In which the preacher's kid in me comes out to play...rough

Anyone that knows me knows that my beliefs and values tend to run a bit on the liberal end of the spectrum. My religious beliefs are no different. I have big problems with organized religion on a variety of levels, one of the most glaring being the judgemental nature of "the church" today.

Now, take a deep breath and hear this...I am not lumping everyone that works for, worships in, or holds in high regard a place of worship in the same category. I see shining examples of what I think Jesus stood for every day, in my own family. My sister and her husband are two of the most caring, compassionate, and open minded Christian ministers that I know and I'm so very proud of them. My sister's talent in this area is hereditary, as she is a walking reminder of our father's ministry.

I have written previously about a show that I thought was just brilliant, NBC's The Book of Daniel. Apparently, the show has been cancelled, due in no small part to the massive outpouring of complaints about the sacrelige and blashphemy of this show that focuses on the life of an Episcopalian priest and his family.

From the forums on NBC.com:

Unfortunately, due to many reasons, "The Book of Daniel" will no longer be aired on NBC on Friday nights. I just wanted to say "thank you" to all of you who supported the show. There were many wonderful, talented people who contributed to it's success - and I do mean success. Whatever the outcome, I feel that I accomplished what I set out to do: A solid family drama, with lots of humor, that honestly explored the lives of the Webster family. Good, flawed people, who loved each other no matter what... and there was always a lot of "what"! I remain proud of our product, proud of my association with Sony, NBC Universal, and NBC, who all took a chance on a project that spoke to them, and proud to have made an impact on so many of your lives.

Thanks for watching.
Sincerely,
Jack Kenny
Creator, The Book of Daniel

Are you kidding me? Some of the comments on this forum make me TRULY embarrassed to be alive. Truly.

"trulyrich" writes in response to Mr. Kenny's post: "You might just figure out a way to use your God given talents for good, not evil."

"drfong" quipped: "You said you were just trying to show a good family drama about people who cared about each other no matter what. You could have done that without offending christians."

How many of you who thought this show was offensive to Christians have ever been the child of a minister? Did everyone in your hometown expect you to be either a wild child or a prude because your father was a religious leader in the community? Were you at the center of scrutiny of an entire congregation of people? I just wonder how many of those "Christians" that were so outraged ever lived that life, either as a member of the clergy themselves or as the child of a clergyperson? Mmmm I'm betting almost none of them.

Lemme tell you something...7th Heaven is not real life in a minister's family. Not in today's world. Not by a longshot. Like it or not, the Book of Daniel came closer to real life than 7th Heaven's happy, campy, sunny little family ever could. Someone even referenced that show, asking why BoD couldn't have been more like 7th Heaven.

Again I ask...are you kidding me?

It absolutely blows my mind that shows like Fear Factor and Distraction (although I admit to being a fan of the latter) and soap operas and bloody violent crime dramas are left alone to "ruin the minds of the impressionable" but a show that has the nerve to portray the real lives of the clergy in the world today is taken off the air.

If you're going to comment that I need to go to church or hit my knees and repent so that I can >pause for dramatic effect< be Saved, save it. I know what I believe. I know what my relationship is with my Higher Power. I thought that I lived in a country where free speech was important, but it seems that it's only important if it's not offending certain sections of the Christian faith (and I use that grouping with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek).

I guess somewhere the Religious Right is having a party. Or maybe they're all getting ready to secretly watch Wife Swap on ABC while pretending to be faithful to 7th Heaven on the WB...