Two Stations Won't Air 'Book of Daniel'

By RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion Writer

Thu Jan 5, 4:51 PM ET

NEW YORK - Two television stations are refusing to broadcast a new NBC series about an Episcopal priest who abuses painkillers, has a gay son, a promiscuous straight son, a daughter who deals marijuana, and a wife who drinks too much.

Conservative Christian groups have condemned the depiction of Jesus as blasphemous, accusing the writers of portraying Christ as tolerant of sin in talks with the priest.

NBC affiliates KARK in Little Rock, Ark., and WTWO in Terre Haute, Ind., said sensitivity to viewers led them not to air "The Book of Daniel," which debuts Friday. In Little Rock, the WB affiliate has arranged to show the drama instead.

"If my action causes people in our community to pay more attention to what they watch on television, I have accomplished my mission," Duane Lammers, WTWO's general manager, said in a statement on his station's Web site.

The series stars Aidan Quinn as the Rev. Daniel Webster, who discusses his many troubles in regular chats with a robe-wearing, bearded Jesus. The American Family Association, in Tupelo, Miss., and Focus on the Family, the Colorado Springs group led by James Dobson, are asking supporters to lobby their local NBC affiliate to drop the show.

In a statement Thursday, NBC said, "We're confident that once audiences view this quality drama themselves, they'll appreciate this thought-provoking examination of one American family."

But the American Family Association said the series was another sign of NBC's "anti-Christian bigotry." Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, an anti-defamation group, called the series the "work of an embittered ex-Catholic homosexual."

The show's creator and executive producer, Jack Kenny, said he drew on the emotionally guarded family of his male partner for the series. He said his goal was to depict how "humor and grace" help a flawed man struggle with his faith and family. He said the writers never meant to mock religion or Jesus.

However, Bob Waliszewski, of Focus on the Family's teen ministries, said the show portrayed Christ as a "namby-pamby frat boy who basically winks at every sin and perversity under the sun."

"When the pastor's teen son is sexually active and having many romps with his 15-year-old girlfriend, this Jesus says, `A kid has to be a kid,'" Waliszewski said. "I don't think NBC would have portrayed a Muslim cleric or a Buddhist monk, the Dalai Lama, in a show this way. Why? Because they know to do so would be mean-spirited and insensitive."

James Naughton, a spokesman for the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C., said a California Episcopal church is advising the series.

Naughton has read scripts for eight episodes and acknowledged that viewers could take away a troubling message about people of faith, instead of a positive one about overcoming temptation. Still, he said it was "a tremendous opportunity for evangelism for Episcopalians." The Washington Diocese has started a blog to comment on the show and invite discussion.

"To me, this is good for us no matter how it comes out because if people are talking about what Episcopalians are like, it creates tremendous opportunities for us to say, `Here's what we actually are like,'" Naughton said.

___

On the Net:

American Family Association: http://www.afa.net/

Episcopal Diocese of Washington blog: http://blog.edow.org/weblog/

Yahoo! News/AP-January 5, 2006

this is silly... I think everytime religion is at the forefront of a show, people will complain. I remember a lot of people picketing "Joan Of Arcadia" when that premiered too.

I don't think this show is that bad... I mean, it's a little more realistic than 7th Heaven, a show that is too goody-goody for its own liking. Wow, so a teenage boy is promiscuous? isn't that the case usually? As opposed to how 7th Heaven promoted a "very special episode" over the fact the one blonde boy, who is in college, was having sex... WOW!! Yet on the same channel is One Tree Hill, a show where pretty much every character has slept with each other and they're still in high school

Reprinted from NewsMax.com
Friday, Jan. 6, 2006 2:27 p.m. EST

Three More NBC Affiliates Nix 'Daniel'


Three Kansas NBC affiliates have announced they will not be carrying NBC’s "The Book of Daniel.” KSNG in Garden City, KSNC in Great Bend and KSNK in Oberlin have responded to community concern and will not air the program.

They join KNSW-TV in Wichita, Kan., KARK-TV in Little Rock, Ark. and WTWO in Terre Haute, Ind., in refusing to carry NBC’s new series.
American Family Association (AFA) says that NBC has received more than 600,000 emails protesting the program.

