Blasphemy

Blasphemy

The Christian Institute published a short piece of news today regarding updates to the BBFC guidance. The BBFC is the British Board of Film Classification and it sets the rating of TV shows and Films in the UK.

The BBFC guidance states the following:

Words you may hear in a U rated film or TV show may include: ‘damn’, ‘hell’, ‘God’, ‘Jesus Christ’. We know that some people find these words particularly offensive, but our research shows us that the majority of parents are comfortable with their children hearing them in U rated films.

That the majority of parents would not find the careless use of words such as 'God' and 'Jesus Christ' particularly offensive should not be surprising - committed followers of Jesus Christ are a minority in this country. What is surprising (at least on one level) is the double-standard when it comes to other minorities.

It is hard to imagine that the BBFC would say the same regarding such words as 'Muhammad' and 'Allah.’ And we all know why - it is all too obvious the potential violence that would result.

This is problematic because this means that the BBFC is effectively sending the message that the only way to be respected in our society is to react violently to disrespect. Besides this, the BBFC is also teaching children (and adults for that matter) that certain sorts of disrespect are ‘universally’ acceptable i.e. not disrespectful at all.

We are commanded not to take God’s Name in vain but, instead, to revere it as holy (Exodus 20:7). One way we can do this is writing to the BBFC and pointing out their inconsistency. Contact details for them can be found here.