Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on the new NBC show, “The Book of Daniel,” which premiers January 6:

“The father dabbles in drugs, the wife is a boozer, the daughter is a dope dealer, one son is a homosexual, the other son is a womanizer, the sister-in-law is a bisexual, the brother-in-law is a thief, and the father’s father is an adulterer.  Just your ordinary Christian family—in the eyes of Hollywood, that is.  That both the fathers in ‘The Book of Daniel’ are Episcopalian priests is no coincidence: the desire to paint this Christian family as totally dysfunctional is the work of an embittered ex-Catholic homosexual, Jack Kenny. 

“A self-described ‘recovering Catholic,’ Kenny is quick to dismiss the ‘myths’ surrounding Jesus, but is far less skeptical about Buddhist teachings on reincarnation.  Regarding heaven, Kenny—ever the deep thinker—opines that ‘I don’t know specifically what’s going on up there.’  It would be interesting to know how much time he has spent wondering about ‘what’s going on down there.’ 

“In any event, Kenny has a comrade in Aidan Quinn, the lead character who plays the Episcopalian priest: Quinn is another ex-Catholic Irishman.  When asked if the TV show might offend some Catholics, Quinn lets his honesty, and his bigotry, shine through: ‘I really don’t care that much.’  Catholic viewers, by the way, are not likely to be enamored of Kenny’s treatment of a Catholic priest, especially if they’re Italian: Father Frankie has links to the mob.  Kenny, by the way, says organized religion is ‘almost the same organism as the Mafia.’

“Here’s a real cultural marker: Christian groups are protesting ‘The Book of Daniel’ and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is encouraging its members to watch it.  Not that this is altogether unusual given the way Christians, especially the clergy, are portrayed on TV and in the movies.  Couple this with the almost uniformly positive portrayal of homosexuals, and the conclusion that Hollywood has an agenda is inescapable.”

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