After viewing the first episode at WBIR in Knoxville, several religious leaders gave their views on the program. Brian Kearns, minister at Lighthouse Christian Church, said, "I think it’s very demeaning to Christianity. It’s an assault on the Christian faith.”

Rev. Tom Seay of the Bearden United Methodist Church, described it as "just a pretty sorry piece of work.” Dale Powers of the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville said "You’re portraying something as normal that is just absurd.” And Rev. John Stuart said, "What the show has done is demean my faith. You’ve diminished the person I worship ... you’ve wounded me.”

Donald E. Wildmon, chairman of AFA, said NBC is running the program despite the loss of millions of dollars in advertising revenue. "Advertisers are shying away from the program,” Wildmon stated. "But NBC’s hostility to Christians and Christianity runs deep.”

The program’s main characters include Daniel Webster, a drug-addicted Episcopal priest; his alcoholic wife; his son, a 23-year-old homosexual Republican; his daughter, a 16-year-old drug dealer; a 16-year-old adopted son who is having sex with the bishop's daughter; his lesbian secretary who is sleeping with his sister-in-law; and a very unconventional white-robed, bearded Jesus who reassures the priest that his drug-dealing daughter and promiscuous son are good kids.

According to media reports, it is written by Jack Kenny, a practicing homosexual, who describes himself as being "in Catholic recovery,” interested in Buddhist teachings about reincarnation, and not sure exactly how he defines God and/or Jesus. "I don't necessarily know that all the myth surrounding him (Jesus) is true,” he said.

this is silly... I think everytime religion is at the forefront of a show, people will complain. I remember a lot of people picketing "Joan Of Arcadia" when that premiered too.

I don't think this show is that bad... I mean, it's a little more realistic than 7th Heaven, a show that is too goody-goody for its own liking. Wow, so a teenage boy is promiscuous? isn't that the case usually? As opposed to how 7th Heaven promoted a "very special episode" over the fact the one blonde boy, who is in college, was having sex... WOW!! Yet on the same channel is One Tree Hill, a show where pretty much every character has slept with each other and they're still in high school

lol, Im checking it out because it looks like it could be really good and because its from Jack Kenny who was co-creater on titus...

I'm absolutely outraged, and disgusted by this piece of crap show, and have been since I first heard about it. What's really silly, is the way NBC takes a total disregard for the probably millions of Christians who have supported them over the years, and repays them with this kind of blasphemous filled garbage!!! How dare you take something Iv'e held dear to my heart, and to my daily life for the past 7 years, and make an absolute mockery of it!!! Iv'e already emailed NBC, blocked them out from my channel lineup, and called the local affiliate complaining about this garbage. People can go right ahead and call me an extremist all they want, but my efforts, and the efforts of many others are proving to make a difference, as many local affiliates have already bailed out from airing it. And I say good for them.You have the right to your freedom of speech, and your freedom of expression, and to that I say cool. And in response to your right, I'm using mine, as I express that I refuse to watch or support anything to do with NBC.

I know a bunch of people will probably respond to this by dogging me, and calling me names, and saying I'm what's wrong with Christianity and all kinds of garbage, but you know what??? I really couldn't care less. I'm not even going to read those words, because you can make a mockery of anything you want to about me, but when you make a mockery of something I would die for, something I hold absolutely dear to my heart, like the most precious piece of gold, you're crossing the line!!!!!!!!! End of discussion!!!

ok, I've watched it for an hour and change... I don't get the outrage.

Wow, a dysfunctional family. That's the way life is. Being a priest doesn't mean your son is suddenly going to remain celebate until marriage, being a priest doesn't mean your kids are automatically going to be heterosexual. Being a priest doesn't mean your daughter is never going to try narcotic substances. Take the priest out of the setting and what you have is Six Feet Under (promiscuous son, gay son, druggie daughter)!!! Where was the boycotts over that show?

I actually like this, it's a lot better written and entertaining than the preachy piece of garbage called 7th Heaven, a show that is too goody-goody and fake and no family is really like that.

