You’ll have to wait for next week to see our full coverage of NBC’s “The Book of Daniel,” a drama premiering Jan. 6 about Daniel, an Epsicopal priest dealing with life at home and at his parish. But the inevitable barrage of attacks has begun–the American Family Association is urging the faithful to email NBC to protest the show, saying it “mocks” and “demeans” Christianity–so I figured I’d weigh in now.
After watching a couple of preview episodes, I can say definitively that many people will be offended by “Book of Daniel.” Which is not the same as saying the show is insensitive, mean, or inherently offensive. There’s no way around offending some people, whenever religion is portrayed in pop-culture. And “Book of Daniel” clearly isn’t going for the “Seventh Heaven” or “Touched by an Angel” audience. Its characters–just about all of them, including the clergy members–engage in activities that are decidedly un-Christian. But what seems to have the AFA most riled up is that Christ himself appears as a character; depicted as the cliched long-haired, bearded man in robes, Jesus appears only to Daniel, providing counsel and cracking jokes.
So is “Book of Daniel” insensitive? Does it mock religion? I’m not a Christian, so you can take my opinions with whatever grain of salt you’d like, but I am a person of faith whose job, and passion, focuses on faith and pop-culture. That said, onto “Daniel”: I liked it much more than I expected. If you go into it thinking, “Oh good, a show about Christians and a church,” than yes, you will be offended. But that’s not what the show is; the series may focus on a church community, but it’s a soap opera, with all the raunchiness that entails. And as such, it has characters whose problems and behavior are over the top: adultery, drug use, premarital sex, addiction… it’s all there in droves.
We all know that even priests are fallible humans, and some of them do bad things (to put it mildly). So simply depicting members of the clergy misbehaving should not be considered inherently offensive. You may say, “In reality, most people of faith are fine, spiritually pure people, but this show implies that all of them are up to no good.” Sure, but it’s a soap opera. Does Wisteria Lane (of “Desperate Housewives” fame) accurately depict your block? If so, I’d recommend you relocate, quickly, before the murder, adultery, and violence infect you. What sets “Book of Daniel” apart, in my mind, is that these characters strive to do better and to be better. Amidst the absurd soap-opera dramas, they discuss theology, faith, God, relationships, and self-improvement. The world they live in is one of responsibility and consequences, even if they don’t live up to their own ideals so much of the time. Who among us does?
As for Jesus, he is intended to be Daniel’s image of Christ. The conversations are in his head, and this is his personal relationship with Jesus. You can call it simplistic, even theologically questionable, but isn’t every Christian supposed to have a personal relationship with Christ? Daniel’s is unabashed, unapologetic, and so real as to be visible to him.
Lastly, to the show’s credit, it’s not focusing on some unspecified type of Christian community. It’s Episcopalian. You can’t fault Daniel for welcoming gay parishioners, or even for tacitly endorsing premarital sex in a committed relationship (though it’s not yet clear from the show where he really stands on this). Like so many faith communities, the Episcopal Church has seen intense debate over social issues, and Daniel stands squarely within his denomination, or at least one major part of it. And–again, to its credit–the show depicts internal debate and opposition on these issues.
I’m not trying to say it’s a great or sophisticated show, though I do think it’s a cut above most of what’s out there. But mocking of Christianity? Hardly. “Book of Daniel” takes religion very seriously and treats it respectfully, in the context of soap opera conventions, at least. Its depiction of faith may not reflect how we all see ourselves in the mirror, and setting a soap-opera at a church may be too big of a hurdle for some people. So don’t watch it. But let the rest of us enjoy.
posted December 29, 2005 at 8:43 pm
I urge all of you who value your rights as TV-watching citizens to e-mail NBC and tell them not to cave to the AFA. I just did!>
posted January 4, 2006 at 5:56 pm
You would not believe the uproar over this show being aired here in the buckle of the Bible belt – eastern North Carolina. These rightwingers won’t even wait to see what the show is really about before launcing some smear campaign. As a progressive Roman Catholic I am excited to see a show that will engage people in dialogue about faith, religion, and spirituality instead of the inspipid stuff shown on network tv today. I say “Kudos” to NBC and the writers of this show, for having the insight to produce such a program. It is when one stops seeking answers that one truly ends the spiritual journey.>
posted January 6, 2006 at 4:02 pm
I am not sure if I will like the show or if I will find it offensive. I will watch the show and see if do. Much like Lynn mentions I hope it opens up questions and gets people wanting to know more. And I agree with Kress that the life of Daniel doesn’t reflect a Christian ideal, but it does reflect (through a Soap Oprea lense) the a real Christian life, filled with conflict and hardship. I have a feeling I won’t like the show largely due to the fact that is seems to be very Soap Opera-ish. I used to watch 7th Heaven and enjoyed it, but it slowly turned into the same Soap Opera feeling and I no longer watch it. I hope it turns our to be a good show that show people trying to be like Christ. I also hope people try to be like Christ and stop critisizing things they don’t know about (haven’t seen the show yet.)>
posted January 6, 2006 at 4:28 pm
Well I know that there are a lot of things going on in this world that we don’t want to know about but, I do not think we need to keep putting things on the TV for our children to watch that isn’t necessary. I also know that if a parent isn’t at home when these programs come on the child is going to watch it if they can get away with it. I for one wish that there where less programs on the TV about such things that are going to be shown on The Book of Daniel and also othere prigrams with sex and crime, don’t people understand that kids get ideas while watching these programs. How many programs that have been aired are used by kids to do what they watch on the TV. Killings, pulling off bank heists, steeling from one another, etc. Now you can’t pray in school, you are not supposed to go by the ten commandments, or display it, no Merry Christmas, no Christmas Tree, after all these centuries of having these sayings and things now they are changing them why? What makes now better than before? Didn’t our forfathers die for these freedoms and things that are changing? Why do we have a right to watch or not watch things on the television that are not good or really interesting for our children? Why not educate them in a better way about religion differences?>
