Religious ad to air during Super Bowl Sunday

[rug]

Posted: Feb 03, 2012 8:16 PM EST Updated: Feb 04, 2012 3:53 AM EST
By Christine Pae

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - =An ad produced by a religious organization is making its way into the Super Bowl.

The Fixed Point Foundation said it originally wanted to run the 30-second commercial during last year's Super Bowl.

The ad, now posted online, shows people watching a football game and wondering what the "John 3:16" painted on a player's face means. It is then implied that the viewer could look up what the verse means.

The foundation's leaders said Fox Sports denied the ad last year because of its religious undertones.

http://www.waff.com/story/16674508/religious-ad-to-air-during-super-bowl-sunday

Here's the commercial.

&feature=player_embedded

[aaaaaa5a]

1. I have no problems with religious (christian) adds during the game

just as long as an atheist, Muslim, agnostic etc. commercials are also excepted.



The stations airing the "John 316" commercial likely wouldn't carry a commercial hyping the jewish faith or muslims.

[baldguy]

6. Why don't they ever quote Matthew?

6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
25:42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
25:44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

[PDJane]

3. Proselytizing during the game..........

bizarre. And, you know, more than faintly distasteful.

[virgogal]

8. It's no more distasteful than all the beer ads. I will mute and ignore both.

[Politicalboi]

4. If Santorum had an ad

Would they google it too? LOL!

[sharp_stick]

5. Those are some dumb football fans

not a very good ad, not offensive or anything, just not very good.

[Angry Dragon]

7. What are your feelings on this??

[rug]

9. I'd rather see that than an Army commercial.

But there are many other things I'd rather see promoted.

[Angry Dragon]

10. Thank you for the answer

[emilyg]

11. OK by me.

[ZombieHorde]

12. The commercial is more entertaining than an actual football game.

Hopefully, commercials from all faiths, or lack thereof, would be accepted.

[cbayer]

15. I am with you about the commercials being better than the game.

It would be really difficult for the network to deny any other religious or atheist organization time once they have set this precedent.

But why anyone would want to spend that kind of money is a mystery to me.

[edhopper]

13. I find the whole John 3:16 thing absurd

the quote is something only a Christian could love.
I mean, God so loved these horrible, sinning people that he sent his son (who was also himself in baby form, to learn about humanity, even though he was already omniscient) to be tortured and killed to make us feel better and fill us with love as he continues to make our live misreable.

Where do I sign up.

[onager]

14. Originator of John 3:16 marketing is doing 3 life sentences in prison

I heard Fundie radio bragging about the Stupor Bowl ad this week.

According to them, God directly stepped in and changed the minds of TV executives. Miracle!

Just one of my usual atheistic personal asides - as I type this on Sunday morning, listening to a secular Los Angeles radio station, a public service announcement is running every few minutes. The spot begs new mothers not to abandon their babies, but take them to a hospital emergency room.

So on the 0.0000000000000000001 chance that a Gawd actually exists...if he's done meeting with the TV execs, anyway...it would be nice if he could do something for the most helpless and innocent among us.

And I'm pretty sure, in all the Hallelujahs and high-fiving about the John 3:16 commercial, nobody will remember how that whole thing started:

Rollen Frederick Stewart (born February 19, 1944), also known as Rock 'n' Rollen and Rainbow Man, was a fixture in American sports culture best known for wearing a rainbow-colored afro-style wig and, later, holding up signs reading "John 3:16" at stadium sporting events around the United States and overseas in the 1970s and 1980s...

Apparently at first just in it for the publicity, Stewart became a born-again Christian determined to "getting the message out" via television...

Stewart was arrested in 1992 after a standoff in a California hotel during which he entered a vacant room with two men he was attempting to kidnap and surprised a maid who then locked herself in the bathroom. Reportedly, Stewart believed that the Rapture was due to arrive in six days. During the standoff, he threatened to shoot at airplanes taking off from nearby Los Angeles International Airport, and covered the hotel room windows with "John 3:16" placards.

Stewart is currently serving three consecutive life sentences in prison on kidnapping charges, having rejected a plea deal of 12 years in order to spread his message in open court.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollen_Stewart