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“Will and Grace”, Muslim cartoons and free speech

“Will and Grace”, Muslim cartoons and free speech

Last updated on: March 17, 2017 at 9:25 pm by Elizabeth Scalia

“Will and Grace”, Muslim cartoons and free speech 2017-03-17T21:25:42+00:00 Elizabeth Scalia

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Cruci-fixin’s?

Britney Spears will guest star on an episode of “Will & Grace,” NBC announced Tuesday.

The pop star will appear as a Christian conservative sidekick to Sean Hayes’ character, Jack, who hosts his own talk show, on the April 13 episode, the network said.

Jack’s fictional network, Out TV, is bought by a Christian TV network, leading to Spears contributing a cooking segment called “Cruci-fixin’s.”

Supposedly, although I have not yet seen anything confirming it, this episode is going to air on Holy Thursday, the first day of the Easter Triduum, the day before Good Friday. Which, of course, is the day we remember Christ’s Passion. So, if the information is correct, “Cruci-fixin’s” will be played up for yucks on the Eve of the day of Crucifixion.

I think we need to be consistant, here. If we’re applauding France (and we are) for not being cowed into self-censoring cartoon depictions of Muhammed, if we’re going to agree with the secularists that God is “not beyond caricature” in a free society, then we’ll have to anticipate it continuing (Christianity, clergy and Christ and his mother have been played for laffs for years) in America, where artists have used elephant dung to paint the Madonna and crucifixes-in-urine have been touted as “high art.”

Yesterday, I mentioned to Buster that France was standing up to the Muslim death-threaters and printing the Danish cartoons which some Islamists find offensive. Buster observed, rightly, that the first time France stood up for anything in decades, they were standing up for their right to mock what others find sacred. “Quite an impressive move on the part of France,” he declared, “‘we will fight for nothing but our right to disdain you…‘”

Smart kid. He’s quite right.

But, be that as it may – the fact is a free society is one that allows non-believers to make perfect and ignorant asses of themselves in waves of adolescent daring. Which is all this stunt on Will and Grace is. The producers and writers and actors taking part in this silliness no doubt believe they are being “brave” and “edgy”. In fact, it takes no courage or daring at all to mock Christians in America, anymore than it is “brave” or “daring” to make fun of President Bush when you are before a crowd in Hollywood. It’s actually the safest, most cowardly thing to do, because you are running with, not against, the current in which you and your pals swim. And your friends will reward you for taking on those big, bad Christians.

At a time when Jesus is on trial, and there are movements afoot to tax churches, we Christians understand that we are possibly coming into an age of persecution from the “tolerant, enlightened” secularists – people so passionate about their own “religion” of “no-God-before-ME” that they will brook none of that silly talk of “sin” or “redemption,” (unless it can be dressed up in some Eastern belief system that the secularists don’t actually understand but is, at least, not Western) because it makes them feel all ookey. Will and Grace” is a product of post-modernist, post-Christian minds who routinely cross lines, particularly when there is little risk in doing so. After all, “those Christians” will fuss and moan, turn off the tv and boycott advertisers for a little while, but most big corporations have such sprawling tentacles that someone boycotting Fisher Price won’t even realize that their morning Quaker Oatmeal supports the same people. And it’s not like the Christians are going to fly planes into buildings!

Nope, we’ll do something more constructive. We’ll pray for you. We’ll turn the other cheek because there is enormous power in doing so, as the last 2000 years have demonstrated. After we have done the “worldly” things, have written letters to sponsors and turned off the televisions, we’ll go to our prayer closets and raise our hands in prayer to the God of Mercy, who is also the God of Justice. And we’ll pray for you “daring” types. And you know what’s going to sting? That Augustinian moment when grace has stuck you, and you are desiring to cling to your old ways even as you realize you no longer can. Ouch. It smarts, but only for a little while.

A Tai-Chi master will use his enemy’s own force and thrust to lay him low. Turning the other cheek is just as discreet and just as effective.

And frankly, most serious Christians will be too busy on Holy Thursday, reading the scriptural story about Moses parting the red sea, and the terrible deaths of Pharoah’s army – his chariots and charioteers – and washing each other’s feet, to pay a whole lot of attention to “Will and Grace.” Or, actually we’ll be looking at issues of “Will” and “Grace” but in an utterly different context.

