The video Unlocking the Mysteries of Life has been discussed at great lengths here on TOL, now there is a story coming from WND that some PBS stations are refusing to air it.
PBS station cancels intelligent-design film
- Thread starter Nathon Detroit
- Start date
Well the interesting thing about.... "Unlocking the Mysteries of Life" is it is not from a Christian point of view. It's religiously neutral.
It simply makes a strong against standard evolutionary theory.
Sozo
New member
In the last month PBS ran a program called "Muslims" on PBS's show Frontline
The world's fastest growing religion, Muslims face distrust by outsiders, a situation exacerbated by the events of September 11. Frontline takes you into their veiled world, exploring Islam's religious, historical, and cultural roots in a report filmed in Egypt, Malaysia, Iran, Turkey, Nigeria, and the United States.
They also have a weekly program called Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly
PBS airs programs about different religious organizations on a regular basis.
Nope.
No mention whatsoever.
LOL
Yea that's for sure.
I guess they are finally catching on that the show is pretty powerful because it was aired dozens of times on other PBS stations when it was first released.
Sozo
New member
In response, I sent this letter to PBS...
Apparently your Marketing Manager (Joan Rebecchi) on PBS affiliate KNME is a bit confused about programming. In response to PBS's decision to not run a program (Unlocking the Mystery of Life), because she says it presents a Religious point of view (Which is entirely untrue) has spoken for PBS in this manner...
Rebecchi: "Our underwriting guidelines don't allow us to air programs that have a specific religious point of view," adding that PBS has to be "kind of biased" against programming with any religious connections."
I find this very disturbing, when in fact a great deal of the "Public" has "religious connections".
Apparently your Marketing Manager (Joan Rebecchi) on PBS affiliate KNME is a bit confused about programming. In response to PBS's decision to not run a program (Unlocking the Mystery of Life), because she says it presents a Religious point of view (Which is entirely untrue) has spoken for PBS in this manner...
Rebecchi: "Our underwriting guidelines don't allow us to air programs that have a specific religious point of view," adding that PBS has to be "kind of biased" against programming with any religious connections."
I find this very disturbing, when in fact a great deal of the "Public" has "religious connections".
C
cattyfan
Guest
she didn't say anything about scientific content to a program. she only admitted to being biased against religious points of view.
The programming on PBS narrows the filed, making it clear they are only against Christian points of view.
As for your allegation, PureX, that it's somehow a "dishonest pretense" that makes the show unappealing for her...1.) that's not the reason she gave and 2.) just because a scientific point of view isn't completely devoid of God doesn't make it invalid. Not every scientist is willing to divorce themselves from the idea that something other than happy chance created the complex universe.
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cattyfan
Guest
her contention that PBS avoids religion is negated by the PBS website.
I don't know what she's watching, but they certainly don't appear to be avoiding the inclusion of religion on PBS.
I don't know what she's watching, but they certainly don't appear to be avoiding the inclusion of religion on PBS.
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cattyfan
Guest
I also sent a note to the station:
aharvey
New member
I don't know the program, but I do know ID. Are you saying that ID is religiously neutral? If so, by this are you referring to "organized, codified religion"? That is, if an idea says "there is a God," but does not say specifically that that God is the Judeo-Christian God, is that idea religiously neutral?
Hmm. Is it a program about intelligent design? Or a program about the supposed defects of, er, "standard evolutionary theory"? Or do you perhaps define intelligent design strictly in terms of the defects of evolutionary theory?
PureX
Well-known member
Sure it is.
Programs ABOUT a religious point of view are not the same as a program expressing or promoting a religious point of view. PBS is not allowed to air programs that promote any religious point of view because that's basically prostletizing with public money, which they are not allowed to do.
The difference between the Frontline program about Islam is that it was ABOUT Islam, it was not promoting Islam. Obviously, the program in question is promoting a religious point of view on the origins and mysteries of life and PBS therefor can't show it.
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cattyfan
Guest
FYI, I received the following response to the e-mail I sent:
TAG are the initials of the gentleman to whom I sent my note, Ted Garcia. He is the General Manager and CEO of the Albuquerque station.
TAG are the initials of the gentleman to whom I sent my note, Ted Garcia. He is the General Manager and CEO of the Albuquerque station.
PureX
Well-known member
I haven't seen the program, so I don't know. What I do know is that the scientific community has overwhelmingly rejected creationism and the "intelligent design" theory as invalid. I also know that the only people pushing these beliefs and theories are literalist Christians. So it stands to reason that this program is yet another disengenuous attempt by these literalist Christians to mask their religious beliefs as valid science when they are not.
PBS can and will air programs that are about this debate. I have seen such programs on PBS myself. But they will not air programs that promote only the religious view, or attempt to discredit the scientific view. That would be prostletizing and they aren't allowed to do that.