Thousands Sign National Petition to Denounce Griffin’s Jesus Remark
Christians have not taken comedian Kathy Griffin's remark at the Emmy award show earlier this month lightly. Thousands of believers are signing a national petition to take a stand against the anti-Christian by-products of Hollywood.
As of Thursday morning, over 65,000 Christians have already added their signatures toward the million-signature goal of the "Million Voices for Christ" petition, launched last week by The Miracle Theater, a group of Christian entertainers in Tennessee.
"The message of this petition is simple respect. Our primary objective is to give any person who wants to speak out in support of Christ, an outlet to do so," said Russ Hollingsworth, general manager of The Miracle Theater.
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"There is strength in numbers. One million people speaking up just can't be ignored."
The Christian theater group had placed a full page ad in USA Today on Sept. 17 directly addressing Griffin's remark with the headline reading "Enough is Enough! Stand Up for Christ."
"We believe that every American has the right to worship freely and to speak freely," stated the group in a statement. "We believe, however, that as Christians, we should not accept her mockery of our Lord quietly."
The ad called on the public to join the petition which states: "The name of Jesus Christ should not be mocked, nor should those who love Him be slandered for their beliefs. It is time for people of faith around the country to stand firm against religious slander, bias, and bigotry of all types including Christianity."
Griffin had made the contested speech on Sept. 9 while receiving her Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program for her show "My Life on the D-List." After noting that many award winners give thanks to Jesus for their accomplishment, Griffen said "no one had less to do with this award than Jesus."
"Suck it, Jesus. This award is my god now," she added.
Griffin's remarks quickly drew criticism from the anti-defamation group Catholic League, which called on the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to denounce what they called "vulgar in-your-face brand of hate speech."
"It is sure bet that if Griffin had said, 'Suck it, Muhammad,' there would have been a very different reaction from the crowd and from the media who covered this event. To say nothing of the Muslim reaction," commented Catholic League President Bill Donohue.
In the USA Today ad, Christian entertainers at The Miracle Theater stated that while they "never win a national award" or "be seen in Hollywood," they considered it an honor to stand for Jesus.
"Although others may choose to use their national platform to slander our God, we are honored as professional entertainers to stand for Christ," read the statement."
The Miracle Theater is home to The Miracle, a musical recreation of the life of Christ. The theater is located in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
On the Web: The "Christians Say, 'Enough Is Enough!'" petition at www.miracletheater.com