If anything, WB gets on my nerves with the way they promote "Simon loses his virginity at the age of 20 and in college" on 7th Heaven as a "very special episode" when the same network airs One Tree Hill, where the characters are still in high school and sexually active and not an eye is batted.

lol, one of my friends also watching this said the exact same thing... this show is Six Feet Under with more religious overtones to it. If you weren't offended by SFU, why be offended over this? This family is almost identical to the Fisher's


on a totally other note... am I the only person who thinks Christian Campbell is way too old to be playing a teenager? he is 33 years old for crying out loud, he's the OLDER brother of actress Neve Campbell and was the star of the late 90's film "Trick". It's nice seeing him on television but he cannot play teenagers anymore when even seven years ago he was playing an adult in movies.

I watched and don't see what the fuss is about. How exactly was God portrayed in a bad light? and as far as content, I can name a handful of shows that are worse with the combination of sex, language, drugs, and violence.

:rolleyes:

Oh and I liked it... I'll be back next week.

lol, one of my friends also watching this said the exact same thing... this show is Six Feet Under with more religious overtones to it. If you weren't offended by SFU, why be offended over this? This family is almost identical to the Fisher's

Six Feet Under was on HBO. You have to pay to watch it.

I watched and don't see what the fuss is about. How exactly was God portrayed in a bad light? and as far as content, I can name a handful of shows that are worse with the combination of sex, language, drugs, and violence.

:rolleyes:

Oh and I liked it... I'll be back next week.

very true. I would argue that it's one of the less offensive shows on television. People are just so used to shows with a Christian message as being so overtly goody-goody and heavy handed like 7th Heaven or Touched By An Angel. I think the message of Book of Daniel is a very powerful and religious one... it's just one that a lot of fundamentalists are afraid of because they can't handle the fact that "dysfunctional families" are actually realistic and that these are all characters with faults and tempers. As opposed to 7th Heaven where everything is shiny and rosey and the worst thing any character on the show has ever done was have sex at the age of 20 outside of marriage, give me a break.

I think if people spent less time on the pulpit complaining and more time watching the show, they'd see that there's nothing that bad about it. I also thought Jesus was portrayed in a good light, I didn't see the "stoner Jesus" that people were complaining about. The Jesus on the show was a guide and helping hand to Daniel and someone who could be his friend... Isn't Jesus supposed to be your friend?

Complain to NBC about Fear Factor, if there's an objectionable show on that network, it's that piece of shock value garbage IMO.

I have a feeling if this show catches on, in a couple years people will look back on the pandemonium over it and laugh, much like how it's hard to believe the controversy and complaints and station bannings over NYPD Blue when it first came on in 1993.

I'm absolutely outraged, and disgusted by this piece of crap show, and have been since I first heard about it. What's really silly, is the way NBC takes a total disregard for the probably millions of Christians who have supported them over the years, and repays them with this kind of blasphemous filled garbage!!! How dare you take something Iv'e held dear to my heart, and to my daily life for the past 7 years, and make an absolute mockery of it!!! Iv'e already emailed NBC, blocked them out from my channel lineup, and called the local affiliate complaining about this garbage. People can go right ahead and call me an extremist all they want, but my efforts, and the efforts of many others are proving to make a difference, as many local affiliates have already bailed out from airing it. And I say good for them.You have the right to your freedom of speech, and your freedom of expression, and to that I say cool. And in response to your right, I'm using mine, as I express that I refuse to watch or support anything to do with NBC.

I know a bunch of people will probably respond to this by dogging me, and calling me names, and saying I'm what's wrong with Christianity and all kinds of garbage, but you know what??? I really couldn't care less. I'm not even going to read those words, because you can make a mockery of anything you want to about me, but when you make a mockery of something I would die for, something I hold absolutely dear to my heart, like the most precious piece of gold, you're crossing the line!!!!!!!!! End of discussion!!!


Just to let you in on a little secret it is nothing like the commercials and I am cathlic and it ain't offending me...lol. And Im not just pointing you out but everyone who feels like you take Jack Kenny's (The Shows Creator) Words, "How can you protest a show for being outrageous when all that you have seen is a 30 second Promo?"

