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STH WOODFORD: Vicar declares war on Channel Four over 'offensive' show

10:54am Friday 23rd January 2009 in


A LEADING Redbridge vicar has launched a scathing attack on Channel Four after they broadcast two "outrageously offensive" TV shows about Christianity.

Rev Robert Hampson, of South Woodford's Holy Trinity Church, said new series ‘Christianity, A History’ was a full-scale attack on "the mother religion of this land" and amounted to a form of "cultural suicide."

He is so angry at the portrayal of his faith he has even offered to write his own TV show to help "redeem" the programme-makers.

"I do feel outraged by it," he said.

"It presents a facile, inaccurate, and badly research appraisal of the story of Christianity, and some of their interviewees seem to imply that Christians are universally Jew-hating which is just not true.

"It would not have been broadcast in this way if the subject matter was about Islam or Judaism. They are like cowards, attacking the religion least likely to respond."

Rattled programme-makers at Channel Four have been quick to down-play Rev Hampson’s comments about the show, which is currently mid-series.

They say the "challenging" episodes each present a range of religious viewpoints and aims to be thought-provoking.

But Rev Hampson said: "I have four degrees, three in theology. I could quite easily write an historically accurate and acute programme. I would like to give them the chance to redeem themselves.

"I don’t want to be negative. I feel we should be positive about Britain and our roots, but society is crumbling and breaking down and we need to defend the culture and values of our mother faith.

"I think that it’s become popular now to pour scorn on the religious roots of our country. It’s like an adolescent who is rebelling against their parents."

A spokesman for Channel Four said: "This is a series of authored films from high profile commentators with each presenter bringing their own perspective to pivotal moments in the history of Christianity.

"It’s a considered, challenging series that offers alternative views on the world’s largest religion.

"The series includes a number of perspectives and insights from both Christians and non-Christians but Christian views are represented in every programme."

Comments(16)

enna says...
11:59am Fri 23 Jan 09

A Muslim or Jewish country would not even let a show against their religion be written let alone broadcasted. It like the bus advert they is probably no God would this have been allowed in these countries I doubt it very much. I am proud to say that I am from such a multi cultural country where you can learn so many different things from different people but we seem in the process to be forgetting the history, culture and religion of Britain to please others to be politically correct.

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E17006 says...
12:42pm Fri 23 Jan 09

A wonderful debate is being stirred up here.

Let the battle begin.

These smug small-minded Christians have had it their way too long.

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Touchwood says...
12:53pm Fri 23 Jan 09

Considering the FACT that religion is the cause of ALL the worlds problems who gives a toss about a television programme like this!!

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ex-president says...
2:01pm Fri 23 Jan 09

Touchwood wrote:
Considering the FACT that religion is the cause of ALL the worlds problems who gives a toss about a television programme like this!!
A fact according to who exactly, Richard Dawkins? I suggest you re-examine the meaning of the word.

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Touchwood says...
2:23pm Fri 23 Jan 09

ex-president wrote:
Touchwood wrote: Considering the FACT that religion is the cause of ALL the worlds problems who gives a toss about a television programme like this!!
A fact according to who exactly, Richard Dawkins? I suggest you re-examine the meaning of the word.
I'm probably classed as ignorant because I don't know who Richard Dawkins is but looking back at history religion has been the cause of disputes, wars and death from ancient times to the present conflicts in the Middle East!

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enna says...
2:41pm Fri 23 Jan 09

E17006 wrote:
A wonderful debate is being stirred up here. Let the battle begin. These smug small-minded Christians have had it their way too long.
Would you say this about other religions or are you to politically correct?

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InsolentMinx says...
3:39pm Fri 23 Jan 09

ex-president wrote:
Touchwood wrote: Considering the FACT that religion is the cause of ALL the worlds problems who gives a toss about a television programme like this!!
A fact according to who exactly, Richard Dawkins? I suggest you re-examine the meaning of the word.
The God Delusion was a boring book.

I think you're pretty ignorant if you think that religion has nothing to do with the majority if not a great deal of the wars and terrorist attacks.

Sure, without religion people would still find a reason for killing each other, but looking back at history, religion has been the main reasoning for the majority of the violence and trouble in the world today. (credit crunch excluded ... although i'm sure there's a point in it's infancy which escalated towards where we are now which was caused by a war or a political incident regarding 2 opposing religions)

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ex-president says...
10:35am Sat 24 Jan 09

InsolentMinx wrote:
ex-president wrote:
Touchwood wrote: Considering the FACT that religion is the cause of ALL the worlds problems who gives a toss about a television programme like this!!
A fact according to who exactly, Richard Dawkins? I suggest you re-examine the meaning of the word.
The God Delusion was a boring book.

