Fraters Libertas

There's No Place to Hide, When Agendas Collide

Fraters reader Honest John has been watching the PBS program Colonial House and shares his observations on the creeping political agenda of government run broadcasting into proceedings:

As I was watching the show on Monday, I was struck by how much of it centered around religion: going to church, observing the Sabbath, prayer, Christian teachings, etc. It was strange to see PBS airing what seemed to be such a pro-Christian program.

As Monday's show progressed, we then started to see perhaps their real agenda. We learn that one of the colony's families doesn't believe in God and they really don't want to be attending Sunday services (not attending is considered a crime in the colony). Nevertheless, they attend and hear the Governor's daughter proclaim her love for God. The show then has the wife of the anti-God family give the viewers a little lecture about how bad it is for the preacher's daughter to be putting her faith in something other than herself. Oh, the Governor's daughter is so un-21st century...

Why did this family sign up knowing they would have to be attending two 3-hour church services each Sunday? Why did the show's producers allow such a family to sign up? Are they really the best candidates for a show trying to recreate 17th Century life?

It gets better. On Tuesday's show, we find out that many of the colonists don't want to go to church either. It gets so bad that, eventually, the Governor waives the requirement that all colonists attend Sunday services. Later on, one of the newcomers discloses to the preacher and his wife (the newcomer was staying in their home) that he's gay (this was obvious from the moment he opened his mouth). The preacher's wife embraces the gay man and they tell him that it's OK because they have a gay child! No doubt this was a "typical 17th Century scene."

Afterwards, the gay man stands before the congregation and reveals his secret to the rest of the colony. The Governor described it as a sin but the damage was done; PBS's attack on Christianity was well underway.

History on PBS, giving us the opportunity to look back through the ages and proudly proclaim of previous generations: "Boy, were those people stupid!" Now that's 21st century entertainment.

Being charitable, perhaps given the 17th century setting, the producers thought the guy announcing he was "gay" actually meant he was just really, really happy. Which I think was a sin in and of itself among the Puritans.

Hard to say what's going on there, especially since I haven't seen the program. But if they do an abortion special, where instead of a scarlet letter "A" sewn to somebody's shirt, they start a parade led by walking, talking three-foot-long felt and satin vagina, then we'll know something's up. We'll stand by for further updates from Honest John as the series progresses.