In the entrance hall of the BBC at Broadcasting House is an inscription (in Latin) which reads:

TEMPLUM HOC ARTIUM ET MUSARUM ANNO DOMINI MCMXXXI RECTORE JOHANNI REITH PRIMI DEDICANT GUBERNATORES PRECANTES UT MESSEM BONAM BONA PROFERAT SEMENTIS UT IMMUNDA OMNIA ET INIMICA PACI EXPELLANTUR UT QUAECUNQUE PULCHRA SUNT ET SINCERA QUACUNQUE BONAE FAMAE AD HAEC AVREM INCLINANS POPULUS VIRTUTIS ET SAPIENTIAE SEMITAM INSISTAT.

Translated into English this reads:

This Temple of the Arts and Muses is dedicated to Almighty God by the first Governors of Broadcasting in the year 1931, Sir John Reith being Director-General. It is their prayer that good seed sown may bring forth a good harvest, that all things hostile to peace or purity may be banished from this house, and that the people, inclining their ear to whatsoever things are beautiful and honest and of good report, may tread the path of wisdom and uprightness.

With this in mind I was very disappointed to hear of the decision of the BBC to broadcast “Jerry Springer: The Opera” on BBC Two, this week. (According to this).

From the reviews and descriptions of this ‘opera’ on the BBC’s web site, this decision appears to directly contradict the prayer in the inscription quoted above, as well as mock God. Depicting God and Jesus as participants in a talk show, is not only bad theology, but is highly offensive to Jews, Christians and Muslims. To then give them dialogue which is vulgar and crude is simply further blasphemy. Of the Ten Commandments, as found in Exodus chapter 20 (in both Jewish and Christian scriptures), both the third (“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God”) and ninth (“You shall not bear false testimony against your neighbour”) commandments are clearly disregarded.

Would the BBC ever consider screening something which is deeply offensive to Sikhs or Hindus in the same way it is planning to screen something which is deeply offensive to Jews, Christians and Muslims?

Even the Jerry Springer Show itself wouldn’t invest in this opera, according to this, “because they objected to its language, and sexual and religious content”. That’s saying something!

Whilst I don’t believe in censorship, as I believe in the privilege of free speech, I do believe that free speech should be used wisely. I would gladly support the right of an atheist to speak out against God. I may not agree with them, but they have that right. However, I do not believe that mocking Almighty God for entertainment value is a wise use of free speech. I believe it is waste of TV licence payers money, indeed insulting to many of these same licence payers.

I have emailed the BBC and asked them not to screen this ‘opera’. I’m not entirely sure they’ll listen though. Don’t get me wrong, there are many aspects of the BBC I admire and enjoy. I frequently watch their news coverage, as I consider it to be impartial and factual. I also enjoy many of their entertainment programmes, as many are well-written, intelligent and funny. I just don’t think this ‘opera’ is “beautiful and honest and of good report”.