First it was Barney – that purple singing dinosaur – then the Teletubbies.  As the Los Angeles Times reminds us -

Tinky Winky was the first of the Teletubbies to be "outed."  Tinky may have seemed just like those other three fuzzy Teletubbies, harmless enough except for their uncanny power to send adults screaming from the room. Think again: Tinky is purple. His antenna is a triangle, the gay pride symbol, and he carries a purse-like bag.  Get it?

See this detail from the BBC, Monday, 15 February, 1999 -

The Reverend Jerry Falwell, a former spokesman for America's Moral Majority, has denounced the BBC TV children's show. He says it does not provide a good role model for children because Tinky Winky is gay.

Cheerful Tinky Winky, the purple character with the triangular aerial on his head, carries a handbag - but apart from that seems much the same as his friends Laa-Laa, Dipsy and Po.

… In an article called “Parents Alert: Tinky Winky Comes Out of the Closet,” he says: "He is purple - the gay-pride color; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle - the gay-pride symbol."

He said the "subtle depictions" of gay sexuality are intentional and later issued a statement that read: "As a Christian I feel that role-modeling the gay lifestyle is damaging to the moral lives of children."

In the same article he also condemned the US animated show South Park as "vile and impudent".

Jerry had too much time on his hands, one would guess.  He was watching South Park?

And Barney?  Barney – that purple singing dinosaur?  Joseph Chambers, a Pentecostal minister from Charlotte, North Carolina, is the author of "Barney: The Purple Messiah" – a booklet that denounces the faux dinosaur as “a tool of Satan and homosexuals.”  (Buy the booklet here for only a dollar).  It's not just that Barney is purple (a clear sign of deviant sexuality) - Chambers is REALLY worried about something more -

Barney is much more than just a fun creature of kids' imaginations. He is a politically correct teacher of everything on the liberal left's agenda, from New Age evolution to radical ecology.

To many children Barney has become a guru of sorts. He teaches transcendental thought and mystical ideas. Nothing comes through Barney's teachings more clearly than the New Age idea of using our minds to create miracles. No one should deny that positive or negative thinking can tremendously affect our lives. But such powers are clearly physical and end with the normal experiences we enjoy. God alone is supernatural.

Got it.  Flaming and ALSO heretical.  And purple.    

And the there was this.  In May 2003 the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas sent a few busloads of people to Pittsburgh to disrupt the memorial service for Fred Rogers - that's "Mr. Rogers" of the children's television show who had just died.  Seems they thought he was gay and corrupting our children.  Well, he was a bit strange, as are many of us from Pittsburgh.  And if you jump on the Westboro church website - www.godhatesfags.com of course (honest) - you get the idea.

And now our favorite “real Christian” cleric, James “Focus on the Family” Dobson, has revealed that cartoon character "SpongeBob" is a homosexual and now involved in propagandizing America's youth on behalf that evil alternative lifestyle.  Dobson as a Christian leader is pro-war, pro-death-penalty and says vengeance (revenge) is the core of Christianity.  Smite those heathens!  And he does NOT want our children watching these cartoons. 

Why?  Because they are promoting TOLERANCE!  Big problem.  Interesting.

The New York Times item this week -

Conservatives Pick Soft Target: A Cartoon Sponge

David D. Kirkpatrick - January 20, 2005

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 - On the heels of electoral victories barring same-sex marriage, some influential conservative Christian groups are turning their attention to a new target: the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants.

"Does anybody here know SpongeBob?" Dr. James C. Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, asked the guests Tuesday night at a black-tie dinner for members of Congress and political allies to celebrate the election results.

Okay.  Just wrap your head around that.  Members of Congress in black-tie, listening, with all seriousness, to an evangelical Christian PhD launch into a diatribe against a cartoon sponge and all that sponge stands for.  Just picture it.  Think about it.  Words fail.  Ironic commentary is impossible.  It is what it is. 

And what did they hear?

… Dr. Dobson said SpongeBob's creators had enlisted him in a "pro-homosexual video," in which he appeared alongside children's television colleagues like Barney and Jimmy Neutron, among many others. The makers of the video, he said, planned to mail it to thousands of elementary schools to promote a "tolerance pledge" that includes tolerance for differences of "sexual identity."

