In another follow-up (I promise no more follow-ups this week!), I posted about NBC’s controversial “Book of Daniel”. NBC announced it’s flushing this floater. The American Family Association (one of many groups who vocally opposed the show) claims that over 670,000 people sent emails to NBC through the AFA web site asking that the show be dropped. A total of nine NBC affiliate stations refused to air the show. Even NBC execs admit they hard a hard time finding sponsorship for the show. To top it all off, the show absolutely bombed in the ratings.

The AFA posted a quote from the show’s creator and producer Jack Kenny (although, I could not find another source for this quote).

“The AFA and bullies like them are hard at work to try and prevent you from seeing these beautiful shows, and that is censorship-pure and simple. And that is both un-Christian and un-American.”

I always get a big belly laugh out of openly non-Christian (Christiophobic?) folks preaching about what is or isn’t Christian.

I was able to find Kenny’s earlier response to the attacks on the show. Before it was cancelled, Kenny posted this diatribe which was picked up by TV.com.

“For a while I thought I was the only one who was really angry about this. Angry that this Small Minority of Loud-Mouthed Bullies (SMLMB) had decided to take control over what you get to watch on your television … Soon they may have to step in and approve anything you might want to say out loud, in the privacy of your home. Or maybe what you might think in your mind. If it weren’t 2006, I’d think it was 1984!

…

“Maybe I was taking this too personally – y’know, my show, my idea, my baby. Maybe I needed to seek out other opinions. Objective opinions.”

He goes on to say that he found some blogs where people where defending the show against this “religious attack”. These were his “objective opinions”. I found a much better and truly objective opinion. The “Real Live Preacher” whose blog I frequent, did a short review of the show for Salon.com. It’s very telling.

“I wanted so badly to like ‘the Book of Daniel’ … I wanted to like it if only because some of the religious right are soundly condemning it. I usually can’t pass up an opportunity to distance myself from those guys. But I couldn’t like it. I just couldn’t. Not because it is sacrilegious, but because it is bad. It is very bad. This is a bad and boring show.”

Many of the counter attacks say that Christians didn’t even watch the show before condeming it. While I don’t have to take heroin to know it should be outlawed, I did find the show’s official web site, where you can see still photos of the show and read the plot lines of all five episodes. Now, I can say, in all honest, having read the show’s content, “Wow, that was not only offensive, it really sucked!”

I recommend reading all of Kenny’s whine-fest. Toward the end, he talks about growing up in Catholic school and sheds light on the root of his disgruntlement with religion. The last paragraph he talks about Jesus as a friend and confidant that helps you when you stumble. He’s so close, but he still doesn’t “get it.” It really is sad to see how the lost can get so close to the answer, but their anger and bitterness (usually caused by hypocritical church goers) prevents them for allowing Christ into their lives. It’s a stinging reminder to us on the “religious right”. The fact that Jack Kenny hates us doesn’t mean we can hate him. He’s a lost soul and God loves him.