The very fact that in our culture someone can speak so crassly, while receiving an award on national TV—let alone it being about Jesus—reminds me why I plan to raise my family in an Amish village.
God bless.

Griffen said she was parodizing ‘starlets’ who thank Jesus for winning their awards on show biz award shows. As with many comedianes who use offending words and outrageous routines to get a laugh, they sometimes get carried away with trying to top their last performance. She went a little over, and I think she knows that, but in showbiz it’s another world, and her atheist beliefs came to the fore, and Jesus was her fall-guy this time. He’s a big person, Jesus, and I think he understands how repressed she feels. It was a joke people, get over it, even if you were shocked and feel disrespected. “Turn your Cheek”.

Why is Jesus worthy of respect simply because some people think he is their “Savior”? Sorry, but people of all religions criticize each other’s deities all the time, and we hear no word of it. When did a Christian last show respect to Zeus or Thor, or even Satan – who is also some people’s “Savior”. The hypocrisy reeks.
Besides that – the whole idea of people thanking Jesus for their Emmy is simply absurd. I guess both God, Jesus, Allah and all the rest have nothing better to do, I guess they spend all their time ensuring people get Emmys and win football games, while ignoring those dying in mine disasters.

I think Ms Griffin was on the D-list for a reason, and it had little to do with her religious persuasion. (an aside – has anyone noticed how many people parochial schools have doone for atheism?). Mostly it has to do with her lousy timing and sense of when something is appropriate. In some ways she is funny, and her remark, though poorly delivered, was a parody on celebrity honorifics for Jesus.
However, as hey say, the only bad publicity is no publicity, so the remark has made its goal. She is being noticed. Only silence will still her.
Sure she said something dumb, poorly timed, and improperly spoken. But lets not make Jesus into some limp shadow that has to be protected from every comic, cartoonist, and monologuist. Believe in his divinity or not, on some level, I bet in J at least smiled at her remark.

“Is Griffin just trying to cash in at Jesus’ expense?”
Either Jesus is still in some sense “living” or not (I choose not). If he is, he’s beyond being nicked by a comedienne. If he’s not, same deal in a different way. So that’s a stupid statement.
‘Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of CLAL, a New York-based Jewish think tank, found Griffin’s remarks offensive but pointed out that “peddling anger and offense is simply her stock in trade.”‘
I fail to see why he’d find the remarks offensive unless he’s worried that people might start seeing the idiocy of other religions, too.

“I fail to see why he’d find the remarks offensive unless he’s worried that people might start seeing the idiocy of other religions, too.”
People don’t agree with you, and so they’re idiots? You know, Nnmns, I think you really do believe in God, you’ve just never realized you’re not Him.
May He bless you anyway.

For those without a sense of humour or the ability to see beyond their own religious blindfold, she was doing a parody of all those celebrities who’ve never stepped foot in a Church (but have been photographed in more than a few bars, drunk and high off their bums) but who squeal ‘thank Jesus’ for no other reason than it sounds good when receiving an award. She was drawing a very real comparison to these people, and sending a message as well.
If these religious-fundamentalists could sit down and relax for half a second, they might even applaud Kathy’s words and openly question the sudden “devotion” Hollywood Celebrities show when accepting their awards, before quickly going back to living very un-Christian lives.
But of course, that would take real integrity. It is much easier to throw stones and condemnation.
>>> From the article: “She [Griffin] wants to stick it to Christians,” fumed Kiera McCaffrey of the New York-based Catholic League.
Kathy’s mother is a devout Catholic. She was raised in a Catholic household. She draws on her personal life and experiences when making her points and jokes; so yes, many of her comments on religion are central to Christianity. (But not exclusively, if Mrs. McCaffrey knew anything about Kathy Griffin.)
>>> In short, Jesus deserves a certain level of respect. That’s what hurt — not angered — Russ Hollingsworth, general manager of The Miracle Theater in Nashville, Tenn., which bought a full-page ad in USA Today taking Griffin to task.
But again, his man sees nothing wrong with spouting the name Jesus when somebody wins an Emmy, and then gets arrested for beating their spouse/kids, or driving drunk and high down the wrong side of the street, a week later. Class all the way, eh?
And I’m sure Kathy is loving the attention. She IS a comedian. You should check out her rant about Whitney Huston – it will make you wet yourself! (YouTube it.) Oh, and her spiel about Ryan Seacrest… classic!
>>> “There’s a line that our culture really shouldn’t cross,” he said. “Kind of like walking by a funeral and shouting obscenities at a family. That’s something we don’t do.”
Self-proclaimed Christians have been in the news around the country repeatedly for doing just that, particularly at funerals of gay people and fallen soldiers, and yet they are protected by Freedom of Speech. So, you are telling me that people who scream, “Thank God for IEDs” at the funeral of a soldier, or “Thank God For AIDS” at the funeral of a homosexual, are less offensive than Mrs. Griffin’s statement about Jesus? (Obviously not spoken in seriousness.) Nice to know where your priorities are.
Kathy Griffith is a hilarious woman with an amazing talent and razor-sharp wit. Thank god for Kathy!