I think you're pretty ignorant if you think that religion has nothing to do with the majority if not a great deal of the wars and terrorist attacks.

Sure, without religion people would still find a reason for killing each other, but looking back at history, religion has been the main reasoning for the majority of the violence and trouble in the world today. (credit crunch excluded ... although i'm sure there's a point in it's infancy which escalated towards where we are now which was caused by a war or a political incident regarding 2 opposing religions)
I think a more simple and accurate answer would be to say that humans are responsible for most of the world's problems; religion is merely a scapegoat that people use. Those with extreme atheist views are as dangerous as those with extreme religious ones.

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Claridger says...
1:42pm Sat 24 Jan 09

Christians are ridiculed and yet the same would never happen to other faiths. Look at satanic Verses and the Cartoons.

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Hogwasher says...
2:51pm Sat 24 Jan 09

Claridger, the thing about Satanic Verses and the cartoons in Denmark was that they were interpreted as ridiculing Islam. To use these as an example of other faiths 'never' being ridiculed sort of undermines your point.

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Touchwood says...
5:20pm Sat 24 Jan 09

Claridger wrote:
Christians are ridiculed and yet the same would never happen to other faiths. Look at satanic Verses and the Cartoons.
Be assured that I ridicule ALL religions that refuse to accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions!!

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Claridger says...
11:57am Mon 26 Jan 09

And yet nobody has mentioned that puerile Jonathan Ross and his antics.

Disgraceful in my mind.

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BpDominic says...
3:16pm Fri 30 Jan 09

I hope it is of some support to Robert to know that the "Protestant Truth Society" has also complained about the series - having the presenters they have chosen was bound to result in a series which does not reflect accurately the events they are endeavouring (allegedly) to portray.

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StuartM says...
11:13pm Fri 30 Jan 09

It’s a considered, challenging series that offers alternative views on the world’s largest religion.

Alternative is a euphemism for views which, when properly examined, have little foundation in history, little evidence in fact and (often deliberately) conflict with a religious or philosophical systems own understanding of itself.

It is sometimes useful in a debate to be, as we say, the Devil's advocate, but it is only useful if the opportunity to reply to that advocate's thesis is given. In the context of the programme there is no debate, merely a one sided presentation by such advocates.

Their views shall perish with them. As one great preacher of the Bible said: Defend the Bible? I would prefer to defend a lion!

The Bible speaks for itself to anyone who comes to it with honesty and integrity in their hearts and minds.

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SCHMOO says...
11:46pm Fri 30 Jan 09

Unfortunately there is widespread confusion about what Religion really is - and it's essential to serious discussion. It is right to say that many wars have been perpetrated in the name of Religion. But true Religion has been defined as 'Faith towards God, and love to one's neighbour'. That's a million miles from what is popularly understood as Religion.

False Religion is man-made (by lots of different men)- and humankind must and will bear responsibility for all wars, and other hate-filled behaviour carried out in its name. Evolution of course is a religion. It's a faith system, based on a theory, that has led the world at large to beieve in the survival of the fittest, and that fellow human-beings (being no more than highly-developed primates) have little or no value.
That philosophy lay behind the 'value systems' employed by both Hitler and Stalin - to name but two.. It has led, inevitably to acceptance of widespread abortion, a general disregard for the unique sanctity of human life, and wholescale degeneration of moral standards generally.
With no need for belief in God, it follows that moral standards are arbitrary.

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E17006 says...
6:28pm Sun 1 Feb 09

enna wrote:
E17006 wrote:
A wonderful debate is being stirred up here. Let the battle begin. These smug small-minded Christians have had it their way too long.
Would you say this about other religions or are you to politically correct?
Christianity is our state religion. In the UK, other religions tend to be followed by recent immigrants who have enough of their own problems to deal with to try and meddle with the broadcasting schedules of TV stations!

But yes, the Satanic Verses debacle is one example that Christianity does not have a monopoly on bigotry and small mindedness.


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Rev Robert Hampson of the Holy Trinity Church in South Woodford is unhappy at the views presented in Channel Four’s new show on Christianity. Rev Robert Hampson of the Holy Trinity Church in South Woodford is unhappy at the views presented on Channel Four’s new show about Christianity.

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