Last evening’s edition of the Comedy Central show, “South Park,” opened with a boy, Kyle, telling his friends that he needs to get an “erection” for his father. We learn that the boy’s father is unable to get an erection and that this is the source of marital discord. Kyle, not knowing what an erection is, thinks he can buy one in a store for his father.
The boys meet a priest who invites them to make the Stations of the Cross. The priest explains that Jesus was crucified, and that after three days had a resurrection. “Res-erection?” exclaims Kyle. “That’s what my dad needs.” So they designate another boy, Cartman, as Jesus, hang him on a cross and wait for him to die and have an erection. The show ends with a reverential statement about Christ’s suffering.
William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, had this to say about the show:
“On Good Friday, the Wall Street Journal ran an excellent editorial on the anti-Christian fervor that is now so commonplace. In it, the contribution of ‘South Park’ was mentioned. Last night’s edition just adds to this show’s lousy reputation.
“There was no need to try to bail out at the last minute by tacking on a nice commentary on Jesus at the end of the show. The damage the writers wanted to do was already done and was thus beyond redemption.
“There is a reason why blasphemy frequently tracks obscenity: those who entertain a perverse understanding of freedom know that religion is an obstacle to their desires. This is particularly true of Roman Catholicism and that is why they trash it. In one sense, this is a backhanded compliment, for if the teachings of the Catholic Church were indistinguishable from the ruling orthodoxies of the day, there would be no need to attack it. That is why we expect more attacks in the future, not less.”
