The Blog of Daniel
The Episcopal Diocese of D.C. has started a blog of Daniel to deal with the attacks on not just the show but also on the church from other, well, competitive sects. I see this via Daniel (no relation) Radosh. I love this post from the church’s blog about comments left there by people calling themselves Christian:
I am always struck by how entirely those who claim to know Christ are betrayed by the self-indulgent quality of their rhetoric. Many of this morning’s posts are far more offensive than anything you will encounter tonight on “Daniel”–not because of what they say, but because of they way they say it.It is always bracing to be told one is going to hell, that one’s Church is the tool of the devil, etc., and while I appreciate many of the poster’s seeming concern for my soul, I wish they would show similar concern for other people’s feelings. It is possible to tell someone you disagree with them strongly in a way that allows them to hear it. Give it a try, eh?
Amen.
Tags: Religion
January 6th, 2006 at 5:08 pm
[...] Sue just passed on the news (which she found over at BuzzMachine) that the Episcopal Diocese of D.C. has started The Blog of Daniel. From The Blog of Daniel’s first post: The Book of Daniel, a new television series, debuts Friday, January 6 on NBC. The main character is an Episcopal priest played by Aidan Quinn. The Rev. Daniel Webster has an addiction to painkillers, a fractious family and a deep, if sometimes difficult, relationship with a Jesus who actually shows up to chat from time to time. Will the new show–scheduled for eight episodes this season–capture the reality of contemporary Episcopal life? Will it be good for the Church or bad? The Episcopal Diocese of Washington offers this blog as a place to discuss these and other issues raised by the show. We welcome you to this blog. [...]
January 6th, 2006 at 5:08 pm
Some religious humor linked from Instapundit
Most people aren’t aware the Robertson can’t be fired because he wrote the 700 club into the contract when it was sold. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
January 7th, 2006 at 1:30 am
Interesting posts, but I couldn’t comment because the template has serious problems.
Remember, bloggers don’t let bloggers use Typepad templates.
January 7th, 2006 at 7:18 am
A very good point about disagreeing without rancor, and one I particularly appreciate from having worked in a church that went through a divisive time. It always is sad to see people who all want to promote a cause they consider blessed using language and tactics that are hardly characterized by any virtue. While phone calls were generally used in that matter, and anonymity was not condoned, I suspect that if a blog had been involved it would have been more scandalous yet. Feeling untraceable doesn’t bring out the goodness in many folks.
January 7th, 2006 at 11:03 am
I am a new devout member of the Catholic church. I was raised in Protestant churches and found many preacher’s kids to be as wild as those depicted in “Book of Daniel”. I do not believe anyone should blindly follow what a pastor or televangelist says. Each individual needs to learn to discern for themselves good from evil. I found nothing offensive in this new show. I love Aidan Quinn and was looking forward to a thought-provoking, inspirational and perhaps irreverent look at life and religion, but instead I was just bored. If Daniel’s family problems were revealed over a coutse of several episodes it may have been better. I would have been seeeking Dr. Kovorkian instead of Jesus if I had everthing going on at once as he did. It was so over-the-top that it was ridiculous. I found the depiction of Jesus very refreshing. He did not live and teach amonst the religious, he was with the “publicans and sinners”. He was a man who lived as God but was fully human. He was a man of compassion, mercy and love. His desire is to commune with his people daily. In conclusion, if I do not watch “Book of Daniel” again it won’t be because I found it offensive, but because I found it boring.
January 7th, 2006 at 8:24 pm
The Book of Daniel….