The promos were what got me hooked(I thought it was like Revelations), I had not planned on watching it before I saw them, and they made it seem worse than it really was. I'm expecting pretty big ratings(for a Friday) due to the controversy. Americans love this stuff...

one thing I noticed through various message boards is that most people who actually watched the show were not offended at all... just people who heard the idea and dismissed it.

Same thing happened with Joan Of Arcadia when it premiered a few years back, a lot of people were so put off by the idea of God taking different peoples forms that they picketed it... and then when they got off their high horse and watched it, didn't find anything to complain about. Aidan Quinn is a good, yet underrated actor, he gives a good performance on this show. Ellen Burstyn is also great as his mother.

one thing I noticed through various message boards is that most people who actually watched the show were not offended at all... just people who heard the idea and dismissed it.

Same thing happened with Joan Of Arcadia when it premiered a few years back, a lot of people were so put off by the idea of God taking different peoples forms that they picketed it... and then when they got off their high horse and watched it, didn't find anything to complain about. Aidan Quinn is a good, yet underrated actor, he gives a good performance on this show. Ellen Burstyn is also great as his mother.

I believe Ellen Burstyn's Character is Dan's Father's Mistress because In the second episode His father was talking about his relationship to ellen's character and how dan's mother doesn't even remember him anymore... The Adopted Kid was pretty funny, I think This could put up good competition for Numbers to bad the first season is only 8 eps...

I saw a little bit to it, i don't like it that much, i think kinda boring.

Oh geez. This show had wooden writing and wooden acting. What was up with calling Japanese graphic novels (manga) "animation"?

All the "shocking" stuff has already been done on stuff like South Park and Family Guy.

Worst show of the midseason so far, just because it was so sloppily done.

Well... it did so so in the ratings, not good, not really bad. I expected better(at least for the first hour) and it lost to 20/20!! :eek:

CBS held the lead at 9 p.m. with "Close to Home," 7.5/12. The debut of "The Book of Daniel" tied for second with ABC's "In Justice," with both shows averaging 5.9/9 (the numbers for "In Justice" constitute a big improvement for ABC in the timeslot). FOX moved up to fourth with "Trading Spouses," 3.4/6. "Smackdown!" was fifth for UPN, beating a second hour of "Beauty and the Geek" on The WB.

At 10 p.m., "Numb3rs" scored the night's best rating, earning an 8.7/15 for CBS. ABC's "20/20" was second at 6.3/11, and a second hour of "The Book of Daniel" averaged 5.7/10 for NBC.

Oh geez. This show had wooden writing and wooden acting. What was up with calling Japanese graphic novels (manga) "animation"?

All the "shocking" stuff has already been done on stuff like South Park and Family Guy.

Worst show of the midseason so far, just because it was so sloppily done.

no offense, I like SP and FG, but what did those shows possibly have in common with Book Of Daniel? IMO, Book Of Daniel is 7th Heaven meets Six Feet Under. I personally am glad to see a show about religion that actually has writing and storylines that go beyond 1969. People assume that if a show is about God, it has to be trite, cheesy and appeal mostly to old goody goody housewives. I know a lot of Christians who enjoyed this show, and these are people who found Highway To Heaven and 7th Heaven to be overtly sappy. A show about Christians that Christians who aren't totally uptight can enjoy, you should be happy such a thing has come along. I am a moderate Christian, I do not agree with any of the fundamentalists but I do believe in Jesus and the sort... I personally am glad something like this came along because I cannot stomach 7th Heaven.

Watch the show before judging it (not to you, but to others), the show is hardly what I would deem sacreligious (but don't forget that some people boycotted Charmed, a freaking fantasy show, because it has witches in it without watching it and seeing that the show was more entertainment than Wicca propaghanda). I think most people would and should be more offended by the content on Fear Factor than this. If you enjoyed Six Feet Under, I don't see why you can't enjoy this, and frankly, some of us LOVED Six Feet Under yet hated 7th Heaven.

Viewer Says We Were Wrong! Book of Daniel Is Worse Than We Reported!

