Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on some anti-Easter fare disseminated over the past few days:
Easter is a joyous day in the Christian calendar, but for those who are either hateful or ignorant, it is also time to mock Christianity. There was a flurry of such examples in the run-up to Easter this year, though some were rather innocuous while others were more serious.
On the day before Holy Thursday, Big Fish Enterprises took the first below-the-belt attack. The self-styled “full service content production company,” which creates all sorts of media programming, posted some obscene comments about Jesus on its website, offering a portrait of him extending his middle finger.
On Holy Thursday, Frank Rich, the New York Times has-been theater critic, took a shot at Laura Ingraham and all Christians when he tweeted, “Religion remains the last refuge of scoundrels. ‘Holy Week’ my ass.” All this from a guy whose antenna searching for anti-Semitism is up in the sky.
On Good Friday, NBC’s Chuck Todd got himself in trouble when he tweeted, “I’m a bit hokey when it comes to ‘Good Friday.’ I don’t mean disrespect to the religious aspect of the day, but I love the idea of reminding folks that any day can become ‘good,’ all it takes is a little selflessness on our part. Works EVERY time.” I take him at his word that he meant no harm. There is a difference between a flip remark and a low blow designed to hurt.
On Easter morning, NBC News posted an opinion piece by some evangelical Christian writer, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, saying that Easter is used to “prop up white nationalism and bigotry.” This is irresponsible. To be sure, the holy days in all religious calendars have been used by some bigots to justify their actions. So what? Why is this cited on Easter Sunday?
Easter did not pass without an insulting statement made on the Showtime program, “Our Cartoon President.”
The animated series, which delights in taking pot shots at President Trump, featured the Trump character saying, “Was that Joseph guy a putz [slang for penis], or what? Clearly, he wasn’t taking care of Mary’s needs. I mean, if God knocked up my wife, he’d never drink again. I’d cut off God’s penis.” The same character also said, “They love me. I’m like Jesus, only with twice as many prostitutes.”
The co-founder and executive producer of this show is Stephen Colbert. His pathological hatred of Trump is one thing, but for him to produce a show that assaults Christian sensibilities on Easter Sunday is low class. Because of who he is, and what he sanctioned, his attack was clearly the most egregious of them all.
Contact Showtime VP for Entertainment Public Relations, Frank Marchesini: frank.marchesini@showtime.net
