Day Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 The Church of England has said it is "disappointed and bewildered" by the refusal of leading UK cinemas to show an advert featuring the Lord's Prayer. The Church called the decision "plain silly" and warned it could have a "chilling" effect on free speech. It had hoped the 60-second film would be screened UK-wide before Christmas ahead of the new Star Wars film. The agency that handles adverts for the cinemas said it could offend those of "differing faiths and no faith". The advert features the Christian prayer being recited or sung by a variety of people. They include refugees, a grieving son, weightlifters at a gym, a sheep farmer, a gospel choir and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby. Read more http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34891928 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyram Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 No offense anybody, but if I wanted to watch or hear about the Lords Prayer, I'd go to church, not the cinema. And tbf, they'd probably ban other prayer ads from other faiths too. It's best not to start any more rows. So for that reason, I'm oot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamNut Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Is the Most reverent justin welby really that much more reverend than most reverends? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Day Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 True. But if we go to other countries we have to respect and abide by their laws, some of which come through religion. If anyone is offended by a Christian prayer at Christmas in an advert at the cinema you really shouldn't be in this country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddie Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 The people whining about this are the ones who would be up in arms if it was readings from the Koran. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyinLiverpool Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Too many people assume others are going to be 'offended' by something entirely innocuous. I assume by people of 'no faith', they mean non-religious (I do not believe in a god but I have faith in lots of things). I do not find their prayer 'offensive' because I do not feel my freedom of thought threatened by their mediaeval mumbo-jumbo. If, however, I wanted a lecture on free speech, I would not ask the Church of England to give it. And since they appropriated the winter festival of Yule for their own purposes, followers of Christ ought to shut the **** up about how people celebrate. If anyone's offended by that, they shouldn't be in this country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sith Happens Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 If it hadnt been banned and allowed to be played it wouldnt have really been given a second thought by anyone, cant imagine many people rushing out the cinema due to the offence caused, or many people coming out thinking anything about it at all really. By banning it, all its done its bring it to peoples attention and that in itself will cause more offence and resentment as people take to discussion boards and put their opinions across. The only offence that should be caused in this instance is by the person or people responsible for making the decision to ban it, as they have on their own decided what people should or shouldnt view or listen too, they should be ashamed with themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerTedd Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 It's daft. A Christian prayer at Christmas in a Christian country, just to give a bit of a reminder and counteract the John Lewis commercialism can't be a bad thing. I'm not a regular church goer or anything, but I don't mind a little unobtrusive reminder (although I bet it's the Church of England version of the prayer, which pisses me, a good catholic boy, off). Cliff Richard got to number one just singing the Lord's Prayer, so it's not like it's a wholly unpopular thing. But it is quite funny to see the church havingbsomething banned at the cinema after all the protests they've had against certain films - 'down with this sort of ting' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyinLiverpool Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I am sure, as a good Christian, the most reverend Justin Welby will find it in his heart to forgive the cinema companies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyram Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I'd just think 'how odd' to have a religious ad on at the cinema. But then again, has there ever been a prayer advert on the telly before? Can't think of any, so why start now? I'm struggling to see the point really. But hey, if it makes things peaceful, why not - but I doubt it will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 28 minutes ago, Daveo said: True. But if we go to other countries we have to respect and abide by their laws, some of which come through religion. If anyone is offended by a Christian prayer at Christmas in an advert at the cinema you really shouldn't be in this country. Except the UK is a country of free religion and free speech, and cinemas probably don't want to drive away customers and they are within their rights to not screen such. Also, Xmas' link to Christianity is a funny old story, but to be put bluntly the tradition is older than the religion in Europe. It was a pagan tradition reappropriated and may as well be treated as largely secular at this point, lest people want it to vanish into the night as the world becomes less religious. It's also worth noting that it's one particular denomination's particular form of one particular prayer, and again, businesses can turn down certain ads if they want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossieram Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 2 minutes ago, Albert said: Except the UK is a country of free religion and free speech, and cinemas probably don't want to drive away customers and they are within their rights to not screen such. Surely the only people that would be driven away from the cinema because of this are the people that don't believe in free religion and free speech and would be better suited living somewhere that doesn't practice these things. I'm not a religious person and it really wouldn't bother me if this was on before a film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Just now, ossieram said: Surely the only people that would be driven away from the cinema because of this are the people that don't believe in free religion and free speech and would be better suited living somewhere that doesn't practice these things. I'm not a religious person and it really wouldn't bother me if this was on before a film. People can be perfectly happy with people rubbing their religions in their faces. Would you feel that it is completely okay for there to be other