Atheist Ireland defends a mock broadcast showing God as a rapist

IRELAND ATEA HAS defended RTÉ’s “blasphemous” broadcast of a comedy skit that showed God being arrested for rape.

The national broadcaster yesterday apologized for any offense that may have been caused by the Waterford Whispers sketch.

The clip was broadcast as part of RTÉ One’s NYE ​​Countdown Show on Thursday night and was branded blasphemous by Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland, the following day.

In a one-year-under-review mock newsletter, portrayed as a broadcast from the satirical website Waterford Whispers News, former RTÉ announcer Aengus MacGrianna reads a report on a video of a gardaí-led white robed man from a courtroom .

“A shocking revelation this year,” says MacGrianna’s, “God became the latest figure to be implicated in the ongoing sexual harassment scandal.”

Martin called for the “outrageous” clip to be removed immediately and “denounced by all people of good will.”

“Broadcasting such a deeply offensive and blasphemous clip about God and Our Blessed Mother Mary during the holiday season on ‘NYE Countdown Show’ on @RTE, @RTEOne and on the eve of the Solemn Feast of Mary, Mother of God is an insult to all Catholics and Christians, ”Martin tweeted.

RTÉ yesterday issued an apology to those offended by the segment after reviewing the comments and complaints it received.

Atheist Ireland said she was pleased that RTÉ had not removed the clip from its update services, and asked both religious people and atheists to support other people’s right to see and hear ideas that they personally believe to be offensive. ” unless the statements are defamatory of identifiable persons or incite discrimination, hostility or violence ”.

“The people of Ireland recently voted overwhelmingly to eliminate the crime of blasphemy,” said atheist Irish President Michael Nugent, citing the 2018 referendum.

The blasphemy provision in the Constitution had been in effect since the 1937 Constitution, but the legislation establishing it had long been outdated, as a blasphemy prosecution had never been successfully carried out.

Criticism or mockery of religious ideas is as acceptable as criticism or mockery of secular ideas. People have rights. Their beliefs don’t, ”Nugent said.

“Many people of goodwill find the biblical stories of a God killing innocent people as offensive as Archbishop Martin finds this sketch of comedy. But we are not asking RTE to remove discussions of the Bible from its programs or to remove criticism or ridicule of atheistic ideas.

“What RTE should remove is the daily unpaid advertisement it gives to the Catholic Church in the form of the Angelus. And that’s not because it’s offensive, but because it violates RTE’s duty to be impartial with regard to religious and non-religious beliefs. “