Submit Response is a weblog by Jack Mottram, a More On Christian Voice
It seems fair to say that the Christian Voice harassment of Maggie’s has backfired on them. A question in Parliament yesterday, by John Cryer, asking for a debate on the matter, reflects the press and public response:
My right hon. Friend will be aware of a bunch of fundamentalist thugs called Christian Voice, who have recently strong-armed a cancer charity into refusing a donation from the production “Jerry Springer—The Opera”. I do not care how good or bad the production is, but it should concern us all that a cancer charity of all things can be intimidated into that position by such a dodgy outfit. Can we have a debate on the matter?
It’s not just mildly rebellious Labour MPs having a go, either. Christian Today reports on mainstream Christian reaction, including the C of E response:
It is absolutely not what we would expect people in the Church of England to identify with as being a correct or kind way to behave towards others. People should be encouraged to show kindness and compassion to others and should not be in the business of stifling that.
If you want to follow the story, it looks like the best place to head is MediaWatchWatch, a weblog devoted to tracking the activities of fundamentalist Christian pressure groups, including Christian Voice, MediaWatch (cronies of the late, unlamented Mary Whitehouse) and the Operation Christian Vote.
The downside to the exposure and condemnation of Christian Voice, as MediaMediaWatcher, David pointed out in the comments to the previous entry on the affair, is that Stephen Green et al will be finding succour in the rising public donations to Maggie’s, since they’ve claimed from the outset that this is the outcome they desired and expected.
The upside, I hope, will be that now Green’s profile seems to have shifted from ‘harmless weirdo’ to ‘cancer patient bully’ folk will begin to realise that these kooks can wield considerable power — just ask an American — and, unless something is done to curtail the influence of fringe religionists, be they Sikhs, Christians or plain old crackpots, the arts are in danger of censorship-by-intimidation by self-appointed moral guardians, whose ‘morals’ aren’t shared by the majority of the British public, who, at a guess, couldn’t give a toss whether a ‘blasphemous’ play is performed or not.
Thanks for your coverage on this Jack.
My fear is that Christian Voice are really enjoying all this bad publicity.
Posted by Matt at 9pm on 25.02.05
Another worrying result of this business is that however most people seem to see through Christian Voice’s tactics, journalists appear to have decided to give them credentials by quoting their views on other subject. I understand that their point of view (because of how extreme it is) make for good copies but this is highly dangerous… See my blog entry on the subject.
(sorry about the fake email address but my Yahoo! address was blocking the posting)
Posted by Zefrog at 10am on 26.02.05
I’m afraid Matt is right. Christian Voice really are enjoying the publicity. In fact, the more outrage they provoke, the more convinced they become of their own righteousness. As Stephen Green says, “With all the hate mail I’m getting, I’m obviously rattling Satan’s cage.”
Posted by David at 2pm on 27.02.05
The thing is, they’re not naughty children in the playground, so the old ‘just ignore them’ advice won’t work. I reckon bolstering their egos (sin of Pride much?) is an acceptable side-effect if they can be hounded back to their caves, burrows, or whatever it is loony ‘Christians’ live in.
Posted by Jack Mottram at 3pm on 04.03.05
I’m so pleased to find so much contempt for Christian Voice and their sickening tactics. This tiny group of bigots and homophobes have experienced a disproportionate level of media coverage recently which will die away in no time. They are such a small, insular group with such extreme ideas that they can only be said to represent themselves. What right minded person, Christian or otherwise, could possibly feel any affinity with such a warped and deluded organisation? We’ll gawp in disbelief at these maniacs for a while; but in the end they are nothing more than a sideshow.
Britain is a much more tolerant nation than America, and a much less reactionary one. And whilst the States has always harboured a wide band of Christian extremists, Britain is by comparison a very secular country. I don’t think we should be totally complacent about Christian Voice or other groups of their ilk, but at least we have the reassurance of knowing that our press and politicians have uniformly attacked these people and there seems to be no popular attraction to their demented views.
Posted by IMD at 11pm on 04.03.05
Ugly fat on the outside, not very nice inside either!
http://mediawatchwatch.org.uk/wp-images/green.jpg
Tell him what you think of him:
Stephen Green lists his mobile number as 07931 490050 and his home number as 01994 484544.
Use his PO Box in Surbiton or his real address Wernlwyd, Pen-y-bont, Carmarthenshire, SA33 6QN
x
Posted by Peter at 1am on 12.04.05
Since those numbers are already available on the web, I won’t bother censoring the above comment, but I hope no one bothers to ring Green up - that’s his kind of tactic, and we shouldn’t stoop so low.
Posted by Jack Mottram at 5pm on 12.04.05
So now we are fatophobic and uglyophobic are we?
Posted by Dave at 9pm on 23.06.05
You’re right Dave - there’s plenty of good reasons to slag Green and co. off, their girth and looks don’t really have much of a bearing on the matter!
Posted by Jack Mottram at 2pm on 25.06.05