TV watchdog coalition preemptively protests Comedy Central development of Jesus cartoon

Conservative and religious groups that have long complained about the irreverent treatment of Christianity on Comedy Central have a new target: an animated series about Jesus Christ living in modern-day New York.

It’s unclear whether the show — one of 28 projects the network listed last month on its slate of potential programs for the coming season — will ever make it out of script development. But that hasn’t stopped a coalition of media watchdog groups from launching an effort to persuade advertisers to boycott the project, if it ever comes to fruition.

Here’s a description of the show from Comedy Central:

“A half-hour animated show about JC (Jesus Christ) wanting to escape his father's enormous shadow and to live life in NYC as a regular guy. A lot has changed in 2000 years and he is the ultimate fish out of water. Meanwhile his all-powerful yet apathetic father would rather be playing video games than listening to JC recount his life in the city. JC is a playful take on religion and society with a sprinkle of dumb.” 

Citizens Against Religious Bigotry (CARB) plans to hold a conference call Thursday with reporters to denounce the show, which it decried as “an abomination purported to be entertainment.” The coalition includes the Media Research Center, the Family Research Council, the Catholic League, the Parents Television Council and the American Alliance of Jews and Christians, as well as radio talk show host Michael Medved.

The group says that the series would continue the network’s track record of mocking and disparaging Christianity, and argues that Comedy Central has a double standard when it comes to portrayals of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. In April, the network edited out references to Muhammad from an episode of “South Park” after a radical Muslim group warned that the show’s creators could end up killed for the portrayal.

Taking a page from Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” CARB plans to release “an exclusive, four-minute video mash of some of Comedy Central’s most offensive portrayals of Jesus Christ and God to date.” An early sneak peek of the mash-up on the Media Research Center’s website consisted of scenes of Jesus and the pope from “South Park.”

“After we reveal the vile and offensive nature of Comedy Central’s previous characterizations of Jesus Christ and God the Father, we expect these advertisers to agree wholeheartedly to end their advertising on Comedy Central and discontinue their support for unabashed, anti-Christian discrimination,” said Brent Bozell, president of the MRC.

“Why should they be supporting a business that makes a habit of attacking Christianity and yet has a formal policy to censor anything considered offensive to followers of Islam? This double standard is pure bigotry, one from which advertisers should quickly shy away. After all, there are other avenues to redirect their advertising dollars in places that do not offend and alienate viewers. We will reconvene in the coming weeks to share the results of our appeal and the next steps we will take.”

Comedy Central had no comment.

— Matea Gold

twitter.com/mateagold

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Comments

[Vague...]

Can you say "Christian Taliban?" I knew you could...

[LGilsig]

I think this cartoon is sacrilegious, an abomination, and an insult to the faithful!

Now, how do I set my VCR to record it? Damn things been blinking “12:00” for eight years…

[Gary]

gOD is great, gOD is good -- go gOD go!!

[Mark]

You gotta be kidding me! If there is ANYTHING that is ripe for mining comedy gold, it is Christianity and all the related religious wackos. Hey CARB idiots: Guess what, you can always change the channel if you don't like the program! STOP TRYING TO CONTROL WHAT NORMAL AMERICANS CAN WATCH OR LISTEN TO!!! STOP TRYING TO PUSH YOUR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ON NORMAL PEOPLE!!! WE ARE PARENTS -- LET US MAKE OUR OWN DECISIONS!!! IN SHORT, JUST GO AWAY AND LEAVE US ALONE!!!

[AngelsDucksFan]

I will now watch it because CARB is against it!! I hate people who like to push their beliefs on others . . . if they don't like the program, DON'T WATCH IT! And if enough people don't watch it, ratings will go down and it will be pulled off the air.

[hosemonkey]

C'mon Comedy Central, you don't have the cojones to offend moslems, but Christians are no problem? What a bunch of cowardly twits. At least have the balls to be an equal opportunity offender.

[N.A .Meacham]

It's about time! Double standard indeed! I'e said it for years that Christians have been made a mark to shoot at for anyone in the "comedy" industry, and I use this term loosely.

Why is it ok to make fun of any religion but as soon as you mention a person's skin color or sexual preference it becomes a national offence? The playing field needs to be even.

As far as "If you don't like it turn it off", we all know that argument is full of holes. As soon as you see or hear something that image is immediately recorded in your brain to be recalled at your leisure and sometimes to pop in your mind when least expected. The time is far spent where the "entertainment" industry needs to take responsibility.

Don't think of any pink elephants,

N.A. Meacham

[xicanoboy1331]

"Citizens Against Religious Bigotry (CARB) coalition includes the Media Research Center, the Family Research Council, the Catholic League, the Parents Television Council and the American Alliance of Jews and Christians, as well as radio talk show host Michael Medved."

AHHHH! Paragons of tolerance all!