‘”I fail to see why he’d find the remarks offensive unless he’s worried that people might start seeing the idiocy of other religions, too.”
People don’t agree with you, and so they’re idiots? You know, Nnmns, I think you really do believe in God, you’ve just never realized you’re not Him. ”I fail to see why he’d find the remarks offensive unless he’s worried that people might start seeing the idiocy of other religions, too.”
People don’t agree with you, and so they’re idiots? You know, Nnmns, I think you really do believe in God, you’ve just never realized you’re not Him. ’
Joey, you are right; that may have been harsh. So let me apologize to all religions that have no idiocy.

Characterizing the pig Griffin’s comment about The Lord as a “joke” is nearly as bad as the comment itself…not incomprehensible from the lukewarm state of the Church, but a telling measurment!

If she was sent to Catholic school I can see how she would be angry and rebellious.
I hope Christians don’t continue to take themselves too seriously, like the muslims do. That behaviour belongs in the dark ages.

“So let me apologize to all religions that have no idiocy.”
oh ouch. cat fight.

Nighlad,
I got’ta argue the brilliance of her humor. She may have a few amusing things to say, and she has made me laugh once in a while. But she is not as brilliant, as in making you think, laugh, and blow beer out your nose as say, Stephen Wright or Robin Williams.
Something else, I think she was funnier before she had all of the plastic surgery. Some self-deprecation goes a long way. Simply ranting about people is not funny. There are times when Lewis Black is actually funny, but often his hysteria is simply loud and odious.
Humor is based on the same root word as humanity. So pointng out our human-ness is funny. Making fun of people can be funny. Making fun of yourself can be funnier. But making people feel better and more postivie is the Holy Grail of comedy. In many ways, I think Jesus accomplished this (though he certainly employed the other two strategies as well). Were Jesus not able to do this he would not have been so popular – and his death so sad. Therefore, I expect Jesus would even get a kick out of Griffin’s remarks. It’s not like she really said anything out J, she actually was cutting the starlets, atheletes and rock stars who toast J when they win. No one says, THANK you Jesus for making me humble by losing this award to some souless hack who is only on screen because they are famous”.
Lighten up folks – let God be God and we may all have a good laugh. And lets get busy on a new religion that is based SOLELY (souly) on idiocy. Even the Flying Spaghetti Monster and Frisbeetarianism has serious adherents. I propose devotion to Duct tape, except there is already a reforming group devoted to Duck tape.

‘I’d like to thank Gawd for our Super Bowl win.’
What, ya mean God hated the losing team? Or didn’t the losing tem pray hard enough?
“the pig Griffin’s …”
Ah, THERE’s that ‘Christian’ charity we’ve heard so much of.

Congratulations to Ms Griffin on her award and to a very classy Jesus for not commenting on the brouhaha.

Why are some Christians so insecure in their faith that they are offended by these kind of remarks?