posted January 6, 2006 at 4:32 pm
Good points Virgina. I would agree that there are many things on television that I do not wish my children to watch until they are more mature (including 7th Heaven.) For now I don’t have to worry about it too much since they are young and I still control what what and when. Perhaps in the future I will more interested in TV lock-out applications where I can control what my kids watch. But even without that, my parents had some way of keeping me from watching shows they did not approve of. I need to figure out what they did.>
posted January 7, 2006 at 5:16 am
Kudos to NBC for being bold!I am a cradle Episcapalian and the daughter of a priest. We were very human in our home and far from perfect{like most Christans if they tell the truth.}Our church has been cutting edge my whole life and has grappled with hard issues. The process continues today . I hope Book Of Daniel flies. Remember it is only a T.V. show>
posted January 7, 2006 at 7:12 pm
I saw the first two episodes last night. I would think that the fundamentalists would be jumping up and down to see Episcopalians portrayed as drug-addled, hard-drinking adulterers with HO-MO-SEKSHUAL children. Never mind that is the condition of many people in America. The biggest problem the show has is in its telling of the story. Either bad writing or bad editing leaves holes big enough to throw an ark through. As for the depiction of Jesus, I doubt many Episcopal priests imagine him this way. “Joan of Arcadia” did a better job with this conceit and managed some moral complexity in the character.>
posted January 7, 2006 at 8:00 pm
Wow, now we have to go garbage picking to find religion on TV. What moral depravity.>
posted January 7, 2006 at 9:21 pm
Who wrote this show? I would hope that the general population would know that when a brother makes a sexual advance to his sister that it is INCEST! This show demeans all adoptive families. Adoption is a legally binding way to form a family. Siblings are legally brother and sister. This show is very disturbing on all levels. Is this really 2006? I called NBC and left a voice mail since I was not able to get an email to go through.>
posted January 7, 2006 at 10:01 pm
My biggest reaction is that the very same people who are overreacting and trying to get Book of Daniel banned are the ones who so vociferously defended Mel Gibson’s rights to both free speech and artistic expression when he came out with The Passion of Christ. They were correct to defend Gibson’s right to free expression. But in that controversy, no critic or detractor actually even suggested banning the film. The film’s critics were being attacked by the Right merely for criticizing it. But it seems that if the artist’s vision on a theological matter differs from their own conservative one, then censorship and banning are ok. That is a double standard. And they simply can’t have it both ways. Of course, they have every right to criticize the Book of Daniel. They can object to its message, its portrayal of religion and religious people, or even to its bad writing and unlikeable characters if they like. Criticism is fair game and conservative Christians have as much right to express their views as those who were critical of the Passion did. But neither group has the right to demand that a work be banned simply because they disagree with it.>
posted January 8, 2006 at 6:28 pm
Even if all the criticism is true, we should have the right to turn on or off our own TV. Parents—do you have no control over your children ? Our NBC affiliate chose not to even show the “Book of Daniel”. Thank Goodness for cable TV !! I do wish our NBC channel had had the guts to show this thought provoking and stimulating show. Yes !!! Christians are supposed to listen to Jesus talking to them !!! And they are supposed to be tolerant. Instead of constantly dwelling on the negative, why can’t they practice the positive aspects of their Faith?>
posted January 10, 2006 at 4:14 pm
Ah, yet again, the fundamentalists and some conservatives fail to remember that the remote does have, not only an OFF button, but a channel changer, either up or down. WHY, exactly, does this show bother those people so much? Is it because they think they’ll go to hell if they watch and laugh? God has a sense of humor; why do you think Dubya is president?>
posted January 10, 2006 at 6:00 pm
“Well I know that there are a lot of things going on in this world that we don’t want to know about but, I do not think we need to keep putting things on the TV for our children to watch that isn’t necessary.” Then don’t let them watch it. Sheesh, how simple is THAT? Or maybe you just don’t want your children to know that maybe they come from a real family, complete with drug-addicted daughters, a gay son, etc.>
posted January 12, 2006 at 2:10 pm
Michael, I have not and will not watch “Desparate Housewives” for the same reason I will not watch “the Book of Daniel”, they are both mocking things in my life I value greatly, my marriage and my religiosity. Why do producers of tv shows have to come up with shocking shows to keep us interested in tv? Why not more family oriented shows that bind people together, and have a more warm feeling about them? I think the rap music and sex industries (including soap operas) has changed the way people think and what many do. Many don’t care about doing good and noble things for others, they just think about themselves. That is the problem with much of American TV today. And it is all to shock us, and demoralize humanity and make fun of sinful things people do. Blessings to ya!!!>
posted January 17, 2006 at 1:34 am
I think this is one more tv show that is allowing our children to become more demoralized and if we continue to allow this kind of show’s on tv we are well on our way to “HELL”. TV now is where we watch sex, violance, filthy words, same sex relationships, nudity and the more we watch we be come desensatized to all of it and it doesn’t seem so wrong any more.Is America going to become the next Sodom and Gomorrah where God won’t be able to find even ten good people? It’s time we wake up and and start doing what we should do as Christian’s and get rid of shows like the Book of Daniel. God help us all if we don’t. Jane>