By Gavin Boyle
Catholic Advocacy group CatholicVote has asked Apple TV+ to take down an episode of its show YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS that mocks the Christian faith.
“Episode 6 of the series depicts two characters breaking into a Catholic church,” Josh Mercer, the Vice President and co-Founder of CatholicVote, said in a letter to Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple. “The male character steals Eucharist hosts from the tabernacle, which they eat as a snack. The man flippantly remarks about how they are eating the body of Christ. The man feeds a host to the female character and feigns blessing her. Then they begin engaging in romantic activity in the pews before the pastor walks in and they flee the church.”
“The sacrilegious scene seems to bear little relevance to the plot, so it is clearly little more than a mean-spirited effort to mock Catholicism,” the letter continued. “This affront is even more disheartening at a time when Catholics are in a celebratory and hopeful frame of mind after the recent election of the new pope.”
To prove just how offensive the scene is to Catholics, the group posted a petition for Apple to take the episode down that has reached over 360,000 signatures.
The inclusion of this scene comes as the entertainment industry has placed more of a spotlight on Christian media in recent years. Much of this spotlight has been positive, such as THE CHOSEN or HOUSE OF DAVID, so it is disheartening to see Apple take such a negative angle.
Related: Silicon Valley Embraces Christianity — What That Means for Culture
“Apple claims inclusion and diversity as core values,” Mercer’s letter continued. “‘At Apple, we create a culture of collaboration where different experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives come together to make something magical and meaningful,’ reads a mission statement on your website…Is promoting content which mocks and degrades the faith of Catholics compatible with this ‘culture of dignity, respect, and opportunity for everyone?’ Would you permit an equivalent mockery of the Islamic faith or the Jewish faith?”
Apple has yet to respond to Mercer’s letter, though it seems unlikely they will make any change to the episode. Nonetheless, the letter is extremely valuable as it publicizes this mockery that cannot be stood for.
Furthermore, it has placed this mockery on the radar of hundreds of thousands of people who now know to avoid the show because of this decision. While Hollywood thinks it knows what is best for entertainment, ultimately the audience decides and votes on what it wants to see more of through its dollar.
More than any petition, Christians can show Apple they will not stand for being mocked by avoiding the show and choosing to watch other content instead, such as faith-based projects that they want to see more of.
Read Next: HOUSE OF DAVID Cast Already Hard at Work on Season 2
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