It’s on Amazon if you’d like more information on it.

Also what is IIRC? I’ve seen it a few times and I have no idea. And I agree with Chris even though I am a Christian. It’s airing will do nothing to change people’s perceptions of Christians and their beliefs.

Actually I used to believe in Santa Claus and after further inspection I do not anymore. Upon further inspection of Science and textual criticism of the Bible and its manuscripts, I still believe in God–more now than ever. Noel I honestly don’t think you have ever looked hard at Christian Apologetics. I recommend the books I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman Geisler and The Case for Christ by former atheist Lee Strobel. The first book goes point by point in their approach to arguments for faith. You certainly would be interested, if not persuaded, by both books.

All that said, your book looks very interesting and I wonder when it comes out and where I can purchase it. I’m hoping it’s along the lines of Kurt Eichenwald’s work on ADM and Enron.

Only yesterday the extreme religious right complained about people taking Christ out of Christmas.

Now that the holidays are over, they’re moving on to the next target. Helluva way to start the new year.

What ARE these people afraid of? That the whole of America will suddenly hold devout Christians up to mockery and ridicule because of a little ‘ol TV show? That suddenly our collective image of Christ will warp into some tripped-out caricature? It’s gonna take a lot more than that…

If the show is a chunk of fertilizer, it will collapse under the weight of its own vileness. We shouldn’t have to hear anybody tell us that, and especially before the first showing. It’s certainly all right to have worries and concerns, but give the show a fair shot. Thank goodness the bosses at Mormon-owned KSL have enough tolerance.

And let us not forget this: not one but TWO TV movies recently aired on the late great Pope John Paul II. Christianity is certainly no cheap laugh for the networks… especially when so many of the stars of said religion do it so well themselves:

Oral Roberts (lost many stations after the infamous “God will call me home” speech, claimed to see a gigantic Jesus behind his City Of Faith in Tulsa)
Pat Robertson (not on Hugo Chavez’ Christmas card list this year, by any means… and hey, did you hear what he said about Sharon’s stroke?)
Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker (you know the story)
Jimmy Swaggart (his episode with a hooker in a motel room brought new meaning to the term “lay ministry”)

Thankfully, all of this is countered by the dedicated TV ministries of Dr. Robert Schuller (who recently stepped down, bless him) and Billy Graham. And let us not forget the late great Mr. (Fred) Rodgers — how many of us knew he was a Presbyterian minister? — or Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, whose oratory trancended denominations.

Yeah, TV’s full of saints and sinners. Shouldn’t we be used to figuring out who’s who by now?

It’s not surprising the Salt Lake City people decided to keep the show. The other stations serve a far more rural area, that is culturally more conservative. The show is not Will and Grace, it mocks the IDEA of Christianity while paying lip service to it. Imagine the guy being Desperate Housewives coming up with his idea of a show to appeal to those Red State Religious conservatives who paid out big bucks to see Passion (ugh not my kind of movie).

The show is bad TV and designed (because Hollywood can’t help it) to offend the very people the show is supposed to attract. The people in Salt Lake City are likely to be middle class professionals in the suburbs, hip twentysomethings in the central city; mixed with working-class or poor Latinos; and rich urbanites. They won’t watch the show because they won’t care.

Anyway it’s a mistake to characterize SLC with the rest of Utah. Very different.

The real story here is that Hollywood cannot for it’s life make stuff that the fairly religious like. The Apostle is about the only thing that ever came close, and Duvall had to push that one himself. They see the money just lying on the table and have absolutely NO WAY to pick it up.

This isn’t religious bigotry IMHO. AFAIK Will and Grace and the rest of the NBC lineup airs in these cities. The show is just designed because Hollywood can’t help it to offend Christians.

As far as Christians in general being treated; well world-wide they are persecuted. Three Catholic High School Girls were beheaded in Indonesia for their faith; Christians are routinely killed for their religion in Africa, South-West Asia, South-East Asia (ask the East Timorian Christians) and various other places like China or North Korea. Al Qaeda specifically cited UN Ambassador Mendes’s support for Christian East Timor’s independence against Muslim Indonesia as reason for killing him in Iraq. Sudanese Muslims justify enslaving and castrating Christian men from the south by their religion. So yes, Christians have a VERY good point world-wide about oppression, since it’s well, factually correct.

In this country it is allowable to have something like “Piss Christ” whereas it’s defacto against the Law to offend Muslims. Not on the order of other places but yes Christians are the least valued people in the US. Pat Robertson is an idiot (and it’s good to say he is as often as possible); but it’s not allowed to say that Dallas Muslims are idiots for hosting a celebration of Khomeni and his lunatic Revolution.

Say what you want about the Little Rock affiliate, but according to the Reuters article you cited, it appears that WTWO’s decision not to carry The Book of Daniel has nothing to do with the American Family Association:

WTWO general manager Duane Lammers said he is not pre-empting “Daniel” due to its content but rather to protest what he views as the networks’ strong-arm approach to affiliates, as well inconsistent federal oversight of indecent content.

“This has nothing to do with the program and has nothing to do with the AFA,” Lammers said. “I think the system is screwed up. I think the network thinks we are going to do whatever they tell us to do. I think the regulatory environment is flawed.”

Inconsistent oversight of indecent content? A flawed regulatory environment? That sounds like a man after your own heart, Jeff.

I’m fascinated that no one has pointed out that a very simple reality is that it’s perfectly fine for Jews to make fun of aspects of Judaism and Christians to make fun of aspects of Christianity (or at least how some people practice it) whereas pointing the finger at each other won’t be seen the same way for the foreseeable future. I leave Islam out of that equation because let’s face it, far too many Muslims (so far as I can tell) don’t understand enough about free speech and why it’s important when it comes to their faith. Bigotry? I don’t think it is when it is a simple fact that in most (Or is it all?) Muslim nations blasphemy is a crime.

Of course not…nor should it.

But while your caring about having the politically “correct sensitivity” about all the left’s little pet groups ,how about giving the same respect to Christians, which only number 85% of the population.

I have no problem with the debate here…gheesh.

If perchance God is real, Noel, I suspect you will be finding out why within the next hundred years. lol

If I was in another country, I wouldn’t disrespect what the host country reverently believed in. Here, most have a sincere reverence for God, and to disrespect that is to disrespect 85% of us.