Sorry to say this, but, I think its Just Art Imitating Life…
Ok time once again time for me to be the devils advocate. This is a subject that I do know a lot about. Let me preface that with this statement, Through most of my marriage I was greatly involved in a small town Baptist Church. Yes you got it, things couldn’t get much more strict or judgmental than that. I now have a much healthier belief, I do believe in God, but have come to believe, that any religion can become somewhat of a cult if it all consumes you, your life and family, which mine definitely did….Since I had heard all the hype about this controversial new drama “The Book of Daniel” of course I decided to watch it. I have to say, I liked the show, and I found the show to be right on as far as the way real life is. Unfortunately “Christians” want to think differently and live in their delusional little worlds they create. In being involved in my small town church, I saw, most all of the situations shown on the show, play out in the lives of the people in the church. ” Christians tend to be a close knit bunch, and to the outside looking in, they are perceived as having no problems sometimes, such as the world has. This is Just SO TOTALLY HOGWASH…In the church I was a member of, during a span of 20yrs. I was very involved in many of the groups or activities, I lived the “Christian” life…To the point, if you asked my grown daughter, she would say that there were many things she was not allowed to do, because we were “Christians” and because of the way the church looked upon it and influenced us..( One huge regret I still have, is not allowing her to even have dancing at her wedding) Anyway to get back on the topic, In this small town everyone knows everyone. I am very sure alot of the church goers, did know that things were going on, but choose to close their eyes and pretend they did not, myself included…I witnessed many things, and as I share many of them, let me say, I am not judging, just stating the fact that they indeed do happen to ministers, and “Christians.” In the years I was involved in this church, I saw a young married woman, whos husband was in the military and out of the country, becoming involved in a fling with our pastors son, this same guy who also had a party or two at the the house where his dad, the minister, was out of town, another son, who was going into ministry, being less than “Christian” with many of the young teen girls. A woman and a man, way to friendly with each other, who were both married, and not to each other. A teen group, which my X and I were the leaders of, many being sexually active, actually catching some of them and one teen actually dealing drugs in the church parking lot, to other church teens and also caught smoking Pot in a church van while they were being transported to Youth Group event..There was a confessed lesbian, who lived with her partner, singing in the church chorus, well her family were monarchies in the church, so that made it ok, I guess? But on the other end of that spectrum, my sister who was divorced through no fault of her own, being approached about teaching Sunday School, because of said divorce..A few different teen girls pregnant by their boyfriend, another case where the rules were bent and the pastor, married them in the church, but refused to marry another couple because the man was not a “Christian”. There was a man who appeared to have a liking of young boys, and the list goes on and on, but I will stop here, I think I have provided a pretty realistic picture…Oh But Wait..Then there was me, the perfect “Christian”, wife and mother, who left her husband after 24yrs of marriage. I am positive I would have left much quicker, had I not been living the so called “Christian Life”. So you see I do know that these “Bad” or real life situations, do happen to everyone, even Christians..And as far as the shows portrayal of Jesus, critics say he is portrayed as a wimp, I did not see that, I saw him allowing people to have free will, which is supposedly what is taught in Christianity…
Do “Christians” always make the right decisions?
Ummm, Hell NO…
Even Christians are human, no matter what they want people to think……………………..
January 7th, 2006 at 10:15 pm
Why is this show just BAD TV?
Because it’s made by VERY liberal, and in one case openly gay, TV Producers who have no clue about the target audience (the Passion audience). Ugh Passion is not my movie but the folks who saw it have money that’s as green as anyone else. What the show is basically, is one long Hollywood lecture to those Redstate buffoons about how to be “real” Christians as they conceive it. It’s Seventh Heaven and Joan of Arcadia meets Desperate Housewives and Six Feet Under.
As big a mess as you’d expect. Like asking Tony Kushner to do his own version of Passion of the Christ.
Note the congregation chosen is the Episcopal Church, the most liberal in the US. Divest from Israel, oppose Israel’s existence, gay priests, gay marriage, oppose the Afghan and Iraq War, etc? Check. Which is itself telling. Even when Hollywood WANTS to get the Passion of the Christ, conservative evangelical audience they can’t write for it. Pretty much every political or theological issue of importance to Evangelicals, you’ll find the Episopals on the other side. And these issues matter because it’s why people GO to that church and not the other. [I make no judgement on the merits, just that yeah, there ARE deep divisions that can't be bridged and have to be acknowledged]
There are serious theological differences between the Episcopal Church and Evangelicals like the Southern Baptists. Writing to attract that audience you’d think the creators would take those differences well seriously, and address them. Particularly since the Episcopal Church is one of the smallest denominations and the Southern Baptists the largest among Protestants. That’s assuming you’re serious about getting these people to watch your show.