Dear Bradley,

The Book of Daniel was aired by NBC on Friday night. Several NBC affiliates did not carry the program including those in Beaumont, TX; Tupelo, MS; Meridian, MS, Little Rock, AR; and Terre Haute, IN. In addition, NBC lost several million dollars when advertisers pulled out. NBC ended up selling the time for pennies on the dollar. The review below before sums up the emails we received by those who watched the program.

"I watched the Book of Daniel show on NBC tonight just so I could see if it was as bad as you said. Mr. Wildmon you have it wrong - it was worse than you described. The so called pastor takes drugs, smokes, drinks, takes the Lord's name in vain. He supports homosexuality and drug use. He broke the law by giving out prescription drugs to a Bishop. Two Bishops were committing adultery. They mis-quoted the Bible. The program portrayed our Savior in a joking way. There was a corrupt Catholic priest. The maid smokes pot. The Bishop drinks, the pastor's wife is a drunk and her sister is a lesbian and the son is a homosexual. One son sleeps around. I found this program very offensive to my Christian beliefs. They were poking fun at our Savior."WBIR in Knoxville invited ministers in to see the program. Here are some of their comments. Rev. Brian Kearns, minister of Lighthouse Christian Church: "I think it's very demeaning to Christianity. If this is their view of Christianity, it's going to be as a joke. It's an assault on the Christian faith." Rev. Tom Seay, pastor Bearden United Methodist Church: "It's just a pretty sorry piece of work." Dale Powers from the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville: "You're portraying something as normal that is just absurd." Rev. John Stuart (no church identified): "Christ is at the center of my worship. What the show has done is demean my faith. You've diminished the person I worship...you've wounded me."

These comments are typical of those who watched the first episode. Since the tone and content of the show is now known, call your NBC affiliate and ask them not to carry any more episodes of the program. Very important: Ask your local advertisers to pull their adverting from your NBC affiliate if they continue to air the program.

wanna know what makes me sick, that review. I found that more offensive than the actual show. Reviews like that are exactly the reason why Christians have a bad name and why so many Christians are ashamed of the stigma they have because of a few people who have painted them all out to be goody-goody and biased.

Yea yea, his son is gay, not all Christians wish hellfire for gays and lesbians, deal with it. I think it's great that Daniel has come to terms and accepted his son for who he is instead of trying to change him against his will. His daughter is a drug dealer, questionable but like it or not, kids from these type of surroundings wind up the worst. I didn't think the straight son was all that promiscuous, he is a 16 year old boy, 16 year old boys are into sex, that's life.

Sorry that the show is somewhat realistic instead of being a goody-goody piece of **** like 7th Heaven. Why don't people picket that show? Of course, a lot of "warm loving Christians" are pissed off that Stephen Collins is Jewish and there are many who are pissed that David Gallagher is a registered Democrat (now I am sick and tired of the "if you're a Republican, you're a good Christian, if you're a Democrat, you're a godless heathen", stop linking politics and religion for ****s sake). I think more people who are not so uptight actually would take Book Of Daniel over 7th Heaven any day of the week. 7th Heaven is more appropriate to let kids watch, but if you're an adult, 7th is just too saccarine to take.

please answer me this. Why is there this moral outrage over Book Of Daniel, yet most people agreed that Six Feet Under was quality television? Anybody who doesn't see the blatant similarities between the two shows is blind. Six Feet lasted five seasons without people writing hate-filled messages to HBO about get the show off the air, instead people saw the show as a brilliant ensemble piece linking a bunch of different cultures (as the main cast included white, African-American and Hispanic main characters) and ways of life and saw the show as wonderfully written, thought-provoking and well-acted. Most critics and fans thought the series finale was one of the most powerful to ever air. So frankly, why is Book Of Daniel different?

Yeah, I figured you'd be offended by it. Why not defend drug abuse among religious leaders, taking God's name in vain, mocking Jesus, and every other perversion known to Mankind?? Yeah, I can totally understand why somebody would defend that. Makes alot sense. ohno: The Bible considers behavior far less than that to be blasphemy, I'll tell you that right now. Of course the Bible's not suppose to be taken literally right?? :rolleyes: This world is going to hell in a handbasket. 10 years ago, it was unheard of that this kind of **** would be acceptable to people. Oh well, this is just another example of the rapid decline of Western Civilization. Women marrying dolphins, men humping animals, perverted shows like this being accepted. I'm now convinced that there isn't a single perversion out there that won't be accepted by some people. If this kind of thing can be defended, anything can!!