Jestrfyl;
Robin Williams… I heard a lot about how funny he is, until I actually watched some of his comedy. Meh. It takes more than funny voices and an awful lot of swearing to make me chuckle. The thing I find funny about Ms. Griffin’s comedy is that it is all based in truth – things that have happened directly to her, usually involving celebrities.
And the thing I really like about her, is that she just doesn’t care. If somebody is an ass, no matter how big their star, she will tell it like it is. How many people are willing to do that these days in the media? She does not kiss butt to anyone. There is a reason she has been banned from nearly every day-time talk show.
The thing I find really funny about all this “suck it” hoopla is the amount of people who don’t realize the context of the statement. “Suck It” was the name of one of her biggest comedy tours. People had “Suck It” written on their shirts, hats, bags, etc. The fact that she said, “Suck It Jesus” was in reference to that, not that most of the people griping would take the time to look into it. However, I’d think even the most sensitive individual would understand that she was not being serious when she commented that the Emmy was her “new god”.

Henrietta,
‘Couldn’t agree with you more.
While I do understand the desire for civilized and respectful public discourse, this was not “discourse,” it was a crass woman going too far, which is how comedians behave. In this country, she is free to do so.
It always amazes me when people think they have to defend Jesus. He can handle himself, and her disrespect doesn’t diminish him at all.

“Why are some Christians so insecure in their faith that they are offended by these kind of remarks? ”
Sagenav, it isnt insecurity. it’s the kind of outrage you feel when someone talks badly about your mother or best friend. i’m defensive of people i love. and i love Jesus with such a personal devotion, that yeah, i feel a little peeved when someone says something insulting. if you told my mamma to “suck it” you would be smart to walk away really fast. why should i be less defensive of the GOD to whom my life dedicated to?

Kathy Griffin simply said what a lot of us in the audience for awards shows are thinking. God likely has more to worry about than whether or not some hack comedian won some silly award. Griffin wasn’t really making fun of Jesus, she was making fun of the people who get up to the podium at an awards show or the athletes on a winning team who say something like, “First I wanna thank Jesus…”. As if Jesus had anything to do with their award or victory. I think she was simply stating that she felt that her Emmy was due entirely to her own talent and effort and not divine intervention.

sorry, that is my comment above.
:It always amazes me when people think they have to defend Jesus. He can handle himself, and her disrespect doesn’t diminish him at all.:
sure He can defend Himself,( so can my mom ) again, it isnt about Him needing my defense, just my wanting to give it.

The Miracle Theater in Pigeon Forge spent $90,440 on a full-page advertisement in USA Today that ran nationally Monday, proclaiming “enough is enough.”
Boy $90,440! That money could have been spent on a lot better things. The theater is sponsoring a petition on its Web site, http://www.miracletheater.com
So I went to sign this petition just to have my comment posted. I wrote:
“I’m a stand-up comic, and I understand both Kathy and your position. With all the different groups out there, it is exceeding difficult to not offend a few in a comedy career. Can’t we all just get along? It’s the Christian thing to do. I’m not surprised to hear that devout Christians are offended by Kathy’s remarks. I was talking to my Buddhist friend about it and he thought she was hysterical. The reality is that, no mater what your beliefs are, there are no shortage of people who DON’T AGREE WITH YOU. Surround yourself with people who do agree with your beliefs, and don’t fuss too much about the ones who don’t, because you can waste your entire lives arguing and getting nowhere. Making a national to do about all this just puts Kathy in the spotlight. Let’s face it, there are much worse celebrities out there driving drunk and endangering lives. If your beliefs are that Kathy will be going to hell for what she said, then that should be plenty. http://www.FunnyMexican.com”
Within a few minutes, my comment was pushed down to the next page because of all the offended Christians that signed after me. You’ll also find many other people who signed and like myself thought the Christian groups were overreacting.
Lastly I would like to point out the most entertaining bit of irony. Next to the AP news article is a Google sponsored ad list that says “Kathy Griffin Tickets – on sale now”

americans have really lowered the bar on what is acceptable entertainment.

The difference is God’s ways are documented, your so called progressive god is made up as you go.