It’s just bad TV because it’s an uber-liberal Hollywood attempt to lure conservative evangelicals. And is indicative that on a larger scale, Hollywood just can’t write for people who differ from them in class, attitudes, and politics. In other words, media companies are not good buys right now. Because their producers are out of touch with their audience. Not everyone is an evangelical of course, but if they can’t even execute to get that audience when they TRY it shows how out-of-touch Hollywood really is.
January 8th, 2006 at 10:31 am
Great comment from that site:
Yeah, I haven’t been able to leave my house all weekend because my burkas are all dirty.
January 10th, 2006 at 5:14 am
I’m a conservative Christian, and I’m tired of my fellow Christians getting all righteously indignant and running all over the place condemning this, that and the other. Censorship is wrong, and when you censor one thing, you open the floodgates for any and everything to be censored, including your own views. It’s a very slippery slope, and I wish that people would understand that it’s not their responsibility to monitor what everyone else does. At any rate, I’ve fleshed out my thoughts a bit more in my blog and I invite all of you to visit and leave whatever comments you like.
January 10th, 2006 at 10:57 am
Amen to that J.D. Let’s be quiet and serve.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
Note the congregation chosen is the Episcopal Church, the most liberal in the US. Divest from Israel, oppose Israel’s existence, gay priests, gay marriage, oppose the Afghan and Iraq War, etc? Check. Which is itself telling. Even when Hollywood WANTS to get the Passion of the Christ, conservative evangelical audience they can’t write for it. Pretty much every political or theological issue of importance to Evangelicals, you’ll find the Episopals on the other side. And these issues matter because it’s why people GO to that church and not the other. [I make no judgement on the merits, just that yeah, there ARE deep divisions that can’t be bridged and have to be acknowledged
January 12th, 2006 at 6:42 pm
Obviously,most of the people on this board are hell-bent heretics.
January 13th, 2006 at 3:59 pm
First - I doubt the intended audience is Fundamentalist Christians. These sorts of Christians aren’t interested in any other sort of Christiainity. I think its people with a sense of irony and satire. Some Christians have it. Some don’t. Obviously fundamentalist Christians are disappointed.
I think that the people who could watch it are those who are strong enough to be teased a bit, and can see some truth in the fantasies presented to them. As an Episcopal priest, I enjoyed the show. It took a little work to remember that it was a good-natured satire.
As far as being the most liberal denomination, Jim, um we don’t support divestment - that’s actually more typical in the Anglican communion. You’re wrong about Israel, although we do listen to the voices of Arab Anglicans; unlike Catholics we refuse the hypocrisy about sexual morality that our sister church creates; and our views about war fall completely within the just war tradition. In fact every historic denomination opposed the Iraq war.
You’ll have to do better than that, Jim. When you use the word “liberal” it seems merely like name calling, and completely devoid of any content. Essentially, its a slur.
January 18th, 2006 at 3:56 pm
I am one who has seen the show, The Book of Daniel, and enjoyed it very much. I do not confuse it with a documentary on Christianity or the Episcopal Church. If I want to see Christians in action, I go to church. Actaully, I do that every Sunday and I am glad to count myself a member of Christ’s body. But if I want to be entertained by at least modestly good acting and fairly clever lines of dialogue, I turn on the television. If I find a show as entertaining as Daniel was to me, I watch again.
January 19th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
I, certainly, agree with you, Tom. I enjoyed every minute. I did not watch this show to view a show about Christianity or to learn to be a better Episcopalian, but rather for entertainment. ‘Daniel’ entertained me and made me laugh! I hope this show will make a long run…