profiles in courage

We were at the Second City play a couple of weeks ago. The first part of the play was pretty funny. They made fun of speed cameras, Arizona politics and our “dry heat”. The second part denigrated into the bawdy humor that characterizes our modern sensibilities. They particularly focused on those that believe in traditional Christian values. One skit portrayed an uptight, “frozen chosen” type Christian couple quoting scripture to defend their belief in traditional marriage. They through around passages like Leviticus 18:22 “you shall not lie with a man as you do with a woman”. There were 2 other “couples” that were fun, warm and homosexual to contrast with the unlikable traditionally married couple. They had another skit featuring children competing in a spelling bee. The one child, who was Jewish, was given the word heaven to spell. She asked for it in a sentence and the unseen judge yelled indignantly “you will not go to heaven unless you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior”. Most of the crowd roared during these pointed depictions of narrow minded stupid Christians. I just sat quietly and took the expected shots without seeing red. My actual feelings were that of remorseful grief that the author of the play had such a poor opinion of Christians. Certainly there are “Christians” that are poor representatives of Christ in that they miss the centerpiece of what Jesus taught. He told His followers that “they will know you are my disciples by the love that you have for one another”. I am sorry that portrayal didn’t make it in the play. But, frankly in America Christians are used to being ridiculed to the point where a crucifix submerged in urine is considered “art”. So you would think that in America where those in the arts use our First Amendment freedom to “courageously” press the limits that they are so silent when it comes to ridiculing Islam? Recently South Park did a bit about Islam that was really pretty tame and the creators have been targeted for death on an Islamic web site, even including their addresses. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who wrote the book “Infidel”, has been calling on the American media to explore Islam particularly how the religion treats women and yes poke fun at inconsistencies like they do Christianity and Judaism. She has been targeted for death and believes if the American media and entertainment industry would treat Islam like they treat Christianity that she would not need body guards. There is some great material just waiting for the stage and screen. You could do a skit with Ali holding the hand of a young boy proclaiming what it says in the Quoran "that a man should not love a man as he does a woman". Ali would say "it's ok I don't love him!". Gee, the silence is deafening. Could it be that they only have courage when those that they attack do not fight back? It is quite different ridiculing Islam and getting your head cut off than attacking Christianity where we turn the other cheek.