Jesus is Alive and Well at the UCC
As you may or may not know, CBS and NBC recently refused to air an advertisement produced by the United Church of Christ, on the grounds that the ad is "too controversial." The ad shows children, minorities, an elderly couple and two women standing next to each other, one with her hand on the other's shoulder. "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we," says the narrator. In its rejection of the ad, CBS said the following:Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority groups by other individuals and organizations, and the fact that the Executive Branch has recently proposed a Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast on the [CBS and UPN] networks.
Now the church is doing exactly what a church SHOULD be doing in this day and age -- petitioning the FCC to challenge the licenses of the two networks on the basis that they are not acting as a public trust. Anyone who's heard me gripe about how the FCC should boot Jimmy Swaggart off the air for promoting violence against gays knows how strongly I feel about this, and I'm really glad to see the United Church of Christ taking the first step in leadership on this issue.
I urge everyone to please follow the link and sign the petition here to support the UCC's efforts to challenge the network's decision to violate its FCC obligations and act in such a decidedly political, partisan and hate-mongering way. And forward this message to any friends you feel would be supportive. One of the bright notes from the Kerry campaign came when internet supporters put the pressure on Sinclair Broadcasting and its advertisers and to keep them from broadcasting "Stolen Honor," charging that Sinclair was doing pretty much the same thing. It worked. This is one of the ways we really CAN make a difference.
You can read pastordan's excellent article on the subject from the DailyKos here.
posted by Jane Hamsher @ 12/09/2004 11:38:00 AM
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