From WorldNetDaily:
University newspaper: God tells Mary, 'You're f----d'Cartoon mocking Christians met 'publishing' criteria
The student
newspaper at the
University of Virginia published a cartoon mocking Christians and Christianity after determining it met its own "criteria" but later removed it and has been backpedaling ever since.
The illustration – and another previous cartoon – were the subject of an alert from
the American Family Association, which urged readers to use its website to
send an e-mail to Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, with a copy to Daniel LaVista, the executive director of the state Council of Higher Education for Virginia."Last week, the University of Virginia's student paper,
The Cavalier Daily, ran a cartoon depicting a naked man smoking a cigarette in bed. Standing beside the bed, a woman in her underwear buttons up her shirt and asks, 'Come on God, be honest – Did you really get a vasectomy? I can't let Joseph find out about this.' The man replies, 'Well, Mary, you're f----d," the AFA said.
A previous cartoon portrayed a crucified
Jesus telling jokes onstage, AFA said.
"It is sad to see students at the University of Virginia's newspaper, The Cavalier Daily, use such a low level of intelligence to express their anti-Christian bigotry," the suggested e-mail to state officials says. "It leaves one wondering what the taxpayers of Virginia get in return for the millions of dollars the state uses to educate the students."
The AFA e-mail continues: "The paper has posted on its website that it 'regrets any offense readers may have taken to two recent comics in the strip...' So, no apology is offered. In other words, they regret the fact that Christians are taking offense at the blasphemous cartoons.
"Unfortunately, this bigotry is more of a reflection on the newspaper and university than the Christians the paper is belittling. It appears that a public apology is in order. Or do the views of the editorial staff at The Cavalier Daily represent the views of the administration at UVA?" AFA asked.
A WND telephone message seeking comment left with the office of
University President John T. Casteen III was not returned.
On its website, the newspaper posted in boldfaced type: "Cavalier Daily statement regarding recent comics (UPDATED)."
The student-run publication contact page lists no individual names, only titles such as "editor." On the website, the newspaper said, in an unsigned statement, that the comics were reviewed, and approved, before publication.
"When the comics were considered for publication, they were deemed to have met The Cavalier Daily's censorship criteria," the newspaper said.
But it added, "In light of recent and previous concerns, The Cavalier Daily will be reviewing its comics policy."
It is only on a separate page, listing "Staff," that names are included. There Elizabeth Mills is identified as the editor-in-chief, with Daniel Colbert the executive editor, Kristin Hawkins the managing editor and opinion editors including Stephen Parsley, Lindsay Huggins, Christa Byker, Sam Shirazi and James Rogers.
The newspaper's policies in place at the time, under which the cartoons were approved, officials said, included, "Does the author truthfully depict a verifiable historical or contemporary situation? If not, and the context of the work is creative, we ask two more questions. Does the author make a serious, intentional point, the censoring of which would constitute viewpoint discrimination? Also, does the author criticize or make light of a group of people for any reason other than their own opinions or actions?"
"While it is more than appropriate to criticize or satirize opinions, including religious ones, this policy seeks to limit material that criticizes people for traits or situations they cannot change. Recent decisions we have made rest on our judgment that the material in question has passed the previous test," the editors wrote.
The cartoons, which ran March 13 and 14, were taken down shortly later, and a statement regarding the source posted: "THE COMIC ARTISTS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MARCH 13 AND 14 TCB COMIC STRIPS DECLINE TO COMMENT ON THEIR WORK AT THIS TIME."
But a former student, Wendy Turner, class of 1995, was unashamed of her opinions, expressed in a letter to the editor.
"I have never been embarrassed to be a Wahoo – until now. While at the university I would have snickered at the provocative cartoons mocking Christ. I had no reverence for Jesus and only disdain for Christians," she wrote.
"I speak now from a different perspective, as one who understands that 'poking fun at Christianity' is no different than 'poking fun at someone's mother."
Turner continued, "Let me explain: Being a Christian means completely identifying yourself with the person of Jesus Christ; not following an organized religion or observing certain holidays or rituals. It means that Jesus means more to your heart than your own mother. So envision instead of Christ being mocked, a photograph of the reader's (or author's) mother being f----- – and laughed at – and you have an idea of what it feels like for a Christian to see Christ being mocked. "
She said she did not even condemn the creators of the cartoons. "They are allowed to be angry at God … that is between the cartoonist and Jesus."
"However, I admonish the newspaper for
publishing material that is not merely 'offensive' but hurtful. Personally hurtful (in the way that it would hurt to have a picture of your mother being gang-raped published in the newspaper). Let that image guide your future 'censorship policy,'" Turner said.
