RELIGIOUS BROADCASTING RIGHTS

[Eric and Kim Cernyar]

If you took a survey of American opinion, I suspect most would disapprove of
religious proselytizing.  Most people resent proselytizing because it
challenges them to change their thinking about profound things such as the
origin, nature, and purpose of our lives and the universe we live in.
Because all truth is supposedly relative, no one should ever be challenged
to even think about such things, much less to change their minds about them.

I've long suspected that our culture's hostility toward proselytization
would eventually filter its way into our laws.  The FCC's misguided decision
is a good example of that.

According to one dictionary, "educational" means "serving to impart
knowledge or skill."  Therefore, "general educational" must mean serving to
impart knowledge or skill to the general public.  Appeals to proselytize
surely impart knowledge, and they are usually directed to the general
public.

The distinctions the FCC makes between qualifying and nonqualifying
religious content reflects our culture's dominant, but by no means
universally accepted, view of truth.  That view is that history, science,
and like involve objective truths, but that matters of faith are purely
subjective.

But many people of faith beg to differ.  Many believe that God is really
there and that He really intervened in our objective space-time continuum to
reveal Himself to us and redeem us.

Until the FCC proves otherwise, it should refrain from defining what
qualifies as objective truth, "general educational" programming, and the
like.

!!!
Eric Cernyar





-----Original Message-----
From: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
[mailto:RELIGIONLAW at listserv.ucla.edu]On Behalf Of David Guinn
Sent: Monday, January 10, 2000 8:52 AM
To: RELIGIONLAW at listserv.ucla.edu
Subject: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTING RIGHTS


An interesting item from Findlaw's newsline:

Hell hath no fury like holy radio scorned
Churches Curse Broadcast Ruling
Wired News

Religious radio stations are condemning new government restrictions on
broadcasting as unwise, unfair, and quite possibly unconstitutional. The
agency's little-noticed decision published on 30 December said some
types of religious stations will have to spend at least half their
broadcast time on "general educational" programming, and talking about
personal religious views and beliefs doesn't count. Church services? Not
a chance. Translation: Effective immediately, radio stations that don't
meet the new FCC standards could have their licenses yanked.

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,33479,00.html
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David E. Guinn, JD, PhD
The Park Ridge Center
211 E. Ontario, Suite 800
Chicago, IL 60611

deg at prchfe.org
(312) 266-2222
(312)266-6086 (fax)