Much show, little go, for NBC's 'Daniel'

Finishes third in timeslot, despite stink

By Diego Vasquez
Jan 9, 2006


Family groups hate it, four affiliates dropped it, and many critics found it appalling. But all the controversy in the world didn’t deliver big ratings for NBC’s new religious drama “Book of Daniel” Friday night.

The two-hour premiere, which began at 9 p.m., averaged a 2.7 adults 18-49 Nielsen overnight rating, finishing third in its timeslot. Though that improved NBC’s season-to-date 2.3 average in the timeslot by 17 percent, it was nowhere near what you’d expect for a show that has been surrounded by such buzz.

The show averaged 9 million total viewers, also third in its timeslot.

“Daniel” follows an Episcopal priest with a rather unconventional home life. His daughter sells drugs, his son is gay, another son recently died, his lesbian sister is bedding his secretary, and the titular Daniel is popping Vicodan and talking with his imaginary buddy Jesus to cope with all this.

The American Family Association led a campaign asking NBC to dump the show because it disrespects Christianity. NBC refused, but four of its affiliates, all of them in the South, yanked the premiere citing viewer concerns.

The show drew immediate comparisons to ABC’s soapy “Desperate Housewives,” but reviews were not all favorable. Washington Post critic Tom Shales found the program particularly offensive.

“I cannot recall a series in which a greater number of characters seemed so desperately detestable -- a series with a larger population of loathsome dolts,” he writes. “There ought to be a worse punishment than cancellation for a show that tries this hard to be offensive and, even at that crass task, manages to fail.”

Others agreed that “Daniel” was too self-conscious in its quest for controversy.

“All these allusions and derivations make Daniel's parish as hyperactive as Wisteria Lane on ‘Desperate Housewives,’ where plots are so contorted they wring the humanity and familiarity out of the neighborhood,” writes The New York Times’ Ned Martel. “And let's face it: having a spectral confidant is becoming a bore.”

But “Daniel” did get a few good reviews, most notably from Variety.

“Whimsical and busy, ‘Daniel’ is overly ambitious but highly watchable, with an interlocking web of smart-ass, squabbling but ultimately loving characters,” writes Variety’s Brian Lowry. “As for the prospect of viewers flocking to its Friday slot, well, let us pray.”

“Daniel” is a limited-run series with 11 episodes remaining. It will air Fridays at 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, CBS led Friday night with a 3.2 average rating and a 9 share. ABC was second at 2.9/8, NBC third at 2.7/8, Fox fourth at 1.9/6, UPN fifth at 1.8/5, Univision sixth at 1.6/5 and the WB seventh at 0.7/2.

At 8 p.m., CBS led with a 3.2 average for “Ghost Whisperer.” ABC was second that hour with a 2.8 average for its “Dancing with the Stars” results show (3.0) and “Hope & Faith” (2.5) and NBC third with a 2.7 for an hour of “Most Outrageous TV Moments.” UPN was fourth with a 1.7 for the first hour of “WWE Smackdown,” Fox and Univision tied for fifth at 1.6, Fox for “Bernie Mac” (1.8) and “Malcolm in the Middle” (1.5) and Univision for “Contra Viento y Marea,” and WB seventh with a 0.7 for a repeat of “Beauty and the Geek.”

CBS retained its lead during the 9 p.m. hour, averaging a 2.9 for “Close to Home.” ABC was a close second that hour with a 2.8 average for “In Justice,” with NBC third with a 2.6 for the first hour of “Daniel” and Fox fourth with a 2.2 for “Trading Spouses.” UPN and Univision tied for fifth that hour at 1.9, UPN for “Smackdown” and Univision for “Alborada,” while the WB was seventh with a 0.8 for another hour of “Beauty and the Geek.”

