THE FUTURE OF CHRISTIAN BROADCASTS AT RISK?
Another of the numerous Christian
urban myths is being circulated as a email chain letter. This one makes
the following claims:
CBS will be forced to discontinue "Touched by an
Angel" for using the word GOD in every program. Madeline Murray O'Hare,
an atheist, successfully managed to eliminate the use of Bible reading
from public schools a few years ago. And now her organisation has been
granted a Federal Hearing on the same subject by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) in Washington DC. Their petition, Number
2493, would ultimately pave the way to stop the reading of the gospel of
our Lord and Saviour, on the airwaves of America. They took this
petition 287,000 signatures to back their stand!
If this attempt is successful, all Sunday worship
services being broadcasted on the radio, or by television will be
stopped. This group is also campaigning to remove all Christmas
programs, and Christmas carols from public schools!!
You as Christians can help! We are praying for at
least 1 million signatures. This would defeat their effort and show that
their are many Christians alive, well and concerned about our country.
As Christians we must unite on this. Please don't take this lightly. We
ignored this lady once and lost prayer in our school and in offices
across the nation. Please stand up for your religious freedom and let
your voice be heard...
Together we can make a difference in our country
while creating an opportunity for the lost to know the Lord. Now, please
sign your name (1st or last which ever you choose) at the
bottom by copying this whole letter with your mouse and forwarding it.
Don't delete anything, just go to the next number and
type your name. Please do not sign jointingly, [sic] such as Mr. & Mrs....
Each person should sign his/her own name. Please e-mail this to everyone
you know, and help us defeat this organisation and keep the right of our
freedom of religion.
There then follows
a list of ‘signatures’ (actually just names). Our copy of this email
list people from various states in the USA (less than 100) and then
Canada (not quite 30), then ‘travels’ to South Africa (with more names
from there than anywhere else - almost 230) then moved to Australia,
beginning in Queensland.
A number of things should be noted.
This supposed threat to
Christian broadcasting and the singing of Christmas carols is centred in
the USA. What difference would it make if people in other countries
disagreed with such supposed policies?
Just as the
‘Blasphemous Movie’ hoax (see June/July 2000 TACL pp. 14-15)
this calls for signatures to be added as if this is a petition - but it
is not - it is nothing but a time and energy wasting chain letter. There
is no indication WHY a lot of names (not signatures!) are needed, nor
HOW such names ( especially without addresses) will be of help. It is
not really a serious response to anything - e.g. ‘Kit W’ or ‘Jerry M’
doesn't mean a thing in any serious petition or similar response
Concern is expressed
about Madeline Murray O’Hare [sic. Madalyn Murray O'Hair], the notorious
American atheist - however, she has not been seen or heard from for many
years. She, and a lot of money, as well as her son, Jon, and
granddaughter, Robin, disappeared in August or September 1995 when she
was aged 76. By that time O’Hair had lost much of her power and
prominence, and her efforts to regain political clout were largely in
vain. Her disappearance (and that of the money and her children) puzzled
authorities for years and caused all sorts of speculation. In 1999
O’Hair’s former office manager, David Waters, pleaded guilty to stealing
some US$54,000 from O’Hair’s office, but denied having had anything to
do with her disappearance. Later Waters and accomplice Gary Karr were
questioned and accused of the kidnapping and murder of O’Hair and her
family. Another believed accomplice, Danny Fry had been murdered in late
1995. O’Hair has certainly not been around to make noises to ban
‘Touched by an Angel’. (‘Touched by an Angel’ has already had the next
season’s 24 shows approved, well before the current season is
completed.)
This is actually a
rehash, with slight variations, of an old chain letter hoax that started
in 1975! It remains a hoax!
Apart from this being the
spread of false rumours, it has also caused massive headaches for the US
Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC has been inundated with
wasteful correspondence, requiring additional staff just to deal with
the hoax.
In response the FCC has
provided a prepared statement, confirming, in detail, that this is another
email chain letter hoax:
FCC Consumer Center Response - Ref# 01722649
FCC CONSUMER FACTS
Federal Communications Commission
Mass Media Bureau - Consumer Information Bureau
445 12th St., SW, Washington, DC 20554
(Voice) 1.888.225.5322 or (TTY) 1.888.835.5322
Religious Broadcasting Rumor Denied
Madalyn Murray O'Hair
* A rumor has been circulating since 1975 that Madalyn
Murray O'Hair, a widely known, self-proclaimed atheist, proposed that the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) consider limiting or banning
religious programming. This rumor is not true.
* It also has been circulated repeatedly that Ms.
O'Hair was granted an FCC hearing to discuss that proposal. This too is
untrue.
* There is no federal law or regulation that gives the
FCC the authority to prohibit radio and television stations from
presenting religious programs. Actually, the Communications Act (the law
that established the FCC and defines its authority) prohibits the FCC from
censoring broadcast material and interfering with freedom of speech in
broadcasting.
* The FCC cannot direct any broadcaster to present, or
refrain from presenting, announcements or programs on religion, and the
FCC cannot act as an arbitrator on the insights or accuracy of such
material. Broadcasters, not the FCC, nor any other governmental agency,
have the responsibility for selecting the programming that is aired by
their stations.
RM-2493
A petition filed in December 1974 by Jeremy D. Lansman
and Lorenzo W. Milam which was routinely assigned the number RM-2493 added
further confusion regarding the issue of religious programming. The
petitioners asked:
* That the FCC inquire into operating practices of
stations licensed to religious organizations.
* That no new licenses be granted for any new
noncommercial educational broadcasting station, until the requested
inquiry had been completed.
The "Lansman-Milam petition" was denied by the FCC on
August 1, 1975.
* The Commission explained then that it is required by
the First Amendment "to observe a stance of neutrality toward religion,
acting neither to promote nor to inhibit religion."
* It also explained that it must treat religious and
secular organizations alike in determining their eligibility for
broadcasting channels.
Periodically since 1975, the FCC has received mail
indicating that, in many parts of the country, there were rumors claiming
the petitions of RM-2493 had called for an end to religious programs on
radio and television. Such rumors are false.
Additional mail and telephone calls came in from people
who thought that Ms. O'Hair was a sponsor of RM-2493. This rumor is also
false.
Since 1975 to the present time, the FCC has received
and responded to millions of inquiries about these rumors. Many efforts
have been made by the FCC to advise the public of their falsehood. The
laws and the FCC's policies on the broadcast of religious programming have
appeared in numerous publications (including newspapers, religious
publications, TV Guide and Time Magazine) and have been discussed in
religious group meetings.
Christians who
thoughtlessly pass on these email chain letter hoaxes are guilty of
spreading false rumours and causing disruption, unnecessary costs and
expenses to others. Such actions and activities can find no support or
endorsement in the Bible or teaching of the Church.
The best place for these sort of email
chain letters is the same as for the old print chain letters - the bin,
the trash can (and don’t forget to empty it!).
The following websites are worth noting, as
sites dealing with this hoax:
http://netsquirrel.com/combatkit/ohair.html
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/fcc.htm
Also check the FFC’s own Internet website
on: http://www.fcc.gov/ and especially
the hoax page:
http://www.fcc.gov/mmb/enf/forms/rm-2493.html
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