From the Family Research Council --Christians will be the first to tell you that no one is safe from ridicule on the editorial page. For years, we've watched the church become a familiar punch line for the media's elite, who seem to suffer from an incurable phobia of faith. This week, however, the Washington Post's religious bias hit an all-time low in the political cartoons of Pat Oliphant, which were splashed across the paper's web page with an incredible lack of sensitivity.
In the caricature, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is speaking in tongues as her Republican running mate looks on. Sen. John McCain says, "She's a Pentacostal and... only God can understand what she's saying, but it gives my campaign a direct line to the Almighty." In the background, God tells St. Peter, "All I can hear is... some right-wing politician spouting gibberish."
As of yesterday, the Post had received 350 complaints-and counting!
No one familiar with Pat Oliphant's repertoire should be shocked that his cartoons appeal to the lowest common denominator. But what should outrage readers is that a newspaper with one of the nation's largest circulations would choose to publish such slander, particularly given how the Post dons kid gloves in its treatment of every religion but Christianity. Had Oliphant attacked Islam, many would be calling for his beheading, as they did to a certain Danish cartoonist who dared to poke fun at Mohammed.
Regardless of the Post's unease with the charismatic movement, Pentecostals deserve the same respect as Muslims. In the end, the fact that the Post's editors continue to carry Oliphant's cartoons says a lot more about their judgment than it does his.