At 10 p.m. CBS led again, this time with a 3.6 for “Numb3rs.” ABC was second that hour with a 2.8 for “20/20,” NBC third with a 2.8 for the second half of “Daniel” and Univision fourth with a 1.2 for “Asi es Gilberty Gless.”

Among households, CBS led the night with a 7.9 average rating and a 13 share, followed by ABC at 6.5/11, NBC at 5.6/9, UPN at 3.1/5, Fox at 2.9/5, Univision at 1.9/3 and WB at 1.3/2.


I don't think the show will be on to much longer anyway. One of the L&O shows will probably be back in the timeslot before to long.

please answer me this. Why is there this moral outrage over Book Of Daniel, yet most people agreed that Six Feet Under was quality television? Anybody who doesn't see the blatant similarities between the two shows is blind. Six Feet lasted five seasons without people writing hate-filled messages to HBO about get the show off the air, instead people saw the show as a brilliant ensemble piece linking a bunch of different cultures (as the main cast included white, African-American and Hispanic main characters) and ways of life and saw the show as wonderfully written, thought-provoking and well-acted. Most critics and fans thought the series finale was one of the most powerful to ever air. So frankly, why is Book Of Daniel different?

Well, I can't speak for other people, but I don't watch Six Feet Under, so I can't answer that for you. I saw a few episodes, and didn't much care for it. My guess as to why not as many people were outraged by it, is that it airs on premium cable tv, and not nearly as many people have access to it. Things tend to stir up more controversy when they air on network television.

I'm sorry Hung Up if I came across as nasty, or hostile. It's not directed at you, it's just directed at the whole damn thing. I take my Faith very very seriously, and nothing brings more passion out of me then it does. I sincerely apologize for the way I came off though, it's truly not directed at you. You have the right to your opinion, and I'll just leave things at that.

wanna know what makes me sick, that review. I found that more offensive than the actual show. Reviews like that are exactly the reason why Christians have a bad name and why so many Christians are ashamed of the stigma they have because of a few people who have painted them all out to be goody-goody and biased.

Yea yea, his son is gay, not all Christians wish hellfire for gays and lesbians, deal with it. I think it's great that Daniel has come to terms and accepted his son for who he is instead of trying to change him against his will. His daughter is a drug dealer, questionable but like it or not, kids from these type of surroundings wind up the worst. I didn't think the straight son was all that promiscuous, he is a 16 year old boy, 16 year old boys are into sex, that's life.

Sorry that the show is somewhat realistic instead of being a goody-goody piece of **** like 7th Heaven. Why don't people picket that show? Of course, a lot of "warm loving Christians" are pissed off that Stephen Collins is Jewish and there are many who are pissed that David Gallagher is a registered Democrat (now I am sick and tired of the "if you're a Republican, you're a good Christian, if you're a Democrat, you're a godless heathen", stop linking politics and religion for ****s sake). I think more people who are not so uptight actually would take Book Of Daniel over 7th Heaven any day of the week. 7th Heaven is more appropriate to let kids watch, but if you're an adult, 7th is just too saccarine to take.


I agree with you completely my family is half religious my dads side isn't very religious and my moms side is very much into Cathlic/Christian beliefs. So That makes me half Christian (i guess) but I think theres nothing wrong with gays or lesbians, I have friends that smoke pot, half the people in my high school have sex, both my parents drink (since when is it a sin to drink?). so Conservative4Life are you saying im not christian for laccepting this stuff and are you saying if I am a christian I cant accept that stuff. Thats Bullsh*t.

Also that review is total crap. I watched the full 2 hours and he never used gods name in vain, and they didn't make fun of jesus, jesus was a role model and was a helping hand to daniel. so whatever...

[QUOTE=troopoleon8897]
Also that review is total crap. I watched the full 2 hours and he never used gods name in vainQUOTE]
Actually, he did. He used the word G**dam, even if he tried to qualify the use of it.

