THE BBC has been accused of applying the “David Attenborough” effect to Christians.
Religion, according to a submission by the Church of England, is:
Always reported from the point of view of an observer of a fascinating and increasingly rare species, rather than explored as something of fundamental importance to the vast majority of the country.
David Attenborough and the Archbishop of Canterbury. 'Beautiful plumage' exclaimed the wildlife expert
The submission, offered in response to a consultation by the BBC Trust, also says that BBC stereotypes Christians.
The C of E, according to the Christian Institute, is less than happy with the BBC’s Big Questions programme, which airs on a Sunday morning. It is criticised for a format which “makes it difficult to explore subjects in detail” and the fact that:
A significant part of its potential audience is in church during the transmission time.
The Church of England’s senior spokesman on communications, the Bishop of Manchester, prepared the report which also adds the Church would “wait to see” whether a new comedy about a vicar, Handle with Prayer, relied on “stereotypes”.
The Church also criticised the BBC for not showing people “for whom faith is part of their daily lives” often enough in soap operas and other drama programmes.
A BBC spokesman said:
No doubt there will be a range of submissions from different organisations and we look forward to hearing the Trust’s conclusions in due course.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
December 21st, 2009 at 10:39 am
Are the Christian Institute unaware of BBC iPlayer? Or is pressing the red button and navigating through a few menus too difficult for them?
December 21st, 2009 at 12:37 pm
What a bunch of narcissistic whiners. They get called “fascinating” and it’s still not good enough for them. They still want to be considered the biggest deal in town.
They’re going to ego-trip themselves into irrelevancy.
December 21st, 2009 at 12:42 pm
If the bishops don’t stop with these unfounded but annoyingly repetitive claims they will stereotype themselves as a bunch of weirdly dressed whiners. Oh wait…….
December 21st, 2009 at 12:47 pm
“A significant part of its potential audience is in church during the transmission time.”
Blimey, that could be as many as eight or nine of them, then.
December 21st, 2009 at 1:02 pm
They firmly believe that the BBC is there to evangelise for them. Their mythology is not of significant importance to the 90% or so of the country who don’t even attend church.
Their whinging will not do them any favours. The time is coming when the press won’t even cover it any more and they’ll slip in to the margins with the other fantasists and whackos.
December 21st, 2009 at 1:12 pm
The christians never stop whinging, they already have unfettered access and influence at the BBC and in Government – not enough for them? What they really want is some sort of christian fascist state where every aspect of human life is controlled by them.
As for stereotypes, the christians do quite a good a job themselves as immature, petulant idiots.
December 21st, 2009 at 1:38 pm
” …something of fundamental importance to the vast majority of the country.” He must be confusing Xtianity with X factor or Coronation st methinks.
December 21st, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Here’s one for you:
Is there anything that we as atheists, can under the law, refuse to do or object to in a discrimination case? It seems like these suits are all one way traffic
December 21st, 2009 at 2:08 pm
oops this was in the wrong section.
I’ve thought of one though – bloody xmas songs… could an atheist forced to listen to them all day at work complain about discrimination?
December 21st, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I don’t think the Christians are ever in danger of being covered by David Attenborough.
For one thing, he does wildlife programmes, not obituaries.
December 21st, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Stuart H – he did do a great interview regarding his views on god. You can watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeDgH6_zNLE
December 21st, 2009 at 3:14 pm
And this is a good one, too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....eature=fvw
December 21st, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Rog,I sense that you maybe joking but I don’t think that it would be very wise for secularists to get involved in the “I am a victim because of my beliefs” culture. I for one find the behaviour of these people ridiculous and contemptable and we are right to critcise them. We can hardly do that if we start jumping on the bandwagon ourselves. I am a vegetarian but if I was a chef and my job involved preparing meat it would not bother me in the slightest, If some people prefer to eat meat I see it as non of my business.
December 21st, 2009 at 6:28 pm
On the subject of Christians being portrayed as fascinating and increasingly rare, I don’t know about fascinating but they surely cannot deny that they are becoming an endangered species. The only Christians that I know personally are members of my extended family, a couple of generations ago just about all of my relatives were fairly devout, now only a handful of them are and these are mainly the older ones. The 2001 census, I think, gave a very misleading picture of belief partly due to the leading nature of the question. If you don’t count the Christian in name only element, I think that you will be left with a very small percentage.
December 21st, 2009 at 8:19 pm
It appears to me that the christians have noted the ‘victim’ status the muslims have given themselves, and decided to get some milage out of it.
December 21st, 2009 at 8:23 pm
I for one find the behaviour of these people ridiculous and contemptable and we are right to critcise them. We can hardly do that if we start jumping on the bandwagon ourselves. I am a vegetarian but if I was a chef and my job involved preparing meat it would not bother me in the slightest, If some people prefer to eat meat I see it as non of my business.
