Catholic League: Penn and Teller Must Go
CBS/Showtime needs to send Penn & Teller a message and let them know that they have crossed the line for the last time.
Print"Today’s ad in Variety (see the text below) is a direct response to the latest hate speech by Penn & Teller against Catholics.
"Both Penn Jillette, and Showtime (owned by CBS), are flagging the attack on the Vatican that is featured in its season finale, August 27.
"Given the history of Penn & Teller’s vicious record of Catholic bashing, we have no reason to doubt that this episode will be particularly vile.
"In the ad, we cited previous examples of their malicious assaults, especially on Mother Teresa.
"CBS management has spoken to the Catholic-bashing duo before, but to no effect. Though we are not calling for CBS/Showtime to cancel the upcoming episode, we are saying that the time has come to pull the plug on their show; their contract should not be renewed.
"Those who agree should contact Matthew Blank, the Chairman and CEO of Showtime.
Contact: Matthew.Blank@Showtime.net
THIS IS THE FINAL STRAW:SHOWTIME SHOULD NOT RENEW PENN & TELLER
On August 27, Showtime, owned by CBS, will feature a vicious assault on Catholics. In the season finale of Penn & Teller’s show, they “take on the secretive inner world of The Vatican, the holy city of Catholicism and home of the Pope.” How do we know it will defame Catholics? Because on the show’s website, it says so: There is a Showtime Advisory for “Graphic Language, Adult Content.”
If Showtime posted that warning about a show on Islam, Muslims would brace for the worst (and so might CBS). But Muslims need not worry: it’s not all religions that Showtime likes to trash — just Catholicism. Indeed, Showtime is currently working on a show, “Revelation,” that promises to be at least somewhat respectful of Protestantism.
What will the upcoming show be like? On his Twitter page, Penn Jillette brags how he rips a Catholic encyclical on sexuality: “I’m dressed as Darth with a condom c--k light saber.” He even boasts that the show is “hardcore,” admitting that “we attack the Vatican.” From trashing The Last Supper to mocking Catholic prayers, anti-Catholic bigots who feed on this kind of stuff will have a stomach full.
This is not the first time Showtime has featured a vile Penn & Teller show. In 2005, Mother Teresa was called “Mother F---ing Teresa,” and her order of nuns were branded “f---ing c--ts.” The year after, Jillette said on his CBS radio show that Mother Teresa “got her [sexual] kicks watching people suffer and die.”
Just recently, Jillette took after me again in his usual foul way. That doesn’t matter, but what matters greatly is his pathological obsession with bashing Catholics and their religion. There is no legitimate place for this kind of frontal assault on any demographic group.
CBS/Showtime needs to send Penn & Teller a message and let them know that they have crossed the line for the last time. This should be their final season. We know that they’ve been told before to drop the Catholic bashing, and yet they persist. By doing so, Penn & Teller have effectively stuck their middle finger right in the eye of CBS.
Contact Showtime Chairman and CEO Matthew Blank: Matthew.Blank@Showtime.net
- - -
Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.
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I realize I may be late on the band wagon here but I feel I need to say something anyway. Ok, wow. Now we're trying to get rid of free speech and also trying to censer people because they believe differently from us? Hate speech? That's a little harsh. One of them doesn't even speak at all! And the fact that I have a huge crush on Teller isn't coloring my views on this at all. Really! Ok, Penn may be a little rough around the edges. I'll give you that. They are a comedy/magician act. The characters they play on T.V. have reasons behind them. Teller doesn't speak because he knows that it makes people pay attention to the magic. Penn talks too much and too loudly because he's the distraction. Now with that said, SOME of the views on some of the shows are not always strictly just Penn's or Just Tellers, or either Penn or Teller's. Why? Because it's a tv show and they have writers. I'm not saying that Penn or even possibly Teller doesn't believe every word you hate to hear come out of their mouths but still... it's TV. I think going after Penn and the lovely and brilliant Teller is just wrong. "God" gave us free will according to the Bible yes? He gave them free will to talk, and you free will not to listen. Penn is a huge promoter of proselytizing. He WANTS you to have that right, yet you try to take his rights as a human being away? I think it's pretty sick... this whole thing. Leave Penn and (especially) Teller alone, people are smarter than you think. Do you think that just because they speak one view that we're all just sheep and will follow in their wake and listen to anything they say just because they're on the T.V.? You know, actually, one of the many of Penn's statements that he's made is in favor of proselytizing are being used in some churches? I personally am a Buddhist. I have my own views, my own feelings and if you know anything about Penn and Teller and listened to anything Penn has said outside of his shows you'd know that he has -respect- for people who speak their beliefs and try to help people to find happiness or for their souls to be saved or whatever. Just because he's a stone cold atheist doesn't bother me one bit. What does bother me is when people try to stop other people who aren't hurting anyone. People who are just great entertainers. Intelligent, kind people who just happen to think differently. I mean, go ahead, state your thoughts and opinions and try to help people if you truly believe their mortal souls are at stake, do all you want on that front but sheesh, don't try to drag other people down. That's all.
