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Talking veggies stir controversy at NBC

From an AP article of the same title by Sandy Cohen on Yahoo News:

Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber always had a moral message in their long-running "VeggieTales" video series. But now that the vegetable stars have hit network television, they can't speak as freely as they once did, and that's got the Parents Television Council steamed. The conservative media-watchdog group issued a statement Wednesday blasting NBC, which airs "VeggieTales," for editing out some references to God from the children's animated show... "VeggieTales" creator Phil Vischer, who was responsible for readying episodes for network broadcast, said he didn't know until just weeks before the shows were to begin airing that non-historical references to God and the Bible would have to be removed. Had he known how much he'd have to change the show - including Bob and Larry's tagline, "Remember kids, God made you special and he loves you very much," that concludes each episode - Vischer said he wouldn't have signed on for the network deal. "I would have declined partly because I knew a lot of fans would feel like it was a sellout or it was done for money," he said, adding that "there weren't enough shows that could work well without those (religious) references."

I had seen a little bit of one of these episodes as the kids were watching it, and I wondered if the religious content had been toned down. It has.

Book Says Bush Aides Dismissed Christian Allies

Christians often have a sense that they are disrespected by the left (I heard it in Bible class this morning when we were visiting at Troy). I'm sure there is some truth to that feeling with regard to a certain element of the left. However, I'm also sure that that there is a lack of respect for Christians by a significant segment of the right as well. From an article of the same title in the NY Times by David Kirkpatrick:

A former deputy director of the White House office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives is charging that many members of the Bush administration privately dismiss its conservative Christian allies as "boorish" and "nuts." The former deputy director, David Kuo, an evangelical Christian conservative, makes the accusations in a newly published memoir, "Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction" (Free Press), about his frustration with what he described as the meager support and political exploitation of the program. "National Christian leaders received hugs and smiles in person and then were dismissed behind their backs and described as ‘ridiculous,' ‘out of control,' and just plain ‘goofy,' " Mr. Kuo writes. In an interview, Mr. Kuo's former boss, James Towey, now president of St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., said he had never encountered such cynicism or condescension in the White House, and he disputed many of the assertions in Mr. Kuo's account.

Kuo was on 60 Minutes tonight. The video is here. I wouldn't argue that Christians should have no involvement with politics, though that argument has its merits. I would argue that when the line between faith and politics is as blurred as it is these days, faith is soiled by the relationship between the two.

New Fox Unit to Produce Christian Films

From an article of the same title by Lorenza Muñoz in the LA Times:

The company that brought TV viewers racy and irreverent programs such as "Nip/Tuck," "Temptation Island" and "The Simpsons" has found religion. In the biggest commitment of its sort by a Hollywood studio, News Corp.'s Fox Filmed Entertainment is expected to unveil plans today to capture the gargantuan Christian audience that made "The Passion of the Christ" a global phenomenon. The home entertainment division of Rupert Murdoch's movie studio plans to produce as many as a dozen films a year under a banner called FoxFaith. At least six of those films will be released in theaters under an agreement with two of the nation's largest chains, AMC Theatres and Carmike Cinemas. The first theatrical release, called "Love's Abiding Joy," is scheduled to hit the big screen Oct. 6. The movie, which cost about $2 million to make, is based on the fourth installment of Christian novelist Janette Oke's popular series, "Love Comes Softly."... FoxFaith films, to be based on Christian bestsellers, will have small budgets of less than $5 million each, compared with the $60-million average. The movies each will be backed by $5-million marketing campaigns. Although that is skimpy compared with the $36 million Hollywood spends to market the average movie, the budget is significant for targeting a niche audience, especially one as fervent as many evangelical Christians... Other studios also are beginning to dip an oar into Christian waters. New Line Cinema's "The Nativity Story," scheduled to be released in December, tells the story of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter to give birth to Jesus. Legendary Pictures, which has a multi-film deal with Warner Bros., is planning to make a movie version of John Milton's epic 17th century poem about the fall of man, "Paradise Lost."

Tony Campolo: Duplicity on the Right

From a post by Tony Campolo on the God's Politics blog on beliefnet:

Do those on the Religious Right understand their duplicity? For years they have argued against situational ethics. They have stood for absolutes and contended that those absolutes should never be compromised. With conviction they have declared, loud and clear, that the end never justifies the means. Now, with the war on terrorism on our hands, they support torture when interrogating suspects. A prominent scholar recently polled a dozen top leaders of America's Religious Right, who were unanimously in favor of using torture "given the situation at hand." When it suits them, it turns out, the end does indeed justify the means. If they have changed their minds and are ready to refute the golden rule, then it is time for them to say plainly, "For the most part we agree with Jesus, but there are special circumstances when we must ignore His teachings."

Lost in Faith Quiz

Lost is back. There's a related quiz on beliefnet.

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