Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, recently released a press release chastising the writers of the Fox crime show “Bones” for an on-screen portrayal of blasphemy, saying that one of the lines spoken by a character on the show “cuts to the heart and soul of Catholicism” and “was entirely gratuitous.”
This is the line in question, which occurs during a conversation between two characters and is spoken by the show’s title character: ““One pastor gets her teeth whitened, and the other drinks wine on Sunday mornings and tells everyone that it’s been miraculously transformed into blood. Which of those is more outlandish?”
““It does not matter that non-Catholics may not accept what happens at Mass. What matters is that they show respect,” commented Mr. Donohue, whose successful career of Catholic advocacy work includes respectfully blaming Jessica Delfino for terrorism, respectfully saying that Jews control Hollywood, and respectfully referring to the creators of “South Park” as “little whores” (they respectfully cajoled him right back in a later episode). He has also waged a profoundly respectful war against PZ Myers for desecrating the Eucharist, and against University of Central Florida student Webster Cook for refusing to be force-fed a magical cracker.
In the final analysis, Bill Donohue is a vaguely anti-Semitic fundamentalist fanatic who gets paid almost $350,000 a year to publicly harass people who don’t play along with his beliefs. The most appalling part of the whole press release in question is that bit about showing “respect.” Being told to be respectful by Bill Donohue is like being told to love your family by Jesus.
More importantly is the simple fact that, no Bill, we do not have to show respect for ritual cannibalism, or any other religious ritual. Nobody is entitled to restrict other peoples’ freedom of speech in order to save themselves from being personally offended by something. There is no freedom to make other people “respect” you. Ridiculing religion is my right as an American; Mr. Donohue would do well to remember that every nation that has ever been subject to the kind of Christian theocracy that could make us respect Mr. Donohue’s wild imaginings about his Sunday snack has shed it, often violently.
I mean, come on, what are we talking about here? We’re talking a conversation on a Fox TV show that was absolutely right. Donohue’s press release never actually explains what “Bones” got wrong with his theology, since it is the Church’s position that the Eucharist cracker is literally transmogrified into Jesus whenever the robed wizard waves his hands and says the magic Latin words. All they did was offend Donohue personally by pointing out his beliefs.
And of course, lets not forget Donohue is in an extremist minority on this one: over two thirds of Catholics are actually smart enough to realize that this magic cracker nonsense might be Catholic dogma, but it’s still silly. Do the 66% of Catholics who do not believe that they are cannibals have the right to demand that Donohue show a little respect for their beliefs?
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I respect two things in relation to Bill Donohue: his right to believe whatever he wants, and his right to say he is offended. I do not recognize his right to demand respect for what he believes nor his right to impose his sense of offense on any one other than himself. Further, as I understand the show he is protesting, the other lead character, the one to whom this line was addressed is Catholic. In essence, what Donohue is requesting is that both (or all, as far as I know) characters represent the beliefs he holds.
Sorry, Mr. Donohue. In your theocratic mind that is the way a free country works, but outside that small space there is a universe of ideas, a great deal of which you probably have no respect for.
I think Bill Donahue is your arch-nemesis.
I can’t understand offence. It’s something that is yet to be advocated properly. What does it mean to be offended nowadays? Every damn thing will offend someone – this is purely nonsense. I think we need to stop taking people’s feelings of “offence” and start dealing with practicality: Is there is a REASON why you are offended. If so, outline it for us. If you simply “feel” offended, change the channel. I’m offended by Bill Donahue’s pestilential abhorrent usage of critical faculties granted to him as a human by natural selection – but you don’t see me demanding any respect for that.
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