very clearly for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.  Today is exactly as it was in the days of Noah.  There is very little difference in attitudes and demeanor.  People then came to a point of refusing to believe that God existed.  They refused to acknowledge Him at all, in spite of His grace toward them for over 120 years.  Eventually, they were destroyed, sadly.

The world – according to the Bible – is on a collision course again with God.  Because of advancements in technology and modernization throughout the world, people today have an even more difficult time believing in God, so they opt out.  They ridicule those of us who still “cling” to our Bibles.

I wish people would understand that it’s not so much Christians who are offended, but God Himself.  Even though He has tremendous patience and love for those who have not yet embraced Him, His patience will not go on forever.  It will come to an end and it could happen sooner than most are willing to imagine.

[1] http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2013/02/snl-djesus-uncrossed-council-american-islamic-relations/62309/

Entry filed under: 9/11, alienology, Atheism and religion, Barack Hussein Obama, Barry Sotero, Communism, Demonic, dispensationalism, Eastern Mysticism, emergent church, Gun Control, Islam, Islamofascism, israel, Judaism, Life in America, Maitreya, new age movement, Posttribulational Rapture, Pretribulational Rapture, Radical Islam, rapture, Religious - Christian - End Times, Religious - Christian - Prophecy, Religious - Christian - Theology, Romney, salvation, Satanism, second coming, Shadow Government, Sharia Law, Socialism, temple mount, Transhumanism, ufology. Tags: christians accused of limiting the 1st amendment, christians considered intolerant and hateful, djesus uncrossed, jesus takes revenge on roman soldiers, saturday night live, snl.