JESUS AND THE PIGSKIN

This writing is sponsored by: The Free Tibet Movement

In 2004, The United Church of Christ sought to have advertising time on CBS, however the Network denied the “Jesus Didn’t Turn People Away. Neither Do We.” ad due to it’s position on a controversial public issue. CBS stated that the ad promoted same sex marriage and that the network had “a longstanding policy of not accepting advocacy advertising”. The United Church of Christ countered that the ad did indeed display a same sex couple along with an African American couple, Caucasian couple, Senior Citizens, women, and handicap individuals with the intended purpose that every individual were welcome in their establishments. The United Church of Christ later appealed CBS’s decision with the Federal Communications Commission but the appeal was dismissed.

Commercial Break: This writing is brought to you by followers of Charles Manson

I do understand that many of the network try to maintain journalistic neutrality and they use this system to avoid any type of controversial advertising. However, in 2010 , CBS allowed “Focus on the Family”, a conservative religious organization to buy advertising time during the Super Bowl that will feature Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow. The ad will supposedly show Tebow and his mother discussing the time when she became ill during her pregnancy and was told that she should abort. She then goes on to say that she made the decision not to follow the advice and the result was a celebration of life. The ad is said to have a clear position on the pro-life stance on the abortion issue.

Commercial Break: This writing is brought to you by followers of Jesus Christ

I don’t have a problem with this ad nor do I take issue with “Focus on the Family” airing an ad of this nature on CBS. I support different ideologies and I’m a strong advocate for the first amendment which everyone has a right to claim for themselves. I appreciate the fact that “Focus on the Family” has the opportunity to air an anti-abortion ad because it is their free speech right. I DO HOWEVER have a problem with CBS discriminating against a religious institution because of it’s more liberal views. Discriminating against one religious institution by giving favor to another is hypercritical, biased, and a violation of the first amendment.

Commercial Break: This writing is brought to you by “GOD Hates FAGS” and the “KKK”

It appears that CBS has made the decision to allow the ad by rebuking their own stance on advocacy advertising which indicates that any number of groups should be allowed to buy advertising time during the Super Bowl. Pro-Life and Pro Choice groups, supporters of gay marriage and their opponents, along with any religious institution that would like to appeal to the millions that watch the Super Bowl every single year. There’s an danger to this decision by CBS that could lead to a very unbalanced media empire. Opening the doors to advocacy advertising will not only open the doors to the countless lawsuits against CBS from those organizations that are denied ad time, but it will polarize the network as they loose credentials as an news organization and loose viewers to it’s apparent public stance on every controversial issue that faces this country.

Commercial Break: This writing is brought to you by Marriage Equality

My advice to CBS is simple. They can either go one way or the other with this, but they either need to keep their journalistic neutrality and hold up their ban against any type of advocacy advertising; or put an halt to discrimination against any institution due to their religious, conservative, or liberal views. Taking the latter however would open the door to many more problems for the network as both right and left wing nut jobs prepare their ads that could insinuate hateful lyric and discrimination against all types of minorities in this country. The network has a responsibility to the public and to it’s own programming from falling into a media driven debate by it’s own ill choices.

This writing is brought to you by the Group to overturn Roe V Wade