Kathy Griffin is an Infidel

News Flash: Kathy Griffin is a comic. A large component of being a comic is irreverence. A comic makes fun of people and things that are taken too seriously. And for the record, Kathy Griffin is often the butt of her own jokes.

If you're completely unaware, because you follow real news or something, Kathy Griffin won an Emmy for Best Reality Series, My Life on the D-List. Last year she was nominated, but lost, and stormed out of the ceremony in mock protest. This year she won and said, in part, "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." She went on to say, "Jesus can suck it," and, "this is my god now." Her comments, as I guess could be predicted, have sparked controversy. Christian theater groups such as The Miracle Theater in Pigeon Forge, TN, spent more than $90,000 to take out a full-page ad in USA Today protesting Griffin's comments.

If you visit the theater group's website, you'll see that it's a modest operation, presenting Christian theatrical events. Apparently there's more in the offing than just Godspell. Who knew? But there are several questions that just beg to be asked:

1) Where is this group when performers are thanking Jesus, taking the Lord's name in vain, when accepting their little gold idols? What are the chances that these same performers are in The Shrine Auditorium (oh, the irony of that name) more often than they are in some clapboard chapel?

2) a. Ninety thousand dollars is a lot of money for any organization. Where did a Christian theater troupe in Pigeon Forge, TN come up with that kind of money, and b. is buying an ad in USA Today really the best, most Christian use of that money? Well, it might be if you were more interested in drawing attention to your little theater group than you were about doing the Lord's work.

3) The president of The Catholic League Bill Donahue called Griffin's comments, "vulgar, in-your-face brand of hate speech." Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the Catholic Church the inventor and flag-ship franchise owner of "vulgar, in-your-face brand of hate speech?"

However, what is significant in all of this is that Griffin's comments were edited from the broadcast of the ceremony.

In New York there is legislation outlawing the words, "bitch," and "nigger." These words would be illegal to use. Illegal words.

Kathy Griffin's comments were arguably in bad taste. Not only is the use of the words "nigger" and "bitch" in bad taste, they are the hallmark of an undeveloped mind. But being vulgar and ignorant is an American birthright. The way to stop such vulgarity and ignorance isn't through censorship, but through education.

And that's where this all comes apart. Education requires that you take responsibility for acting It requires The Miracle Theater to spend time articulating why Griffin's comments were offensive. It requires them to demonstrate a respect for someone who may not necessarily be exhibiting respectable behavior. It requires them to honor the right to free speech, even above their hurt feelings. However, it's easier to demand that someone stop doing something, to condemn someone (THAT is certainly what Jesus would have done), than it is to approach a conflict with patience and understanding.

I have no idea if The Miracle Theater does good work or if it's an organization that fronts Christian values in order to raise money. I'll assume that their Christian mission is sincere. But I have to ask, with all that's going on in the world today, does Jesus really have time to worry about Kathy Griffin's comments? And if He, Himself is offended by them, wouldn't he be a gentleman about it and address his concerns privately with Ms. Griffin?