Wednesday May 3, 2000
CANADIAN ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA RIDICULE CHRISTIANITY
TORONTO, May 3 (LSN.ca) – On Friday, the Canadian Family Action Coalition and the Catholic Civil Rights League jointly submitted a complaint against a Toronto radio station for its attack on Jesus last year. Meanwhile, Catholic activists are outraged over the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) production “Our Daily Bread”, which aired last Monday depicting a woman feeding Holy Communion to a dog.
The joint submission to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regards CFNY-FM(CFNY), and comes in response to the radio station’s morning show “Humble and Fred” broadcast of April 1, 1999 as well as preceding shows leading up to a 1st Annual “Jesus LOOK-A-LIKE contest” promotion, held on that day. CFAC and CCRL also condemned the “Chocolate Jesus” giveaway promotion for Easter 1999, held in conjunction with the aforementioned promotion, the “Danger Boy on a Cross” promotion held by the same radio station in April of 1998, and the CFNY Christmas song, “Jesus was a Fetus”.
In response to complaints directed at CBC’s broadcast of “Our Daily Bread”, which shows a Catholic priest getting drunk with a parishioner after hearing a confession as well as the communion offence, CBC audience relations spokesperson Bonnie Gold said, “It is true that a means is this event or other religious rites portrayed in the film done in a disrespectful manner… It is the job of a public broadcaster not to shrink from engaging important subjects simply out of fear of giving offence… When we step over the line, we apologize, and take any other necessary corrective action. In our view, OUR DAILY BREAD doesn’t cross that line.”
Comments may be emailed to the CBC at: and to the CBC ombudsman at: . Letters to MPs are also urged by critics of the programs.
The complaint by CCRL and CFAC to the CRTC is available at: https://www.ccrl.ca/CRTCcomplaint.htm