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.

Good points, almond. That CofE ad is "preaching to the choir." The Methodist one I linked to, by contrast, is clearly aimed at the general public and is seeking to make the church appear welcoming to newcomers.

The general public were never their intended audience. The intended audience are church members. By making up this story that the advert has been banned, they make the church members feel victimised and increase their commitment to the group

This would go some way to explain why the C of E have framed the objections to the advert in terms of offence rather than the more likely objection of inappropriate and irritating. It has more of a narrolological punch if you adopt the language of persecution.

Yes I'd have no issue at all with that Methodist advert being on at the cinema before a movie. The CoE prayer one feels much more coercive to me. Like the difference between learning about religion at school and being told it's true and you must participate in worship.

btw my children have been in a school system (in Canada which has secular schooling except if you pay for it) with no carols and instead lots of dire Santa songs. As a non Santa follower I found the Santa stuff much more objectionable than many carols, mostly because both the tunes and words were really dire though!

Totally agree with you Ego, and massively misses the point that both carol and church services are occasions where people choose to be exposed to Christian messages. People won't be going to see Star Wars in order to hear a prayer!

Also agree re the Paris reference, but I except that the Archbishop really does believe that lots and lots of people want to be exposed to praying but don't know that enough to actually bother to go to church.

Yes, causing offence has nothing to do with it.

The cinemas are a private company and have made the decision to toe no political or religious party line.

Actually I think it's a bit disingenuous to say that offense has nothing to do with the decision. It sounds like the reason for this decision was feedback after the Scottish referendum when cinema goers fed back that they really disliked having political adverts before their movies. Whether we call that dislike irritation or offense is a bit pedantic.

Would it make the church feel better to be told their prayer is irritating and inappropriate I wonder? Is it easier to feel attacked if you think that your lovely prayer is felt to be offensive or just annoying?

This advert is about as "offensive" as a carol service or church service on Christmas Day

Both of which are optional.

As for the Bishop's remark that the public need to watch the film themselves - they can, on YouTube.

Alternatively, churches could show the video and invite the public to go and see it.

If the assertion that they wanted to put it on before Star Wars is correct and it is not just a calculated strategy to advertise based on a 'ban' then I think badly of them anyway. Putting it on before Star Wars means it is deliberately targeted at children.

Stay away from kids with your indoctrinating rubbish. If your religion is so great, so correct why do you have to initiate people into it as infants and brainwash them as children? What happened to respecting freedom of religion, which includes the freedom to not have one?

It's a blood dear night out, I do not want to have a religious advert on before my film. That s not the place. It ant just that, the cinema has a policy of not advertising any religions. They are just enforcing their policy -thank goodness--

I tend to agree that it's likely that the controversy, not the ad, was the church's aim. Earned coverage (via PR dressed up as 'news' for example) is shown to be much more effective in persuasion than paid for, and the group dynamics mentioned by other posters also come into play.

You very rarely get an ad campaign these days that isn't backed by a PR push. Quite a few are nearly this cynical.

There are fewer things more excruciating to see than Christians ashamed to celebrate their faith or apologetic about its proclamation.

Shameful.

really faberge? I can think of much worse.

I find plenty more things excruciating tbh

Celebrate away.

Just respect the fact it is your faith and not necessarily other people's.

Your right to practise your religion does not include the right to impose it on other people.

Well, hello, Faberge!

I apologise for not having read all 15 pages. I think it could be propaganda. Daily Mail screams the Muslims are offended and the whole country feels Christian and patriotic. Then we can spend billions bombing in the name of ISIL and nobody will complain.

As an atheist and secularist, I can't stand it when Christians and other religious people whine about offence. Go away if you can't handle it.

As such, I will not myself use "offence" as a justification for silence. I can certainly see why cinemas don't want to get involved, but the advert is hardly offensive.

I can't stand the C of E privileged position in our country, but this is a weird place to take that stand. My sympathy starts only in that context: as an irrational push back against an organization that tries to elbow it's way into public life and policy.

You won't be observing Christmas then, redstrawberry. Good for you!