religions doing the same thing in the cinema? Maybe some Mormons, or Scientology, would that be fine to most people? Maybe something before the film to ask people to reconsider their religion at all and just remember to be good people because that's how people are? People can believe what they want, but they shouldn't be rubbing it in others' faces. Personally I just don't go to the cinema because the experience is horrible in general, and on the odd occasion I have what's put on before is pretty much irrelevant because I just don't pay attention, but I can see why a cinema wouldn't want such on prior to films. In this day and age "No Religion" is the single largest demographic, and according to some studies are actually in effect the majority these days. It's entirely understandable to not want to drive away customers, even if only a small fraction are driven away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyinLiverpool Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 24 minutes ago, ossieram said: Surely the only people that would be driven away from the cinema because of this are the people that don't believe in free religion and free speech and would be better suited living somewhere that doesn't practice these things. I'm not a religious person and it really wouldn't bother me if this was on before a film. Christian denominations are at such an advantage in this country - I can't send my daughters to a non-denominational school, for example, because there isn't one - they get to peddle their message to captive audiences all the time. Anybody who actually wants to hear the message can go to one of their churches freely. The trouble for the various denominations is that not many people actually do. I suppose that's why Justin Welby feels so threatened and is a bit mardy. It seems to me that the ones exercising freedom of speech here are the cinema companies, who don't want the advert running on their premises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ketteringram Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 You'd have thought they might have checked first, whether cinemas would screen it, before going through the expense and hassle of making it. I Have no issue with it being shown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuff264 Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 The DCM has a clear policy, thats been in place for a while, of no religous adverts, so I dont know why this has caused a news story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerTedd Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 11 minutes ago, ketteringram said: You'd have thought they might have checked first, whether cinemas would screen it, before going through the expense and hassle of making it. I Have no issue with it being shown. I thought that too, so I guess they must have some other plans for it. Just a film they made for multimedia purposes that they thought they might put up at the cinema. Although you do have to film it in a certain format for the cinema, so they must have thought about it before hand. I made a cinema ad for work about fostering once. Worked really well. Not sure if that's relevant. Maybe the church's theory is that more people go to the cinema than go to church at the minute. So if you can't beat them join them. If the mountain won't go to Mohamed (or am I mixing my religions). Min that case, it is shoving it down the throats of those that don't necessarily want to listen. But it depends how it's done. If it's just a bunch of people, showing the diversity of England, saying a nice thing that might comfort some and give a moment of reflection at Christmas, then I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with that. You wouldn't listen to the hymn 'jerusalem' and then think 'actually I'm going to turn my ears off now, because I think it's all clap trap anyway, and if I listen for too long, it might accidentally turn me Christian (for the same reason I believe listening to abba would probably turn me gay). As long as they're not up there saying 'become Christian or you'll burn in hell for eternity you bunch of hethens.' Then it's probably not shoving it down the throat. I wouldn't mind listening to a Muslim call to prayer or anything like that, if you just wanted to take it as a beautiful peace of music or poetry to aid a moment of reflection. Well probably see it on to soon anyway. (Wow, that was more rambly than I intended. I'm very tired). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyinLiverpool Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 2 minutes ago, TigerTedd said: I thought that too, so I guess they must have some other plans for it. Just a film they made for multimedia purposes that they thought they might put up at the cinema. Although you do have to film it in a certain format for the cinema, so they must have thought about it before hand. I made a cinema ad for work about fostering once. Worked really well. Not sure if that's relevant. Maybe the church's theory is that more people go to the cinema than go to church at the minute. So if you can't beat them join them. If the mountain won't go to Mohamed (or am I mixing my religions). Min that case, it is shoving it down the throats of those that don't necessarily want to listen. But it depends how it's done. If it's just a bunch of people, showing the diversity of England, saying a nice thing that might comfort some and give a moment of reflection at Christmas, then I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with that. You wouldn't listen to the hymn 'jerusalem' and then think 'actually I'm going to turn my ears off now, because I think it's all clap trap anyway, and if I listen for too long, it might accidentally turn me Christian (for the same reason I believe listening to abba would probably turn me gay). As long as they're not up there saying 'become Christian or you'll burn in hell for eternity you bunch of hethens.' Then it's probably not shoving it down the throat. I wouldn't mind listening to a Muslim call to prayer or anything like that, if you just wanted to take it as a beautiful peace of music or poetry to aid a moment of reflection. Well probably see it on to soon anyway. (Wow, that was more rambly than I intended. I'm very tired). I believe it's the CofE, not the Catholic church Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamNut Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 8 minutes ago, AndyinLiverpool said: I believe it's the CofE, not the Catholic church Bigot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyinLiverpool Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 4 minutes ago, RamNut said: Bigot For pointing out that the doctrine of original sin damns everyone to hell unless they embrace the Catholic church and confess what that organisation considers sinful? But then Catholics are contractually obliged to forgive me. That is, of course, if they actually do follow the teachings of Christ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.