NBC is OK with Madonna is Doing a Crucifixion Scene But Not OK With Scripture References in Veggie Tales-A Mixture of Truth! and Unproven!
Summary of eRumor:
The message says that the international pop singer Madonna is going to Mock the Crucifixion of Christ on an NBC TV special, yet NBC is editing scripture and references to God out of episodes of Veggie Tales being broadcast on Saturday mornings.
The Truth:
This eRumor was generated in two parts by the American Family Association (AFA).
The first one mailing from the AFA asked readers to email NBC to protest the airing of a Madonna TV special in November during which she allegedly mocks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
The second built upon the first and said that while approving of the Madonna scene, NBC was slicing scripture and references to God from Veggie Tales episodes.
First, there is no confirmation of what content will be included the TV special. According to an Associated Press story, a two-hour special will be taped at Wembly Stadium in London and will be aired sometime during November. There is no word on what content will be included in the program but on Madonna’s 2006 concert tour she does a performance of “Live To Tell,” a ballad that was released at the time that it was said that Madonna had experienced domestic abuse from her husband, Sean Penn. During the song, Madonna is lifted up on a large mirrored cross while wearing a crown of thorns. Whether she intended to mock Christ or represent herself as a crucified person isn’t explained, but many Christians have been offended with the imagery.
Second, Veggie Tales is now being seen on Saturday mornings on NBC. Big Idea, the company that produces the show has not confirmed any of the specific edits that are referenced in the eRumor, but it has issued a release confirming that some of the content of the shows is being edited before being televised. The company confirms that Veggie Tales on TV is not exactly the same as the original Veggie Tales on DVD. The statement says that Bid Idea would prefer to air unedited versions of Veggie Tales but feels that its mission of “…enhancing the spiritual and moral fabric of society through creative media” can be accomplished with the edited shows.
Updated 10/5/06