I agree. I’m a vegetarian myself but prepared meat for my clients (disabled adults) for years because it was part of my job duties. I even took them to church if they wanted to go because, again, it was part of my job.
However I sometimes wonder if people such as ourselves should start refusing to do our jobs citing things like our vegetarianism, moral opposition to Christianity, and the like. Sooner or later everyone will be refusing to work for one reason or another. If employers get frustrated enough they’ll realize they can’t please everyone, and that it’s discriminatory to only pander to the wingnuts, and this whole mess will be put to an end.
December 21st, 2009 at 10:42 pm
I’ve said before, Buffy, why don’t we start a religion which forbids labour between the hours of sunrise and sunset (it’s not much more bizarre than some of the current irrational restrictions on people’s behaviour anyway), and then claim that our employers are acting unreasonably by “demanding” that we do just that. Sauce for the goose again!
December 21st, 2009 at 11:34 pm
It’s not as if religionistas are starved of media attention.
Aren’t there whole TV and radio channels utterly devoted to god-bothering output? And specialist newspapers and magazines and reams of books, and their own buildings in which to broadcast hopefully to a perceived super-natural being? And never mind all the web sites, from wishy-washy liberal to nutjob apocalyptica….
Is the CofE living under a rock, unaware of this lot – or are they just hoping for a licence payer funded propaganda machine?
December 21st, 2009 at 11:47 pm
That’s the trouble when you believe that your particular group – for which you are a career lobbyist – literally has a god-given right to shine its influence from the top of the political, social and cultural hierarchy. In a country like Britain that refuses to just accept that anymore for a number of reasons, you will feel increasingly frustrated and relegated to eccentric sideshow. Who is ultimately to blame?
Going by their website, the likes of the CI will only be truly satisfied when hordes of atheists drop everything and convert, the BBC portrays all Christian characters as wholesome yet trendy beacons of morality, gay people accept that they are second-class citizens and relinquish those bothersome and intimidating ‘equal rights’, and scientists agree that grand medical advances are less important than getting the church’s back up by using stem cells.
Keep dreaming.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:30 am
The victim mentality goes right to the core of all religions.
It’s fundamentally part of both their own formation myths – a brave bunch of people with a new fresh idea, fighting against the establishment (Romans, Christians, Pagans etc etc), and also part of the cancerous intellectual tendrils it sends out into society, hoping to appeal to that part of people that roots for the underdog, the moral minority, the lone renegade with Right on their side.
Come to us! every religion cries, often with bells rung loudly from towers, or through loudspeakers wailing across dingy suburbs.. Ignore the naysayers, ignore your own rational doubts – our tenets and theologies ARE enough, we have ALL the answers. Be one of us and you’ll be protected from the nasty questions of existence and also from the unwashed masses. We alone offer you the gift of the thrill of being one of an oppressed minority of people on the inside – we are oppressed because we are RIGHT!, you too can be one of the few.
It simply doesn’t and wouldn’t work if literally EVERYBODY was of the faith, there’d be noone to personify the rationalist in us all, the denier, the id. The lonely irrational Child would have no need to hide away with its toys.
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:48 am
Vegetarian alert
While we are happily discussing whether the non-orthodox (lacto-vegies like me) are as entitled to whinge about meat-eaters as full vegans – and also ‘having a go at the religious’ – may I throw in the thought that not only us vegies but all of us should start whinging about halal being served to unsuspecting children at school?
This is a valid whinge since it involves torturing animals to death.
Time to stand up and be counted.
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:57 am
You’re right, @Michael Trussler. This theme occurs right through the Bible – many extreme evangelical groups even today referring to themselves as “the remnant”! They’d be miserable if we all joined them!! All prophets have told their followers that they are part of a small, privileged group, to which their god has chosen to reveal himself, showing to them, and them only, the true path in life, and that “unbelievers” will misunderstand and persecute them, but that this just seals their “election”.
“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matt.5:11-12)
It doesn’t matter how objectionable they make themselves, nor how great their hatred of humanity is; all opposition is “of the Devil”, and merely confirms them in their belief that THEY and they only are right!
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:44 am
GSW, I agree. The animal welfare businesses [charities?] are rather quiet on this one as is our craven Government; don’t want to upset potential muslim voters do they? Religious stupidity is allowed to trump animal abuse.
December 22nd, 2009 at 11:02 am
Well, what’s new, Angela? It trumps child abuse, and a whole lot of other human rights abuses, so why should animals have preferential treatment? (That’s irony, BTW, before anyone launches a diatribe!)
December 22nd, 2009 at 11:42 am
All religions have shown their true colours when they feel under attack (real or imagined), it will be interesting to see what course these muppets follow.
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:01 pm
@Stonyground
It’s true that my earlier comment was tongue in cheek, but at the same time, I can’t help thinking that a couple of frivolous discrimination cases by atheists would highlight the absurdity of religious privilege under the law. I would not expect them to win, merely spark a debate; sorry for being mischievous.