[Paul Aganski]

It seems to me the artistic license that the so-called Comedy Channel exercises has a damaging and damnable side to it. Not everything should be made fun of, no matter how legal it may be, if more harm is done than good. I agree with C.S. Lewis when he writes about flippancy in The Screwtape Letters:

"Any (person) can be trained to talk as if virtue were funny. Among flippant people the Joke is always assumed to have been made. No one actually makes it; but every serious subject is discussed in a manner which implies that they have already found a ridiculous side to it. If prolonged, the habit of Flippancy builds up around a man the finest armour plating against (God) that I know."

The letter is signed by Satan but someone has already exercises their right to be flippant on that score. I see there is an animated TV show called "Neighbors From Hell". It would seem we are addicted to flippancy and unable to tell the sacred from the profane. As with any addiction, this rampant flippancy can only have harmful effects.

[His Prince Michael/ The House of David]

I'm extremely cautious about offering any true perspective
on the program, prior to an actual viewing. If done with respect, and dignity?
Who knows?

I do, however, appreciate the producers honesty in their brief synopsis of
their show: "...dumb..." This, a common-trait in, Comedy.

I will say this much: If this cartoon, can bring one (many?!) Human-being (s)
closer to The Son of The True and Living God, The Most Blessed Christ
King Jesus? HALLELUJAH!

[vegasgirl]

Is South Park crude, vile, obnoxious, overrated and offensive? Yes, and then some. I won't be watching this episode, and would advise others they don't have to, either. Isn't that great about living in a democracy? You're free NOT to watch things.
But it's funny: Just a few years, conservatives were singing the praises of "South Park" because it ridiculed liberals.
How interesting they would turn on it so quickly.

[Lisa]

When Comedy Central has the cojones to greelight a "comedy" about Muhammad fleeing to NYC in an attempt to escape his destiny and become a regular guy, then they can congratulate themselves on being a true equal-opportunity offender!

[wasko]

I believe it comes down to the fact that the creators of Southpark and this show have nothing more than minimal ability to create good humour. They mostly rely on childish situations and dialoge. "look, Kevin is eating dog doo, hahahahaha". Now that they have basically run out of poop jokes and stabbing and shooting fun, they go after the easy target of religon and christianity. They cant make fun of Muhammed, because followers of Islam really do kill people for that kind of thing. Leave CARB alone, they just want people to create shows that have substance and dont have to rely on offensive content, and whether you believe in Jesus, God, or whatever, it is offensive.

[Phyllis N.]

To be fair, Comedy Central should make fun of both Jesus and Mohammed. Throw in Buddha, and we could have a new "Three's Company” show.

[CCM]

The premise is a poor-taste Robot Chicken-like sketch that will really have to call on some higher powers to stretch more it than one season. A much better premise would be a show in the vein of Heroes or that PDiddy who-wants-to-be-my-next-____ show that places all figure heads of competing religions [yes, even the Hamlet character that is Moses, that binge-eating Buddha, and good ol' Uncle Al' whose parties are "the bomb", Tom Cruise (no explanation needed there), and Richard "there's nothing there" Dawkins] together as 20-somethings in NYC to battle for followers (maybe even literally a la 8 Mile). For the love of Abraham, employ some equal opportunity bagging. JC's an easy target, no? Try some originality, some sympathy, and some taste.

[Social Worker]

I hope someone rich pays off someone offended and we can have honest censorship once and for all.

COMEDY CENTRAL is what makes AMERICA the great and free country that it is-so far.

This is like conservatives who live in west hollywood and disagree with homosexuality. Why are they in L.A.? Ah, don't watch CC. I avoid shows and films I deem sexist.

[Ducky]

What could be more sacreligious to Jesus and Mohammad than the lives of christians and muslims, especially the devout ones?

[Neat She]

God is dead! Get over it.

[Anth]

I really feel so sorry for God and Jesus that their "representatives" on this planet have such a dim view of their deities. If I was all powerful and the creator of the universe I would be a little bit annoyed at these earthlings assuming that I was that weak that they need to do stuff on my behalf to protect my fragile ego. Come on guys, its God and JC, these guys were the originators of humor...Adam and Eve naked, talking snakes, creating planets in 7 days, Noah's Ark and the kangaroos, Virgin births, walking on water. Man those guys would have been snapped up by HBO in a second.

[Ed Word]

So let me understand this: If I start a religion that honors and pays homage to Obama (or Palin or whoever) and you poke fun at him/her/it, I can get my crew to protest and start crap in the media and threaten the lives of the writers, that you'll stop messing with him/her/it? Hell, that's easy. So here's the first organization to start: P.O.O.P. (Pals Of Our Palin). Watch out! We're gonna cause CC some real misery! Sarah, I got you a clean slate for 2012! You go girl/guy/it!