I know lots of Christians have been annoyed with me, lately, because I was scornful-but-not-offended by Kanye West dressing up as Jesus for the cover of Rolling Stone, and that I am not wringing my hands about “Jesus on Trial.” But I had a good teacher, who said, “my grace is sufficient.” All of these things will pass. What is Eternal will endure. And surprising changes of mind will occur in His time. Some of our greatest evangelists and teachers started out persecuting the Christians, like St. Paul.

Slightly off topic, there was an Australian television program that I once saw called John Safran vs God, in which – among other things – the moderator walked around Melbourne with a man dressed as Pope John Paul II and another dressed as the Dalai Lama. He would approach people and read a quote – about pre-marital sex, homosexual sex, drug use – and ask people who said it, the pope or the Dalai Lama. People routinely assumed that the “out of touch” teachings they heard were made by the pope. In each case, it was a teaching of the Dalai Lama. It was very eye-opening. People hear what they want to hear, and believe what they want to believe. Which is why, I guess, people think of a Buddhist celibate as an enlightened being, and a Christian celibate as a freak. Odd, that.

Meanwhile, onto the Muslim Cartoon Controversy: AJ Strata has serious cautions about those cartoons: What I hope everyone remembers is that moderate Muslims represent the salvation of not only Islam, but world peace as well. America has been very clear in discerning our views on radical Islam verses moderate Islam. While we prepared for war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda we walked with Muslims to protect them from any out of control backlashes from people who cannot discern a radical movement from an ancient religion. Mark at Decision ’08 also urges caution and says:

We need not roll over and apologize for exercising our freedom of speech – but neither should we make a fetish of thrusting it in the face of those we wish to work with…

A good point.

Michelle Malkin says that she’s asked American papers if they will be publishing the offending cartoons, they say no. Sissy Willis says the LA Times might. Michelle also points out that many EU papers blocked out some parts of the cartoons. She has, unsurprisingly, the best and most comprehensive round up.

Thomas Lifson points out that we do not have the whole story on the cartoons, that some highly offensive pieces – one has Mohammed with a pig face – have been “inserted” so to speak, into the mix, to stir up anger. Lifson relates some interesting asides in his quest to find images of Muhammed. Gateway Pundit has more on this developement. The Islamic Society of Denmark is behind it!

Ed Morrissey has more. Judith Klinghoffer is following the EU angle on this story very closely. Dymphna notes the BBC is feeling gunshy. Alexandra is pretty mad to hear that the French editor has been fired.

Sigmund, Carl and Alfred have a very interesting piece up which suggests that this whole enormous controversy is a contrivance started up by Danish Muslims.

UPDATE: “John Safran vs. God” can be googled. I saw a few episodes with my elder son and found them to be pretty well-done explorations of differing religions and belief systems, funny and semi-punk but more curious than disrespectful. The voodoo episode was harrowing. There is an interview with Safran, here, which touches on the Pope/Dalai Lama thing. Very interesting read. No, I have not seen the exorcism episode.

Rachael Kohn: Well you’re bound to surprise some hopeful Buddhists by your man on the street survey comparing statements by the Pope, and those by the Dalai Lama. You really proved your point in that piece.

John Safran: Yes, that’s because the Dalai Lama has quite a I guess conservative position on things like masturbation and sexual practices that aren’t missionary position sexual practices, but yet the Pope gets all this bad press for having those positions whilst the Dalai Lama, everyone kind of coughs into their hand, and pretends he doesn’t say these things. I wasn’t kind of being judgmental of his position either way, I was just like comparing him, it’s like why does the Pope get heat for rapping people over the knuckles.

Rachael Kohn: With all the people that you asked guessed that the quotes came from the Pope?

John Safran: Yes.

Rachael Kohn: Is that really so, that all the people that you asked – ?

John Safran: You know because every person we went to we went through all the quotes with them, after a while they kind of go Oh, I see, so it actually was the Dalai Lama who said all these things, but generally it was accurate, you know, it was like most people thought that his quotes on conservative sexuality were from the Pope.

WELCOME you google searchers, you! While you’re here, please look around! Today we’re also talking about the quality of Condi, the anger of Hillary, cartoons and their effects on some people, and John Bolton’s Peace Prize nomination.

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