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It has been announced that Kathy Griffin’s acceptance speech on winning the creative arts Emmy will be censored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. While there is a portion of her speech that is offensive no matter who the object, and should be censored, her speech should be allowable where she said: “A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus.” That portion is protected free speech, and there is more to it than that.

Griffin went on to clarify that not only had she rejected Jesus as Lord and savior, but that she had chosen her own god; and she made her announcement it in what seemed to be a religious conversion experience that took place on the spot, proclaiming: “This award is my god now!” Ironically, Griffin will have her remarkable epiphany stricken for the telecast record by an academy where most of the members exhibit Griffin’s religious predilection to worship the statue, and all that surrounds it. But is it fair, and is it legal?

Obscene innuendos not withstanding, Griffin is well within her constitutional rights to exercise her religious beliefs by identifying her god, and thanking it for her success. In fact, Griffin may actually be more genuine than those who, in the same industry, so often thank Jesus for their accomplishments. Too many of them are those who run with the world, lie down with the world, sow with the world, reap with the world; and then stand up with a sheaf of the world’s harvest in their hand, and give thanks to Jesus. Do they honestly believe that such a cheap tribute will excuse them for being of the world? That is either disingenuous, or seriously deluded, but well within their rights also. All of this behavior has lost its shock value and has become common place, but surprises still spring from responses that it generates.

The Catholic League has taken a practically dim view of Griffin’s religious conversion to statue worship, requesting the TV academy formally denounce Griffin’s expression, and that is probably the most surprising response heard thus far. Few if any could have claimed to corner the market of stature worship like the Catholic Church has, and at the same time condemn some one else for following suit. As for finding Griffin’s speech objectionable, the Catholic Church could just as accurately state that no one had less to do with their statue worship than Jesus. Then they would, both of them, be telling the truth.

Is there a Christian response to the Griffins in the world? Besides prayer, and any sharing of the gospel they were able to do before such a pronouncement, there is this:

For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? (Rom 9:17-24)

What does it all mean? For the short exegete, it means this: if you are reading this scripture, and yet you remain unmoved, there is a chance that God doesn’t want you; because God clearly doesn’t want some people. And that dichotomy is becoming clearer and clearer as the days grow shorter and shorter.

(story at Foxnews)

(more on obscene innuendo)

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This entry was posted on Saturday, September 15th, 2007 at 6:10 am and is filed under Roman Catholicism, Entertainment, Greek Mythology, Idolatry, End Times Beat, Roman Catholic Church, Christian News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.