[QUOTE=troopoleon8897]
Also that review is total crap. I watched the full 2 hours and he never used gods name in vainQUOTE]
Actually, he did. He used the word G**dam, even if he tried to qualify the use of it.

actually, I chuckled at that. "I know I shouldn't say that word, but in this case, I mean it, I really want God to damn him"

This family is almost identical to the Fisher's


Just curious, how do you see the similarities between them and the Fisher's? The only one I see is they have a gay son. Are there other similarities that I'm missing :confused:

Anyways...I loved the show and I hope it gets more of an audience. I don't see how they gave Jesus a bad name, I think they just gave him more of a soul than people like to preach about. Personally, I would think Jesus would want to be more approachable. But that's just me.

Just curious, how do you see the similarities between them and the Fisher's? The only one I see is they have a gay son. Are there other similarities that I'm missing :confused:

Anyways...I loved the show and I hope it gets more of an audience. I don't see how they gave Jesus a bad name, I think they just gave him more of a soul than people like to preach about. Personally, I would think Jesus would want to be more approachable. But that's just me.

very dysfunctional family. The daughter has a lot of talent but her drug problems hurts her, Daniel gets visits from Jesus, much similar to how all the characters from SFU got visits from dead people... there's no "proof" on the show that Jesus on the show is the real Jesus or just a Jesus in Daniel's mind (much like the people who spoke to the Fisher's were actually their subconsciousness as opposed to the real ghosts visiting them). Plus, like the Fisher's had rival funeral houses, Daniel has rival ministers.

I think if anything, Book Of Daniel pisses people off because it's too real. It did not hold back at showing the hypocrisy some "loving Christians" have. All we have to do is look at the family of the girlfriend of the straight son, who are also a rival minister and his family... the reason they don't want them having sex is not because they're against premarital sex, but because they don't want Asian grandchildren, which IMO speaks volumes.

IMO, this show is far less "offensive" than the movie Saved, even tho I didn't find Saved offensive. Just about everyone I know who saw Saved thought the movie did a perfect job of putting fundamentalist Christians in their place.

very dysfunctional family. The daughter has a lot of talent but her drug problems hurts her, Daniel gets visits from Jesus, much similar to how all the characters from SFU got visits from dead people... there's no "proof" on the show that Jesus on the show is the real Jesus or just a Jesus in Daniel's mind (much like the people who spoke to the Fisher's were actually their subconsciousness as opposed to the real ghosts visiting them). Plus, like the Fisher's had rival funeral houses, Daniel has rival ministers.


Good eye! :eek: I never even put those together, but I see what you mean :lol:

I got this in an email today. Now I can unblock NBC, and put it back on my channel lineup.

Because of your efforts, NBC cancels 'Book of Daniel'

Dear Bradley,

NBC's anti-Christian program The Book of Daniel has been cancelled! Your efforts, combined with those of hundreds of thousands of other AFA Online supporters, had an impact.

NBC's decision to pull The Book of Daniel shows the power of the pocketbook. NBC didn't want to eat their economic losses. Had NBC not had to eat millions of dollars each time it aired, NBC would have kept The Book of Daniel on the air. Because of your efforts, the sponsors dropped the program. NBC then decided it didn't want to continue the fight.

Even an impassioned plea by Daniel's producer Jack Kenny could not match your participation. "Ordinarily, I would never ask anyone to do this, but the AFA and bullies like them are hard at work to try and prevent you from seeing these beautiful shows, and that is censorship—pure and simple. And that is both un-Christian and un-American," Kenny wrote. His attitude is typical in today’s society. Non-Christians telling Christians what is Christian.

People like Kenny don't want people like you to have a voice. They want to deny you the right to get involved. You are supposed to sit back and take the trash. And when you do speak up they call you names.

This shows us that we don't have to simply sit back and take the trash, but we can get involved and fight back with our pocketbooks. I want to thank the 678,394 individuals who sent emails to NBC and the thousands who called and emailed their local affiliates.

Thanks for caring enough to get involved!

Sincerely, Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association

P.S. Please forward this e-mail message to your family and friends!

I got this in an email today. Now I can unblock NBC, and put it back on my channel lineup.

So did I and then I promptly removed my email from their crap mailing list. Look, I'm conservative, I'm Christian(although I do not go to church regularly) and didn't see a problem with a show as far as content went. It was no worse than Desperate Housewives. The AFA needs to just go away... :rolleyes: