Pressure is mounting on cinema advertising chiefs to reverse a ban on an advert featuring the Lord’s Prayer. The cinema chains, Odeon, Vue and Cineworld, banned the one-minute film earlier this week in case it ‘offends’ non-Christians. In it the Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the public recite the Lord’s Prayer. It was due to be screened throughout the week before Christmas and was given a Universal certificate by the British Board of Film Classification and approved by the Cinema Advertising Association. However the cinema chains said it could be ‘offensive’ to movie-goers. The Church of England is considering legal action, saying it was the victim of religious discrimination by Digital Cinema Media, which handles adverts for the cinema giants. Now politicians, including David Cameron, describe the ruling as ridiculous. Stephen Fry, a critic of religion, said it was ‘bizarre, unfair and misguided’, while Boris Johnson condemned it as outrageous. Watch the ad at: http://www.justpray.uk/
Alarm voiced over ban on Lord’s Prayer
Written by Linda Digby 27 Nov 2015Additional Info
- Pray: that the cinema agencies will bow to pressure, change their mind, and allow the advertisement to be shown. (Mt.6:10)
- More: www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/23/cinema-ban-for-lords-prayer-ad-is-ridiculous-says-cameron