NBC's “Daniel” should be fed to lions

After prescreening the pilot episode for NBC's The Book of Daniel, AFA said its apprehension about the drama, which centers on the life of an Episcopal minister and his family, were justified.

 “This show is poorly written and formulaic, and has a definite sleaze factor that would offend most Christians,” said AFA spokesman Ed Vitagliano, who screened the program with a small group of clergy at NBC's Memphis affiliate WMC-TV.
 

The Book of Daniel gets its moniker from the main character, pill-popping Episcopal priest Daniel Webster, who is struggling to keep himself and his family together as it begins to unravel. His wife struggles with an alcohol problem after the death of a child due to leukemia, while his 16-year-old daughter is arrested for selling drugs to raise money for her fledgling comic strip career. Meanwhile his 16-year-old adopted son is having sex with the bishop's daughter, and his brother-in-law has run off with his secretary – after stealing more than $3 million in diocese funds.
 

The one possibility for a redeeming aspect for The Book of Daniel is the drama's gimmick: Daniel regularly gets visits from Jesus, who offers his advice to the struggling minister.
 

“For Christians, the appearances of Jesus may be the most offensive part of this show, since he is little else than a well-meaning therapist,” Vitagliano said. “While Scripture certainly portrays Christ as compassionate, there is no sign of his lordship in these appearances. There is no talk of repentance or sanctification.”
 

It would be hard to imagine any other type of “Jesus” being written into the program, Vitagliano said, given the fact that the show's creator and writer, Jack Kenny, is not a Christian.
 

“In interviews Kenny describes himself as a ‘recovering Catholic' who is interested in Buddhism,” he said. “What made NBC think this man could write in a manner that accurately reflected Jesus Christ?”

Also problematic for AFA is The Book of Daniel's strong homosexual subtext. Daniel's oldest son is a proud homosexual, and in one scene the mother is shown encouraging the 23-year-old that soon he will find the right guy and settle down. Daniel's secretary, according to press reports, is a lesbian who begins an affair with his sister-in-law in a later episode.
 

“We absolutely encourage Christians to stay away from NBC's version of The Book of Daniel, and ask the network to pull this show from its lineup,” Vitagliano said. “And we'll be watching to see which advertisers feel good about sponsoring a program that will offend many Christians.”