Christian group targets Cold Case

[Trublu]

After a quick peek around, I don't think this has been posted... but I'm trying to avoid most stuff for "That Woman" as I haven't seen the episode yet. So if this has already been posted, apologies...

Christian group targets Cold Case

By Tim Surette - TV.com
October 4, 2007 at 11:04:00 AM

Culture & Media Institute decries stoning of "lovely woman," youth pastor masturbating to teen's confession on CBS drama.

The grumbling between Hollywood and conservative groups got a little bit louder recently. In this case, the Culture & Media Institute has fired shots against CBS' forensics drama Cold Case.

Cold Case--What would the Culture & Media Institute do?

The group, which describes its mission as "to advance, preserve, and help restore America's culture, character, traditional values, and morals against the assault of the liberal media," claims the September 30 episode of Cold Case was "an exercise in bigoted, Christophobic fantasy."

In the episode, titled "That Woman," a young woman with a promiscuous past joins a Christian-based abstinence group, only to discover that the members don't practice what they preach. In order to protect the group's secrets, members murder the girl the old-fashioned way--by stoning her to death.

"When's the last time your local Christian youth group stoned somebody to death," writes Culture and Media Institute's Colleen Raezler, in an article that accuses CBS of "taking cheap shots at abstinence education" and portraying Christians as "judgmental and downright rude."

Raezler also takes issue with the youth pastor featured in the show. According to the article, when one group member confesses to having impure thoughts about him, the pastor asks her to confess these thoughts to him with her back turned, "so he can pleasure himself."

It isn't just prime time that's sinning, according to the group. The Culture & Media Institute and Raezler have also brought the brimstone against daytime television. The writer claims that Oprah Winfrey promoted irresponsible sexual behavior when she had a show featuring couples in an open relationship, and that Whoopi Goldberg's light-hearted comments about "doing" men and women on The View were "definitely inappropriate."

[annesommer]

Hello

I can`t understand this complaint. Each religion has extremists, radicals, strong believers, very conservativs,.... Or how you want to call it. I don`t think TPTB want to say, that "all" christians are "bad".

Let`s hope that the FCC doesn`t "jump on this train" too.

Anne

[TVFan]

I don't understand it either, but it sounds like this group is pretty extreme itself based on the other complaints in the article. I figured some group would find it offensive. Usually, these groups haven't even seen the episode in question and they base their criticisms on what others are saying about it. Luckily, the FCC would have no grounds to intervene since there wasn't anything "indecent" in the episode (nudity, over-sexualization and/or language for the timeslot, etc). Nowadays, it seems that you're alway offending someone.

[Trublu]

I scratch my head every time something like this pops up. Seems like someone likes to find fault in everything. I'm still waiting for a time where people will stop thinking that everything is a jab at them. No one, no group is perfect, and no one and no group is above being referenced in a way such as this. As long as the material isn't sufficiantly slanderous or otherwise harmful, there's no grounds for objection.

[The Reverend Bizarre]

Oh I understand this quite well. These type of Christians can't wrap the minds around the fact that there will be Christians who will go to this extreme. I'm glad that Cold Case managed to point this out too, even if it might not have been their intent.

[boxman]

xuchilbara said:

Oh I understand this quite well. These type of Christians can't wrap the minds around the fact that there will be Christians who will go to this extreme. I'm glad that Cold Case managed to point this out too, even if it might not have been their intent.

How does that bumper sticker go again??
"No Jesus - No Peace"
"Know Jesus - Know Peace"

I think the writer's intent was to show that these so-called "Christians" didn't really "know" Jesus. If those kids really did, they'd recall the story of Jesus and the Adulteress (like how you instantly did), and would've stopped "casting a stone" at Carrie. It's almost a bit funny that the C&MI didn't catch this irony themselves. I think in the end, what the writer did was to tell a very Christian story to an audience that's not entirely Christian, using a storyline that non-Christians can understand. That is: Without someone compassionate and non-judgmental like Jesus at the crime scene ("No Jesus"), Carrie was stoned to death ("No Peace"). So how can C&MI complain about that?? It's almost as if Cold Case delivered a Sunday night sermon. Sheesh.

[myril]

Would have wondered if there wouldn't have been any complaints like this one.

[Trublu]

myril said:

Would have wondered if there wouldn't have been any complaints like this one.

Unfortunately, now that I think about it, so would I.

[soccerulz]

*sigh*

[Naj]

The complaint is laughable. Cold Case writers present factual cases of real people. Christian people of all religions do commit crimes - like it or not. Unfortunatly even having religon doesn't give a person a good sense of what's right or wrong because I know people in my everyday life that go to church and hate gays, people of different races even parents who depise their own children who aren't living a life they approve. ;D

[toddsmitts]

The group, which describes its mission as "to advance, preserve, and help restore America's culture, character, traditional values, and morals against the assault of the liberal media"

I'm rather dubious about people and groups who use terms like "traditional values and morals". They tend not to be the most tolerant bunch themselves.

And in fact the victim in that episode ultimately was more "Christian" than any of her attackers. She wasn't perfect but she tried to help them with their troubles and worries and in turn they lashed out and blamed her for their problems.

[00bomber]

Think about it this way, all they're doing is giving the show publicity.
Seriously who cares? I guess they do have a bit of a history of not portraying christians too well, but its just a tv show, its not real. The ironic thing is the writers who write that stuff are probably christian themselves. Although I do reckon that if it was a different religion they'd all go nuts and claim discrimination or something (political corectness)....
im not sure if thats what it is like in the US but it happens a lot here

[LillyKat]

As Abe Lincoln said: 'We can't please all the people all the time.'

[Naj]

Christian people of all religions do commit crimes

I think I pulled a "dubya" on that statement.

[coldboneslove398]

I seriously don't get why there are complaints about this....really...it's just tv. Can't people tell the difference between reality and fiction??

[riche]

It's just a publicity exercise for these people. They can print their leaflets and try get on talkshows etc. but the fastest way to get your group in the news these days is to complain about something. It's a compliment to CC that it is considered worthy of complaining about.

Of course all these groups do is treat everyone like they're idiots. Are we supposed to watch CC and think that everyone is like that? "When's the last time your local Christian youth group stoned somebody to death?" Dunno, last Wednesday? Could have been Tuesday, I've been very busy :-)

[The Reverend Bizarre]

Are we supposed to watch CC and think that everyone is like that?

Well, obviously!

"When's the last time your local Christian youth group stoned somebody to death?"

Thankfully never, but I do recall a couple of my friends and I being handed a pamphlet by a Christian group. Upon opening it, we saw a drawing of a guy in Hell, screaming "I should have gone to church, instead of going to the prom!!"

but the fastest way to get your group in the news these days is to complain about something. It's a compliment to CC that it is considered worthy of complaining about.

I certainly agree with this. It shows that more people are watching this show, and this show is hitting alot of people where they need to be hit.

Kudos CC!