Home Box Office (HBO) featured the notorious George Carlin on its Comedy Hour as part of its Original Programming for the month of April. His special, George Carlin: Back in Town, was not only vulgar from beginning to end, but it also took aim at Cardinal O’Connor, Catholics, pro-lifers and Jesus Himself.
- He said he was Catholic until he reached the “age of reason.” He opined that he did not want to hear from Cardinal O’Connor and other Church leaders on the abortion issue until they have raised kids on the minimum wage. Priests should be told to keep their hands off the altar boys.
- He used a quote of Jesus, “Suffer the little children to come unto me,” in a blasphemous way, saying he did not think Jesus meant it the way a pedophile priest would.
- On the sanctity of life, he said, “If you read history, you realize God is one of the leading causes of death.” In his banter, he said, as if one religious person to another, “My god has a bigger d— than your god.”
- He claimed that he wanted crucifixions, but upside down and naked. Christians could relate to this kind of capital punishment, he mused.
- He explored ancient forms of capital punishment and related them to religion. Burning people at the stake came out of religious tradition. Boiling people in oil could teach Christian children a lesson.
That Mr. Carlin would engage in such behavior is not surprising in light of his past record. This includes his legal battle to say seven offensive words on the radio, a case he lost in the 1970s in a Supreme Court decision. That HBO, however, seeks to call bad taste comedy is more disturbing. Coupled with their production of a hatchet job on the Church’s celibacy requirements, HBO is giving its Catholic subscribers reason to quit.
