Hate Radio (and TV)

Hate radio, as Fog calls it, may be creating a lot of hate, but have you considered what some of our esteemed religious leaders are doing to promote the cause of hate? (We'll get to hate TV a moment.)

These people would be the last place anyone should look for any kind of example to our young people.

Here are some examples I picked out of today's paper.

We all heard about Falwell's comments [on 60 Minutes] where he said Mohammed was a terrorist.

That set off riots around the world and removed a lot of doubt around the world on whether this country hates Muslims.

Then there's Pat Roberson who called Mohammed "a robber and a brigand."

If that wasn't enough, he went on to say Islam was "a monumental scam."

This is the same guy who went on TV and blamed 9/11 on abortionists, gays, lesbians, feminists, the ACLU, and People For the American Way.

These guys are starting riots and they have the nerve to point the finger at others.

...What's scary is that they have thousands of followers and rake in millions of dollars to promote their warped views.

Islamic fundamentalists are having a field day with such comments, and it only justifies the causes of the terrorist fringe.

This also makes it very hard for the 1.2 billion peace loving Muslims around the world to try to temper the fundamentalist rhetoric of those who have terrorist tendencies.

But, it's not just right-wing nuts that are setting new lows in religious tolerance.

The Rev. David Benkie, a Lutheran, was condemned by fellow ministers for taking part in a prayer service in Yankee Stadium after 9/11 to pray and sing patriotic songs.

Six pastors from the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod are trying to have him bounced out of his church because he "participated in idolatry by participating with non-Christians." Since this involved standing alongside "heretics" and standing in silence as others such as Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Christians of other denominations prayed, he "participated in idolatry," and they want him thrown out of the church.

Hate TV?

This kind of hate speech is not just confined to radio, of course. Many examples could be cited from TV.

For example, according to a tally by three University of Indiana scholars, the very popular Fox News' host, Bill O'Riley, averages 8.88 instances of name calling per minute and one insult every 6.8 seconds.

Is it any wonder that hate crimes are at a all-time high in the United States?

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