Quentin Tarantino's latest movie is Django Unchained, a revenge flick set in the times of southern slavery. On February 16, 2013, Saturday Night Live, hosted by one of the stars of Django, did a spoof on the film called "Djesus Uncrossed", where Jesus (or Djesus, or Jesus H. Christ with the H silent), came back from the dead to wreak vengeance on the Romans.
Was the SNL skit a spoof of the movie, or was it a spoof on God, or was it the most blasphemous skit ever in their history? I'm sorry I missed that episode, but this skit is posted on the internet, here is one link.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/videos/2013/02/17/jesus-rises-on-snl.html
In my opinion, this was not really a criticism of Christianity, it was first and foremost a spoof of the film. And I have seen almost the exact same theme in a Jesus skit done on "Family Guy" in the episode "North by North Quahog" in the skit "The Passion of the Christ 2: Crucify This". However, "Family Guy" has done a lot of other things the fundamentalist Christians hate.
http://themaxeychronicles.blogspot.ca/2012/09/innocence-of-muslimsthe-anti-muhammad.html
For example (from this web page, showing how Family Guy is blaspheming Jesus)
A standing gag is that Jesus drives a Cadillac Escalade.So the basic line taken by Sean Hannity on Fox News is that Liberals are too chicken to take on the Muslims, so it's open season on Christians who don't fight back.
In "North by North Quahog", he is seen in the car in an action trailer for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ 2: Crucify This and is portrayed by Jim Caviezel opposite Chris Tucker.
According to the National Gun Association's pro-guns film in "And the Wiener is...", Jesus and Moses used guns to defeat the Romans.
During his second coming, shown in "Stewie Loves Lois", Jesus's stature is found to be short since science has proven that people were shorter in biblical times.
He also makes use of his powers to assist his golf game, as seen in Holy Crap. Although he is "Employee of the Week" at Happy-Go-Lucky Toys, he is on the golf course going for his fourth Birdie. He makes his swing, and the ball lands extremely close to the hole, on the verge of going in. Using his power, he gets the ball to go in.
In Go, Stewie, Go!, Jesus is on the side of the jocks in a dodgeball game against the meek.
http://www.newshounds.us/20130213_sean_hannity_gutless_snl_writers_hate_christianity_but_are_scared_of_islam
If that were true, I suppose it would be a valid point against all these "attacks" on Christianity. But none of these skits are attacks on Jesus or Christianity. They are all attacks on the perverted form of Christianity that is "Born Again Christianity". The Born Again Christians have basically undermined true Christianity by turning all the teachings of Jesus upside down, preaching hate, not love; war, not peace; wealth, not social justice. If you are satirizing a perverted form of "Christianity", you are in reality speaking up for Jesus.
And, by the way, Fox News, "Family Guy" is a show on your own network, so how about attacking yourselves for blasphemy, instead of Saturday Night Live on NBC.
[Hannity] 'described the skit as a "trailer for a fake movie" in which Jesus "goes on a killing rampage."'
ReplyDeleteOh, and?
'Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. ... Matthew 10:34, KJV
Depending on the interpretation of this verse, I suppose this skit may actually be criticizing Jesus, as there was definitely a sword involved in the video, in addition to the assault rifle.
DeleteEver since I first heard about the Pro-war and pro-rich Jesus, I wondered if there was any point in a pro-war and pro-rich God sending him down here to spread the message. Weren't humans already greedy and violent enough?
The 'pro-rich Jesus'? If anything, Jesus' message was simply a restatement or reiteration of the message already brought by the Old Testament prophets.
ReplyDeleteMalachi springs to mind. In chapter 3, verse 10, the Lord of Hosts is quoted as saying, 'Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.'
It is absolutely clear that this is an admonition to tithe ... in exchange for which the Lord our God will reward you with prosperity. For further information on this, please refer to Joel Osteen, Paul Pilzer and their ilk.
It is also clear that Jesus is 'pro-war.' There would not be a such a significant majority of U.S. military chaplains from the more evangelical strains of Christianity (strains which strongly support American militarism) if Jesus wasn't 'pro-war.'
http://www.instituteforscienceandhumanvalues.net/articles/religious%20discrimination%20military.htm
I hope that article about Born Again Christians in the military is exaggerating the threat. I get a very different picture from reruns of M*A*S*H. But then, Father Mulcahy was a Catholic, not an Evangelical.
DeleteThere is a big Wikipedia entry on Prosperity Theology, calling Osteen a mild prosperity advocate. I didn't know that Jerry Falwell was opposed to prosperity. But he did make some statements against prosperity when he helped save the disgraced PTL ministry after its financial scandals.
Falwell: Prosperity Doctrine Wrong