NEWS STORY: Advocacy group says Christian Right censored arts

c. 1996 Religion News Service WASHINGTON (RNS)-Conservative religious or political groups instigated dozens of incidents last year in which paintings, movies, plays and other artistic displays were altered or kept from public view, according to People For the American Way, a liberal advocacy group that monitors the actions of the Religious Right. In its fourth […]

c. 1996 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)-Conservative religious or political groups instigated dozens of incidents last year in which paintings, movies, plays and other artistic displays were altered or kept from public view, according to People For the American Way, a liberal advocacy group that monitors the actions of the Religious Right.

In its fourth edition of”Artistic Freedom Under Attack,”the group cited 137 challenges to artistic expression, including about 100 in which public access to the artwork was restricted. It said such groups as the Christian Coalition and the Tupelo, Miss.-based American Family Association were behind many of the challenges.


While People For the American Way claimed the groups had”censored”the artwork, representatives of the Coalition and other conservative groups said their activity was merely citizen activism protected by the U.S. Constitution.”We encourage people to take part in society and to make their views known,”said Monica Hildebrandt, deputy communications director of the Christian Coalition, based in Chesapeake, Va.

But Matthew Freeman, research director for People For the American Way, which claims 300,000 members, said the aim of the conservative groups cited in his association’s report was to stifle free expression. “I am constantly struck by how the people who bring challenges do not seem to value freedom of expression as much as I was taught to in elementary school,”he said.”It’s not just a question of `Will some painting hang in a museum?’ It’s what this country is about. It’s one of our most basic rights as Americans that we can follow our conscience.” Freeman said People For the American Way began its monitoring project in 1991. The group collects its data from surveys given to artists and art organizations, as well as from news articles, he said.

This year, the study included objections made to artistic expression within popular culture, including television shows, films, music and advertisements, as well as the traditional arts.”You can’t just look at the incidents in the fine arts,”Freeman said.”There is a cultural war going on, and its not just being waged over the fine arts.” In 73 percent of the cases-about 100 incidents-challengers were successful in removing artwork from public view or otherwise restricting public access to the work, either by getting funding for the artist cut, or by getting the work covered or altered.

The report also cited anecdotal evidence indicating that self-censorship by artists rose in 1995. “It (self-censorship) stifles the very spark of the creative process before the fire ever gets lit,”Freeman said.”If Michelangelo had been operating in this political environment, heaven only knows what he might or might not have produced.” Case studies in the report included challenges to films ranging from NC-17-rated”Showgirls”to”The Lion King,”rated G.

The American Family Association (AFA), a conservative religious organization led by the Rev. Donald Wildmon, a United Methodist minister, launched a national campaign against”Showgirls,”declaring it pornographic. The movie portrays a young woman who goes from dancing in Las Vegas strip clubs to performing in upscale hotels.

After community members protested in cities ranging from Magee, Miss., to Grants Pass, Ore., the film was pulled from some theaters, the People For the American Way report stated.

Wildmon could not be reached Wednesday (April 3) for comment.

The American Life League, an anti-abortion organization, requested that the Walt Disney Co. remove”The Lion King”from video stores, alter it and apologize for its contents after one woman notified the group that the word”sex”appeared in an animated image of a dust cloud, the report said. Disney did not alter the film.


The AFA, the New York-based Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, the Christian Coalition and Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum urged boycotts of Disney products based on objections to various films produced and distributed by Disney and its subsidiaries, the report said.

Among the films the Catholic League protested was”Priest,”produced by Miramax Films, a Disney subsidiary. The film depicts a young priest who struggles with his sexual orientation and church teachings.

William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, defended his group’s actions.”The Catholic League would never recommend that government authorities restrain”artists, said Donohue, whose organization is not a formal part of the Roman Catholic Church but is a staunch defender of Catholic orthodoxy.”Our number one concern is when anti-Catholicism is subsidized by Catholics against their will.” Donohue cited the example of public funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, which has sponsored a number of controversial artistic displays.

The People For the American Way report notes that some religious organizations cited moral issues in opposing artwork.

But Freeman said such groups don’t”have any greater claim to the mantle of God than anybody else. I don’t think Don Wildmon or the Christian Coalition are expressing a religious point of view when they go after other people’s artistic expression. It’s a public policy battle.”

MJP END CAMPBELL

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