brf@machaids.UUCP (06/19/83)
The following excerpts are from an article by Cliff Morgan (tektronix!cliffm) (Original Subject: 'Re: What is God doing today?') >> With regard to what God is doing, I recently heard Dr. Pat Robertson, >> President of the Christian Broadcasting Network, state that their >> organization has witnessed literally tens of thousands of miraculous >> answers to prayer. >> .... Pat felt the calling to found the Christian Broadcasting Network. >> Today, CBN has gained the respect of both Christian and secular audiences, >> though it portrays a view of the world not presented by the other networks. >> The "flagship" program of CBN is "The 700 Club", a 90-minute daily TV >> program featuring interviews with prominent Christians, as well as documen- >> taries and news clips covering current events.... Just to put things in proper perspective, the following is a letter that was sent to Mr Richard Hughes, Director of Programming, WPIX TV. (WPIX is a New York station that carries "The 700 Club".): ----------------------------------------------------------------- March 22, 1982 Dear Mr Hughes, I have recently been watching the "700 Club" on WPIX a few times each week. The people on that show have frequently mentioned "humanists" and implied that "humanists" are terrible people. Until the week beginning March 8 it was not clear just who was meant by the term "humanist". However, during that week I was treated to a series of interviews that explained who "humanists" are, what they have done and what they are supposedly planning to do. According to host Pat Robertson and his guest, Dr. Schaffer ("a world-renouned Christian philosopher"), the "humanists" include people who are members of "liberal religions". During the March 8 to March 12 series of interviews it was stated that there is a "humanist plot", a "con- spiracy of humanists", and that "a condition of warfare exists between the two irreconcilable views of reality", i.e. Christian versus Humanist. According to the views espoused on this show the plot/conspiracy involves the current take-over by Humanists of our schools, courts, and government. During the last show of the series Mr. Robertson stated that the Humanists were termites which were taking charge and destroying our country, which had been built by Christians, and that it is "now time for Godly fumigation." My husband, two young children and I are members of the Unitarian Church. Our Church is generally agreed to be a "liberal religion". Freedom of speech in America is not absolute. For instance, one cannot legally cry "fire" in a crowded theater if there is no fire. Likewise, one should not cry "warfare", "plot", "conspiracy", or invite "Godly fumigation" on the public airwaves without so much as an invitation to those accused of the "plot", etc., to defend or explain their side. I have no objection to religious broadcasts targeted to specific audiences, but I strongly object to public airwaves being used to attack specific religious groups. While cries of "plot", "conspiracy", and "warfare" may serve to increase contributions to the "700 Club" from gullible viewers, they also inflict harm on society. The use of half-truths, distortions and outright lies such as I heard on these broadcasts have been used in the past to instill fear of certain groups of people. For example: fear of Japanese and their removal from the general population in the early 1940's; Senator McCarthy and his witch-hunts for communists during the early 1950's; fear of Jews, Catholics and Blacks promoted by the Ku Klux Klan for too many years. These examples clearly show that such activities, when carried to extremes, result in persecution and harassment of individual groups. They are not parts of our American history of which we should be proud. By serving as a forum for the current vintage of hate-mongering, WPIX is not serving the public interest. In addition, some of the things I have seen and heard on the "700 Club" serve to tarnish the reputation and image of WPIX as a fine and responsible TV station. I would like to know if WPIX has a policy controlling the broadcasting of attacks on specific religious groups. Surely a blatantly anti-Semitic or anti-Catholic series of broadcasts would not have been aired; certainly liberal religious sects deserve the same courtesy. (signed) Diann Fowler ----------------------------------------------------------------- I for one am glad that CBN " ...portrays a view of the world not presented by the other networks." If everyone thought the way these people do, what a sad world we would live in! I do agree with Cliff that *you* should watch the "700 Club" if you get a chance, to see for yourself what goes on there. We are still waiting for an answer to the above letter. Bruce Fowler {houx*}!machaids!brf Bell Telephone Laboratories, Holmdel, N.J.