/i/The difference is God’s ways are documented, your so called progressive god is made up as you go. /i/
Posted by: cknuck | September 22, 2007 8:06 PM”
So clearly, Dear Henrietta, there are no two ways to love and interpret God and His ways, and if you don’t get it, you’re just stupid or screwed…
Well, I did not see the award ceremony and only know about it from reading articles such as this, but I can tell you that it’s downright annoying when, for example, football players kneel down and cross themselves after they carry a touchdown, etc etc achievements on the playing field, as though God was routing for their team.
I hate having Jesus thrown in my face all the time. I hated the stupid tee-shirt I saw a pre-teen wearing the other day that said (a la “Got Milk?), “Got Jesus?” Tacky, tacky, tacky, just like all those similar bumper stickers.
If people would get their heads out of the ground and realize that it’s a great, big, diverse world out there with LOTS of different beliefs, maybe, MAYBE, it might just be a better world.

It’s one thing to talk about beliefs, but then there is God. I don’t fight about it like they are in the Middle East I just believe it and profess it. I would never call anyone stupid or anything else but I know what I know.

CK, it’s nice you’re confident in your beliefs, but so are others in theirs. I sure don’t understand your reference to the Middle East, though. However, saying “your so-called progressive God” is really quite demeaning and insulting.

It’s not an insult unless you take what you say to be an absolute, in that case; who is the fundamental? I state what I do not accept as truth and progressive God is one phrase I find to be a convenience for attempts to change the Christian God of the Bible (who by the way is the only Christian God despite what others try) to one’s will. Its my belief it disagrees with your so I’m not allowed to voice it?
In the Middle East people are fighting because of different beliefs I’m in the same world that is happening in aren’t I? I am insulted when people treat my Christian God in a casual way and make false claims about Him, but I don’t cry I state my belief all the more and refute that which I don’t believe with truths from the Bible. If claims don’t stand up to scripture don’t blame me. It can be acceptable by some people and unacceptable by others who live by the scriptures and not with a adjustable to my wants god

should be if my beliefs disagrees……

“americans have really lowered the bar on what is acceptable entertainment.”
They sure have, cknuck. Gosh, mass murder now passes for entertainment. American ‘entertainment’ GLORIFIES guns and violence.
“It’s not an insult unless you take what you say to be an absolute, in that case; who is the fundamental?”
YOU sure take what YOU say to be absolute, ck. So I guess the answer is YOU ARE.

I am but I don’t see all fundamentalist as bad, and I know who I am, my point is some are and don’t know it or won’t admit it. Just because a person is a liberal does not mean they are not fundamental in their belief but I’ve observed many liberal fundamentals throw the word at people as an insult or a weapon. It don’t bother me, I just find it funny that they are pointing one finger and three are pointing…
It’s like promoting homosexuality while they are a closet racist; I’ve seen it so many times.

How do people “promote” homosexuality? By talking about it?
I mean, it’s not like one could be swayed to become the ‘other’. Could YOU???

“It’s like promoting homosexuality while they are a closet racist; I’ve seen it so many times.”
You HAVE??? I NEVER have. Odd that. Usually if one is a racist, onew is likewise prejudiced about other minoritites. Care to reference some of the “many times” you’ve run into pro-gay racists???

Jeesh! Must everything be about sex? This article is about a cheesy comic whose one liner was made to invoke publicity. This article is all of 6 whole days old – if it were a fish even the cats wouldn’t eat it.
cknuck
I love your line “your progressive god is made up as you go”. That is actually awesome theology. I have long subscribed to the line “Behold, I make all things NEW!” God makes it up as we go along. It is only humanity that insists on doing the same fool thing over and over again – which, if we are expecting a different result is a sure sign of insanity. So, get with the new, the different, think outside the scripture, the pew, and the God-box Church. Sure, we may be just as anthropomorphic as the conservatives, and our God is a reflection of our ourselves, but also our greatest desire – but at least our God keeps working in our time, and pushes us long to the next Big thing. So you denigration is actually admiration. On behalf of all us liberal progressive types, I say, “Thank you, and welcome – we’re glad to have you along!”

Clap! Clap! Jestr, that was good! And now it’s eleven days old!!!