Wow, Maz... Time magazine says so, so it MUST absolutely be true, right?... did they tell you also that about 95% of the abusers have homosexual tendencies?... also, professor Philip Jenkins would dare to differ, as he found out that protestant pedophile clergy amount to 2-3%, while catholic pedophile clergy only 0.2-1.7%... and not considering that a great portion of that percentage is really ephebophilia. There's no excuse of course, the fact that there is even just ONE pedophile priest cries to High Heaven.
To Mark: I wish it was as simple as a "don't like it,don't watch it" solution... I certainly don't like Friends, or Everybody Loves Raymond, and I can choose not to watch it... but it's not that simple in this case... this is a case of sending hate messages to people through mass media (be it cable or national television, it's still mass media... hell 90% of the people in my country has cable, and it's not exactly a "developed" country)... adding to that that they do it through defamation and exaggerated use of distorted half-truths (because, unfortunately, there is SOME truth in SOME of the things they say)...
People should understand that freedom of speech is a freedom that should be used responsabily... I don't think that anyone would dare invoke freedom of speech right when someone dares to declare the holocaust as a good thing... probably the jewish anti-defamation league would have that person making public apologies for a month, and people would certainly favor the cause of the ADL... in that sense, freedom of speech is not an absolute right... you can certainly file suits for defamation.
And, to finish with golden medal, they insult the memory of Blessed Mother Theresa in the vilest form, and this is a woman that is admired by billions, even by atheists.
I'm sorry, but freedom of speech is just an excuse, a carte blanche to bash catholicism, but doesn't work when minority groups like homosexuals or black people are the object of the bashing... this is just blatantly hypocritical if you ask me.
To Mike: please, don't underrate us that much... fragile?... well I would say hurt yes... there are many infidels that dwell inside the church, there's no lying in that... but to say that there are "secrets" that if found would result in the Church's death?.. that's just plain ridiculous... I assure you that's not even close to the case!! in fact rest assured that the Church founded by Christ has HIS keys... and HIS promise that the gates of hell would NOT prevail against it... so why do we get so offended? I, for one, am fed up of all the crap people throw at the Church... all I ask for is RESPECT... you can surely have a critic point of view of the Church, but there are ways to express dissenting points of view without resorting to insult and bigotry. I, for one, have nothing to gain, at least when it comes to temporal power, for defending the Church, and nothing to lose for not defending it (the only thing I fear losing is MY SOUL, but that you wouldn't understand)...it is just that we can't just sit around while some people on screen run a hate-speech marathon against something that is deared to me... is like watching people insult my mother (it is, in some way, at least spiritually speaking)... I'm sorry but hate-speech,against race, ethnicity or religion should not be tolerated by anyone, not even by alleging the "sacred" freedom of speech (it seems it is the most fundamental right, even at the expense of honor and human dignity). And for those who say that we don't have the right to get offended, well that's just hypocritical. I guess they won't think the same when the subject is black people or homosexuals (or even jews).
Thanks Catholic League for parenting society.
What would the world do with out religious censorship... well, I suppose we would be a couple centuries more advanced than we are now without religion stopping the progression of science..
But most of all, thank you for making sure we don't watch what you don't want us to watch
Surely it's a simple matter of "if you don't like it, don't watch it"
Not every programme is designed for you
The reason that Penn and Teller 'bashed' the Catholics as opposed to other religions, is because it is proven - as stated in the recent TIME magazine article - that no other religion has such a high rate of reported sexual abuse on minors by priests or other members of the clergy. This is a fact - the Pope is even preparing to make a statement about it. You cannot just dismiss these things as lies if it upsets you.
And FYI - Penn and Teller 'bash' libertarian views too, check out the episodes on the environment, organic food, world peace, gun control, anti-smoking, recycling, green peace, new-age (whom they seem to hate a lot) and being green.
Free speech means having the freedom to say things others may not want to hear - and unfortunately this means things people might find insulting or offensive too.
I'm very glad that Showtime has allowed them to continue with an 8th series, and I don't quite understand what makes Donohue think that just because he doesn't like a show, it must therefore be cancelled immediately.
I just went and found the episode on You Tube, and I think that behind the show-biz bluster, it raised some interesting questions that Catholics could benefit from discussing. You don't have to agree with someone's opinion to gain insight from it, and if your faith is valuable to you, I think you should seek to understand it fully by asking some of those difficult questions.
As a conservative Catholic who also happens to care deeply about the environment and animal rights, I don't think I have ever come across a pair of individuals that are more diametrically opposed to my entire belief system than Penn and Teller. I try to see others perspectives when possible but all that seems to come out of the mouths of these two "entertainers" is hate-filled bigotry that promotes an extreme and dangerous libertarian ideology which advocates that society completely abandons any moral code in favour of "whatever feels good for me, no matter who I hurt". I would be terrified to live in a world run by these two where the only value they hold dear is greed and complete selfishness. Thank you Keith for confronting these truly vile hate mongers.
Atheists will not be suppressed by lies and the bigotry of Catholics, Muslims, or any Man Made religion anymore. We understand the truth and are just as free to express our beliefs as any other group.