CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Comedian Drew Carey shows up on MySpace with a blog, and a post from May 11, 2006 reads like a slam at the Christian faith. You can find the post under the headline, "Schadenfraud."
It implies that adherents are delusional or deranged for celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, whom Christians believe founded their religion about 2000 years ago. The Daily Bellwether read the blog post last night after discovering it on what the author portrays as the "lamest celebrity MySpace page ever."
If Carey actually wrote the piece -- which is a defense of actor Tom Cruise and a swipe at the celebrity tabs -- he might run into a Cruise-like wave of criticism himself over these words:
"Tom Cruise would've been better off, I suppose, if instead of Scientology he talked about how he believes that God is an old man with a white beard who lives in the clouds and when you die you go to the pearly gate and get a harp. I think Scientologists are silly for believing that there's some super-race of aliens that are infesting our bodies, but it's no more insane that believing that Jesus was born on December 25th and wanted us to celebrate his birthday by putting up a pine tree. Yet most Americans believe the latter without the Entertainment Weekly rolling their eyes about it."
Hmmm . . . Scientology "is no more insane" than celebrating Christmas Day? Strong eggnog, indeed.
Carey is taking over as host of the CBS network's long-running daytime show, The Price Is Right. The Clevelander hired to replace Bob Barker is not known as a controversial fellow, and the word "genial" has been used to describe Carey's temperament. But the MySpace blog post -- if it is indeed written by Carey -- seems to show a sharper side of Drew.
The comment could prove to be an embarrassment, especially if Christian groups latch on and demand that Carey apologize, or take back his words -- provided, of course, he actually is responsible for a slur on Christmas.
Drew Carey as the Grinch? Wasn't that Jim Carrey (who, by the way is working on a couple of films, including Charles Dickens' Yuletime classic about Mr. Scrooge, A Christmas Carol)
I totally missed the "slur on Christmas". What Drew is doing is pointing out the hypocrisy in calling Tom Cruise wacko for his beliefs while making it mainstream to believe that the earth was created 3,000 years ago among other things.
ReplyDeleteThe use of evergreen in December originated with pagans in celebration of winter solstice, but tell that to any current Christian and they are liable to look at you like you yourself are the super race of aliens.
What we think is or isn't insane is pretty relative. I wouldn't call all Christians insane, but this current lot of evangelicals do appear to be largely if not predominantly so based on their political actions.
The takeaway is not to be so judgemental. People are not all the same and don't always have the same beliefs as you do. It doesn't have to descend to ridicule or outright opposition. Tolerance. That's the stuff. As Mitt Romney would say: "Lighten Up!".
[ht to Tom Blumer for the capitulating phraseology. That really is some good stuff!]
Hi Eric --
ReplyDeleteThe issue for me: Why mock any religion? Or, for that matter, the lack of any religion. I would not mock Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Mormons, Buddhists, Hindus etc. There are elements in any religion who perhaps are zealots to an extreme, or cultists. And I may personally be repulsed by their actions. Jihadist suicide bombers come to mind. But, for example, I won't say all members of a particular faith are insane, or are insensible.