Reverend opposes lifting Brian ban
Stuart Bell: Hasn't seen Life of Brian, and doesn't think you should either
You may have heard the story about the new mayor of Aberystwyth trying to lift the town’s ban on Life of Brian. She is Sue Jones-Davies, the former actress who played Brian’s girlfriend, Judith Iscariot, in the film 30 years ago, and can’t quite believe that the ban still stands.
Step up the Reverend Stuart Bell, who does not want the comedy classic screened:
If it was an unpleasant film 30 years ago, then it remains an unpleasant film 30 years later. I have not seen the film, nor have I any wish to do so. And I would have thought there are many issues of more importance to the people of Aberystwyth for the mayor to consider than having a ban on this film removed.
One would have thought there are many issues of more importance to the people of Aberystwyth for the Reverend Stuart Bell to consider than having the ban on this film retained.
OK, maybe not.
(Hat tip The New Humanist)
UPDATE: (July 30) The BBC carries some choice quotes from the censorious vicar:
The film at its root is poking fun at Christ and we don’t want that to happen. I don’t think that the film should be shown. Why should the ban be removed?
If someone was going to make fun of my wife in a film then I would oppose that. Making fun of Jesus Christ, whom I love more than my wife, in a film is going to offend me.
To which we can only reply, in time-honoured fashion, “So fucking what?”
Doesn’t this man realise that his comments show his sheep-like tendancies ? If he’s not seen the film, how can he possibly KNOW it’s unpleasant ? He doesn’t, he just believes it because someone else told him so…which is probably why he became a Chritian in the first place !!
What a Lemming…if only he’d jump off a cliff (and I know lemmings don’t actually do that, but in the case of this particular lemming, we can only hope !)
Rog
He won’t have read all of the Bible either but he seems to believe everything in it if he works for the bloke who wrote it.
He should be laughed off the scene. Pathetic, if he hasn’t seen it he shouldn’t comment on it.
As anyone who has seen it will tell you it is not blasphemous. Jesus is in the first scene, it is a satire about how prophets are created and become leaders of cults even if they don’t want to…oh, I see why ‘they’ don’t want it shown…it might give some of the sheeples a flash of reality…
It would seem the Rev isn’t adverse to earning £5000/year to have a phone mast in his church which has been turned down due to protests from ‘antimast’ people.
http://www.llrc.org/microwave/aber.htm
It’s not a phone mast. It’s a very naughty tree.
‘If it was an unpleasant book 2,000 years ago, then it remains an unpleasant book 2,000 years later. My child has not seen the book, nor have I any wish for him/her to do so. ‘
Just a thought – if parents tried that argument against compulsory RE how far would it get?
[…] (Hat tip Media Watch Watch) […]
Dear Stuart, bless him, seems to be a traditionalist. The Anglican Communion is a broad church, it is inclusive, everyone is welcome, even traditionalists despite them often acting in exclusive ways. If Stuart wants Christians to not see The Life Of Brian then that is a perfectly legitimate stance and he must set about persuading them to not see it – that is Anglicanism. To ask for it to stay banned in Aberystwyth is neither persuasion nor inclusion but a wish for a generally imposed exclusion. Stuart does lead a large flock, nevertheless, he might benefit from reading Rowan Williams’s “Tokens of Trust”, especially the Chapter entitled “God In Company”, especially the bits about not herding people together and understanding the dynamic equlibrium of people in groups.
He’s only seen a small clip!? Perhaps he’d like to see the whole film, and revise his opinion. (And use it as a visual aid in his sermons)