Closing The Book of Daniel.After airing just four episodes, NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. dropped its new series, The Book of Daniel Noun 1. Book of Daniel - an Old Testament book that tells of the apocalyptic visions and the experiences of Daniel in the court of Nebuchadnezzar Book of the Prophet Daniel, Daniel , amid dismal ratings and growing protests from upset Christians. The network and its commercial sponsors were inundated in·un·date tr.v. in·un·dat·ed, in·un·dat·ing, in·un·dates 1. To cover with water, especially floodwaters. 2. with mail, telephone calls, and e-mail after the American Family Association The American Family Association (AFA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes conservative Christian values.[1][2][3][4] It was founded in 1977 by Rev. , the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, Focus on the Family, and other Christian organizations alerted their members to the anti-Christian theme and blatant degeneracy Degeneracy (quantum mechanics) A term referring to the fact that two or more stationary states of the same quantum-mechanical system may have the same energy even though their wave functions are not the same. of the program written by homosexual activist Jack Kenny. "Having previewed the pilot and an additional episode," said Focus on the Family's Bob Waliszewski, in a January 5 press release, "I find NBC's new television show, The Book of Daniel, extremely repulsive in its portrayal of Jesus Christ and intentionally offensive in its flippant flip·pant adj. 1. Marked by disrespectful levity or casualness; pert. 2. Archaic Talkative; voluble. [Probably from flip. attitude toward behaviors almost universally agreed upon as unhealthy to society, morally bankrupt, and, dare I say it, sinful. Adultery. Teen sex. Involvement in a menage a trois ménage à trois n. A relationship in which three people, such as a married couple and a lover, live together and have sexual relations. [French : ménage, household + à, for to spice up a marriage. Homosexuality. A pastor who expects, and supports, premarital intercourse. Drug use as a sexual boost. And the list goes on and on." But what Mr. Waliszewski found "most egregious" about the program "is its portrayal of Jesus." "On Daniel," he noted, "the Individual believed to be the Savior of the world by nearly a billion people around the globe is cast as a wimpy, white-robed visitor who cares little about evil, addictions and perversity per·ver·si·ty n. pl. per·ver·si·ties 1. The quality or state of being perverse. 2. An instance of being perverse. Noun 1. . This Christ glosses over a teenager's sexual romps with a, 'He's a kid, let him be a kid.'" "I doubt NBC would consider portraying a Muslim cleric or Buddhist monk in the same light," noted Waliszewski. "And rightly so. Why? Because to do so would he mean-spirited and insensitive. But for some reason, portraying Jesus as a namby-pamby frat-boy-guru is fine." According to the American Family Association, The Book of Daniel featured "Daniel Webster (the series' namesake, played by actor Aidan Quinn) as a drug-addicted Episcopal priest, his alcoholic wife, a very unconventional white-robed, bearded Jesus, a 23-year-old homosexual Republican son, a 16-year-old drug dealing daughter and a 16-year-old adopted son who is having sex with the bishop's daughter. In the premiere episode, Daniel's brother-in-law Charlie ran off with Jesse, his secretary. Later viewers found out that Jesse was also having a lesbian affair with Charlie's wife." Nevertheless, NBC had the audacity to insist that The Book of Daniel provides "a positive portrayal of Christ and Christians." Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented on NBC's portrayal: "The father dabbles in drugs, the wife is a boozer, the daughter is a dope dealer, one son is a homosexual, the other son is a womanizer wom·an·ize v. woman·ized, woman·iz·ing, woman·iz·es v.intr. To pursue women lecherously. v.tr. To give female characteristics to; feminize. , the sister-in-law is a bisexual, the brother-in-law is a thief, and the father's father is an adulterer a·dul·ter·er n. One who commits adultery. adulterer or fem adulteress Noun a person who has committed adultery Noun 1. . Just your ordinary Christian family--in the eyes of Hollywood, that is." Of course, the mainstream media absolutely loved Daniel. Salt Lake City's Deseret Morning News The Deseret Morning News is a newspaper published in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is Utah's oldest continually published daily newspaper. It has the second largest daily circulation in the state behind The Salt Lake Tribune. called it "the best thing to hit TV this season." The Chicago Sun-Times described it as "well-written and well-cast." People said it was "more entertaining than offensive." Entertainment Weekly said it was "refreshingly intelligent." According to USA Today it was "wildly entertaining and superbly cast." Donald E. Wildmon, chairman of the American Family Association, hailed NBC's decision to pull the program as a demonstration of the power of the pocketbook and concerted action by Christians. "NBC didn't want to eat their economic losses," noted Wildmon in a January 24 press release. "Had NBC not had to eat millions of dollars each time it aired, NBC would have kept 'Daniel' alive. But when the sponsors dropped the program, NBC decided it didn't want to continue the fight. This shows the average American that he doesn't have to simply sit back and take the trash being offered on TV, but he can get involved and fight back with his pocketbook." |
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