The Times’ Kirkpatrick does report this –

… the video's creator, Nile Rodgers, who wrote the disco hit "We Are Family," said Mr. Dobson's objection stemmed from a misunderstanding.  Mr. Rodgers said he founded the We Are Family Foundation after the Sept. 11 attacks to create a music video to teach children about multiculturalism.  The video has appeared on television networks, and nothing in it or its accompanying materials refers to sexual identity.  The pledge, borrowed from the Southern Poverty Law Center, is not mentioned on the video and is available only on the group's Web site.

… Mark Barondess, the foundation's lawyer, said the critics "need medication."

No kidding.

However?

On Wednesday however, Paul Batura, assistant to Mr. Dobson at Focus on the Family, said the group stood by its accusation.

"We see the video as an insidious means by which the organization is manipulating and potentially brainwashing kids," he said. "It is a classic bait and switch."

The Los Angeles Times also adds this detail -

Chiming in, a homosexuality detection expert at the similarly conservative Family Research Council called words like "tolerance" and "diversity" part of a "coded language that is regularly used by the homosexual community."

Forget prime-time raunchiness — Janet Jackson's pixelated nipple or Nicollette Sheridan's towel drop on "Monday Night Football."  The real threat lurks in the morning cartoons.

Not exactly.  The real problem is tolerance itself.  Christian aren’t going top be pushed around any longer.  Enough is enough.  Even Jesus had his limits?

Down with the gay sponge!

Note - your editor received this via email this weekend – presented here without editing –

CONSERVATIVE REMINDER FROM BJI

Michael C. Kelley
Director of Operations
Dr. Bob Jones Institute
http://www.docbojo.com
 
NOTE: This is a one time mailing from BJI. Your email addy [sic] has NOT been added to any list. If you desire to comment on our work, please reply to this email.

GREETINGS FROM THE DR. BOB JONES INSTITUTE, the prime unofficial adjunct of the Bob Jones University now led by the Rev. Stephen Jones. Dr. Bob Jones lll recently called upon us to intervene with JESUS personally and asked our SAVIOR if it was ok for the Rev. Steve to take the helm at BJU and BJI was told by GOD, 'go for it!'

God has also made known a number of critical issues SHOULD be made clear as well to the Christian public and we at BJI absolutely expect you and your organization of CONSERVATIVE VALUE ORIENTATIONS (CVO's) shall fall in line with the BJI position and disseminate it to your people. We are certain that you will have no problem in doing so but GOD wants to warn anyone that fails this BJI challenge they face dismissal from the WORLD CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY. Pass these facts along at once~

1. The burning of the cross of CHRIST is a good thing. It does not exemplify hatred or a threat of any sort and in fact, CHRIST HIMSELF may have burned the cross during HIS torment and temptation from SATAN while upon this earth.

2. The United States must become a TOTALLY AND UNAPOLOGETIC CHRISTIAN THEOCRACY wherein only BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS may vote. A new test being developed at the BJI shall reveal for the first time if any given person is truly BORN AGAIN. To claim to be BORN AGAIN and then to be found out that person was lying COULD be grounds for death AND HELL in the future here in the United States.

3.  Support the nuclear destruction of all pagans and their pagan religons. This is clearly the will of Christ. Christ's preaching in the NEW TESTAMENT is so often misrepresented as nothing but forgiveness and love. This is somewhat true but the SCHOLARS  at BJI THINK TANK have been shown of GOD that HIS SON also had no patience for great evil (such as Islam), Jew money changers or those that would DOUBT HIS word. It was JESUS CHRIST that pointed out the 'wages of sin are death' and 'those that deny me shall be cast asunder and spend eternity far from ME in damnation.'

The Dr. Bob Jones Institute will be reviewing your actions and activities in the future and we shall be disappointed if you do not measure up for JESUS. The will of CHRIST is what the President wishes as well and it would be prudent to heed the call from both these sources of power.

And finally--stay abreast of the latest words from our Heavenly Father whom now in these last days is taking a very active interest in WORLD EVENTS. BJI is not a tax exempt organization so we may SHOUT OUT TO THE HEAVENS! BJI is a CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN THINK TANK and GOD speaks through us. Go to www.docbojo.com   Don't risk being LEFT BEHIND!

michael c. Kelley

Fine.  I’ll be left behind.