Jesus is an easy target, Christians even moreso. Offend our Messiah and we won’t raze, riot and murder, like some. Instead we forgive, pray or write snarky blog posts. Which means comedian Kathy Griffin has 
nothing to worry about.
In last weekend’s taping of the Emmy Awards, wherein Ms. Griffin won a creative arts Emmy for her reality show, “My Life on the D-List,” the self-proclaimed ‘militant atheist’ got to show her stripes. According to Yahoo News, her acceptance speech went something like this:
. . .a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus.
The Huffingtington Post added this juice from the speech:
Can you believe this shit? Hell has frozen over. Suck it, Jesus, this award is my god now.
Accordingly, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said in a statement Monday, “Kathy Griffin’s offensive remarks will not be part of the E! telecast on Saturday night.” Ya think?
But Catholic League president Bill Donohue’s response was even more appropriate when he made this logical connection:
It is sure bet that if Griffin had said, ‘Suck it, Muhammad,’ there would have been a very different reaction from the crowd and from the media who covered this event. To say nothing of the Muslim reaction.
Are you kidding me? After the Danish newspaper ran a cartoon about Muhammad, Muslim rioters torched Scandinavian missions in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. There were bomb threats and Arab countries recalled their ambassadors from Copenhagen. Boycotts of Danish products swept across supermarkets in the Arab world and Muslims as far away as India and Indonesia spilled into the streets to burn Danish flags. Four died in Afghanistan alone as a result of the riots. Think we can expect a similar response to this comedian’s “acceptance speech”? No wonder people stick to insulting Christ and Christians — the response is far more civilized.
I also get tired of celebrities giving thanks to God, especially if God occupies very little part of their actual existence. In this, I can understand Ms. Griffin’s frustration. If she wants to deify a tin statue, that’s up to her. But why slam Jesus on the way down?
Either way, I forgive you, Kathy. However, I’m guessing when your life is up, you will find little help from your new “god.” Jesus, on the other hand, might still be listening.
It never fails to astound me how bitter these people are. What the heck happened in their lives to make them so vulnerable to hatred and militant negativity?
Hey, I bet Paul’s speeches sounded similar pre-Damascus Road, eh? Really, you have to just grin. Jesus said people would hate him. He said He’d cause division. The amount of flack He gets just shows how significant He still is and always will be! I love Jesus! He is the bomb! And ya know what? He is my reward. I forgive Kathy too.
Janet, I hope you’re right. But, I’m not as optimistic as you are.
Jesus used to be respected even by his detractors. But our pop culture has been permeated by a new breed of celebrity. They have no qualms about defaming Jesus – nothing is taboo to them.
Will this result in a backlash? Or, an acceptable snideness and disrespect when it comes to the personage of our beloved Jesus?
In other words, I guess sometimes I feel like Christianity has been pushed out of our culture beyond the point of return. 30 yrs ago, her career would have been over. Now, she’ll probably make more money because of this.
I hope I’m wrong.
Our reaction should not be venomous, but I think it would be funny if she went the Don Imus route. Hold a meeting with Jesus and apologize to Him. Go on Al Sharpton’s show and then Focus on the Family and apologize to all Christians. Lose her job. Have everyone in the media scold her for her insensitivity. Have her bosses publicly denounce her statements and distance themselves from her.
-dayle
Ya know what, Dayle? That would be funny. And if we time-traveled just a wee bit in American history, that might have been what happened. I was just saying that Jesus just keeps coming up, everywhere, again and again, through the ages. He is unforgetable. Controversial. SIGNIFICANT. the very fact that people have come up with a label (atheist) to show that they don’t believe says something. I don’t LIKE people talking about my Jesus like that. But I think it is interesting that He comes up so much. Jesus has spent more time on the from cover of magazines than anyone.
I still can’t believe Kathy Griffin won an award.
Moreover, an award saluting her perpetuation of a vacuous career.
Hey Matty, I guess it says a lot about the people giving out the award.
Her only true claim to fame is appearing on Seinfeld, in which she gave a vacuous (I like that word) performance.
Her latest quote: “Am I the only Catholic with a sense of humor?”
No, Kathy. Most of them do. But, they also know the difference between a joke and a slam. Not to mention blasphemy.
I grew up Catholic. I know of which I speak.