Cinema ban on the Lord's Prayer

[Leafitout]

Surely if anyone finds this advert offensive they can choose not to watch it. I can't see the problem with showing it.

I presume that people also have no issue with primary children singing songs that are from other religions or saying prayers from other religions?

Fine with me, except that it's a total waste of time. In my view the whole compulsory act of worship rule should be scrapped anyway.

If people were amenable to listening to the Lord's Prayer before they watched a movie at the cinema then you can put good money on the fact that the cinema chains would be hammering that untapped gold mine of pre-movie prayer in a heartbeat. But they know it will piss off enough of the audience that it is not commercially viable.

I would be less inclined to go to the cinema if I thought that various religions were going to sell me their God while I'm tucking into popcorn. I'm there to be entertained, not converted.

And if the CofE have to resort to cinema advertising because can't maintain their market share of religious people despite owning a monopoly on religious worship in our schools then they need to change their product.

cinema attendance is voluntary. The C of E and prayer should be banned in school, not cinemas.

Ego,
I have to agree with you. I love that DD learns about all religions, most of them are really interesting and have great stories.
The nativity and a few christmas carols great!

Teaching our kids that one religion is actually the truth rather than just something that some people believe - not on at all.

You can have an assembly without praying and hymns

As for cinemas - I have never read a film review that says great film but could have done with a bit more god in the trailers- prayers don't belong in cinemas

If the school is forbiddîng the children from singing songs mentioning God, then they are breaking the law. If the school is choosing not to for whatever reason, they are not. Which is why we need clarification- which I doubt we will get.

Winterval, anyone?

I agree with all the points about religious observance and worship having no place in schools. I have withdrawn my children (at their request) from religious observance but I haven't (at their request) from Religious Education.

DS2 (14) particularly enjoys it, especially the debate and argument of it all. He likes to quote Richard Dawkins from time to time since he is his current favourite scientist.

bert Ive said it right through this thread, I'm not a christian. I just think it's sad that those kids can't sing traditional christmas carols that have anything to do with god, no doubt because someone was offended . We used to have carol concerts in primary school, i doubt any of us were damaged by it or felt we had Jesus rammed down our throats. I have no agenda here, I was merely stating my views. I'm not in England or Wales HTH to clarify

Refusing to have carols sung publicly isn't breaking the law. However, what m1nnie said was that her children "aren't allowed to sing about God".

They aren't allowed to sing songs about god, thats what she said. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be lying about that so someone has obviously told them that. She wouldn't have any agenda either, neither of her parents are religious or particularly anti it either. I doubt they would be offended if she and her classmates sung about a 'holy night' but i can only presume that someone is before they have stopped it/banned it (same thing really).

I cannot believe what I am reading. Just what is offensive in hearing the leading prayer of the Christian religion? It contains only words of gentleness and non violence by Jesus Christ who is revered even in the Koran as a prophet. I am offended by this decision.

Seriously? You don't understand what could be offensive to people about the use of a Christian prayer to advertise a religion?

Do you not understand that human rights provisions to protect religiosity include protection for people who do not have any religion? We have rights not to have other people's religions foisted on us and religious people have to respect that just as much as non-religious people's right to practise religion has to be respected by us.

If someone's protected beliefs interfere with their ability to practice their profession they should not be allowed to practice their profession in that area IMO. Very religious people who will not have anything to do with abortion should not work in areas of healthcare where that will mean their beliefs are made into the patient's problem - particularly in general practice is this a problem IMO. No woman seeking advice on abortion should ever have unwarranted and unprofessional religious views foisted on them.

I have no patience for people being denied services or healthcare based essentially on personal religious or other prejudice.

i'm not christian.. in fact i really dont like the christian religion, considering it views people of my faith as devil worshippers.

I dont walk around preaching about the value of praying to my Goddess, or thanking the sun when he rises, or praying to the moon. I don't extol the virtues of having an altar, or casting spells.

I certainly dont do any of that on a big screen where you've paid to have some leisure time.

Religion and faith should be private, its yours, keep it to yourself. If people WANT to seek it out, there are plenty of places to go. The cinema is NOT one of them.

They aren't allowed to sing songs about god, thats what she said.

But how are they complying with their duties re: acts of worship?

It might be true that a school has done this, but it is difficult to understand how they have done this within the law.

If I am allowed to screen some of the Life of Brian as a cinema advert, you can have the prayer advert. And yes, I would happily pay for this.

If people were amenable to listening to the Lord's Prayer before they watched a movie at the cinema then you can put good money on the fact that the cinema chains would be hammering that untapped gold mine of pre-movie prayer in a heartbeat. But they know it will piss off enough of the audience that it is not commercially viable.

Completely agree, and think it would annoy as many non C of E religious people as agnostics and atheists.

Same would apply to politics - cinema chains may have shown party political broadcasts, but they probably annoy most of the audience.

Perhaps they have an act of worship that doesn't involve singing songs.

Oh. So your assertion that they "aren't allowed to sing songs about God" is based on something a primary school child told you-and you were prepared to start a winterval-type rumour based on nothing but that. Right. Well, how about you give the school a ring, establish the facts then come back.

M1nnie did say she is not in England or Wales.

they are basically praising a deity for what they have done.

Has anyone told santa?

practice their profession in that area IMO.

Agreed. If someone holds those beliefs but apples for a job in a gyne ward, GP or theatre for example, they should accept that this will be part of their role. There are many areas in Health care where one would never be in the position of having to be actively involved in a termination. However, nurses can be moved to areas where this happens and have no say in it. I don't feel they should be forced to take part in it if they don't want to. There is no need for it.

I'll give you an example of a situation i witnessed. The nurse was moved from her own ward would never be terminations there to a gyne ward to help because they were short staffed. She had no issue with working there and caring for patients that were having terminations but wouldn't be willing to check their bedpans, administer medication that would start the process or assess the product after, I don't know if it was for religious or personal reasons. No one took issue with this except one HCA. Do you really think she should have been forced to do those things because it was 'part of her job'? I don't and thankfully neither do most in the profession, hence the rule. It doesn't mean she was foisting anything on them, she was perfectly professional in her manner to those patients. Thats the only example I've seen in my career. They used to ask any staff there temporarily if they had any issue with it, i don't know if that's still the case.

There are no com parables to this situation that I can think of except euthanasia which currently isn't an issue.

bert That's how it is, it's not a secret. Believe it or not, it's entirely up to you. I don't know what a winterval rumour is, i'm pretty sure i wasn't starting one

I certainly won't phone the school, i think it's sad but it really doesn't keep me awake at night

The USA seems to cope very well with separating religion and State.

Not sure about that - a bit of c of e at school seems to be quite a good antidote to religious fervour!

I'm a Christian and c of e.

I do not feel offended by the fact some cinemas have decided not to show this advert.

The makers of the ad didn't check the small print and should not be spinning it as another poor persecuted Christians thing. Because it's not a chilling eg of loss of free speech. It's simply a cinema keeping to its t and cs for advertising.

I would like to see tory broadcasts in cinemas. That would make me very cross and spoil my enjoyment of the film. I do not think people should have to sit through this advert if it will offend or annoy. We Christians seem to do a good enough job in annoyance as it is, why add more?

I'm a bit annoyed about the whole thing myself, because as from this thread I get thrown in with the -poor-persecuted-thick-deluded-believers thing.

The ad's ok in itself. Not for a cinema audience.

And relax.