Shocking or just pathetic...?

Two things have really caught my attention recently - one is this, a debate which has been sparked off by the Alpha Course cinema advert which has just been launched, and the Christian Advertising Network's Christmas campaign (which I rather like, I have to admit). In turn, reading about this led me back (somehow) led me back to this - and the whole debate on the BBC's screening of Jerry Springer The Opera.

I hated the debate that rose out of the showing of it. I could see where many Christians were coming from, and that there is a certain amount of double-standards in the way that Christianity was treated in relation to other religions (ie. Christianity is seen rather more as "fair game" than other religions) but I don't see how that could be on the same level as some of the arguments that went on.

There's a commonly-held view that the church as a whole (let's forget about denominations and the rest of it for my rather vague purposes) is out of date, and desperately trying to convince the outside world that they are wrong, and what happens inside the church is what is right. Perhaps this isn't so unfair a statement than it first appears - and to my mind, the reaction of some Christians to the show demonstrated this to be true.

OK, so it can be offensive to sensitive people. I won't argue with that. But it is a show designed to shock. Stewart Lee (the writer) has had a good record on religious humour that is genuinely funny and incisive, not just the kind of joke that your minister begins his or her sermon with on a Sunday morning or needlessly shocking like some comics do these days - there's a point to what he says, and he questions sensibly as well as using flights of fancy.

There is always a risk when you get to religious humour - there's a very fine line to walk which usually means you either sacrifice a few people's sensitivity or any genuine humour. It's either going to be funny or shocking, and Jerry Springer - The Opera does both of these, and does them well. It is always the shows, comedians and the like which tread this line who become legendary - Bill Hicks, Peter Cook, Monty Python etc. They don't just influence comedy, they influence culture and the society's climate we live in. There's nothing wrong with challenging either the establishment or the beliefs of others, but challenging is different from insulting or discriminating against.

I hold the belief that religion is as much fair game for comedy as anything else in life. Whether I am right or wrong, I'll live the best life I can and leave the judging to the Big G. I'm also not particularly sensitive when it comes to comedy - not a great deal shocks me, and I really enjoyed JSTO, but I can distinguish between fiction and reality quite easily these days. I'm not sure why people have such a problem with having a sense of humour. I understand that not being able to not take everything totally seriously all the time is a) not healthy and b) going to drive you mad.

This, I believe, is as true for religion as anything else. If we think about it, a lot of what we do in churches is tradition - and some of it can look ridiculous (especially to "outsiders"). I read the Bible several times a week, and I take what I can from what I am reading, but I don't think laughing at the Bible is a crime for which people should be ex-communicated and burnt in the fires of hell. After all, being able to laugh at ourselves is something the British are supposed to be able to do rather well, and its pretty healthy for you I think. If a belief in God is part of who you are, then why shouldn't you laugh at that part of you as much as anyone else?
People who take the Bible utterly seriously and live by the exact word rather than the spirit is the kind of person who develops into a really picky referee. And yes, the clue to what type of person they are lies in the word fundamentalist. Mentalists.

Kapeesh?!