The children’s news programme “logo!” (engl. “Of course!”,ed.) focuses on the end of Ramadan. Islam is portrayed in a positive light. Religion is viewed quite differently in the next report, however, as it deals with Christianity – and that is portrayed as evil. In order to establish anti-Christian prejudices as early as possible, Germany’s ZDF television channel does not take the facts too seriously.
Ramadan ends with the Festival of Breaking the Fast. It used to be called ‘Bayram’ in Germany, but the ZDF children’s news programme ‘logo!’ has already adapted to new German realities and is learning Arabic: ‘Eid al-Fitr’ is now the term used in the programme broadcast on March 19.
Cheerful people, a joyful community. And a lavish celebration after the month of fasting, during which Muslims are encouraged, among other things, to think of their God “as often as possible”. Spirituality? Great! Religious commandments? Great too. Adhering to these commandments? Well, of course!
Things look quite different in the next report. Because that report is about Christianity. And that is, in fact, quite different from friendly Islam – namely, gloomy and misanthropic. Or, to put it briefly: ‘Not modern’. Quite unlike Islam. Well, obviously.
In the Church, spirituality is enforced, as is adherence to religious commandments. Otherwise, you end up in hell.
To explain why fewer and fewer people are members of Christian churches, the magazine takes a broad view. It goes back to the Middle Ages. The Church was very powerful back then. Just like Islam, incidentally, which at the same time ruled almost all of Spain – but the children here don’t learn that.
It was only in the modern era that ‘scholars began to ask themselves whether everything the Church said and did was really true. They tried to explain things that happened in the world, such as severe storms or diseases. Until then, these had mostly been regarded as God’s will. Now, little by little, scientific explanations emerged.’
Intra-church conflicts before 1500? Never heard of them. Science? Didn’t exist. The Gothic cathedrals must surely have been built by aliens.
Good Islam, evil Christianity. This is not a harmless misrepresentation, but a despicable agenda.
Criticism of religion involves both light and shadow. The excessive exaggeration and misrepresentation of church history, coupled with the systematic omission of problematic aspects of Islam, fails to meet the public service broadcaster’s remit and, particularly in a children’s programme, can only be regarded as deliberate indoctrination. Whilst, in the opposite scenario, even personal experiences are deemed to constitute right-wing and racist incitement, distortion, disinformation and discrimination are, of course, deemed legitimate as soon as Christianity is concerned.
To be fair, it must be said: not all statements in the programme about Christianity are distorted. Some are simply false. For example, the claim that indulgences are a means of buying one’s way out of sin. Although this anti-church propaganda is still widely circulated, even among adults, it is contrary to the facts. But then: who could possibly expect editors to read church documents and inform themselves properly?
Of course: it’s all very easy to get a thrill from thinking about the dark Middle Ages, when women were burned at the stake simply for being able to read a book or brew herbal tea. But you pay for those goosebumps with the discrediting and loss of your own roots. Those who do not understand the Christian Middle Ages do not understand the origins of Europe. Those who misunderstand the Christian Middle Ages regard the foundations of European values as an invention of the Enlightenment and bury a thousand years of culture, civilisational development, knowledge and wisdom beneath their own ignorance.
The article concludes with a simple explanation for the decline in church membership. Church officials are said to have committed ‘grave errors’ and ‘serious crimes’ against children. Conveying this subject sensitively to children is no easy task. Nor is it easy to explain to them that what is regarded in Christianity as a despicable crime and therefore something to be covered up is viewed in Islam as a praiseworthy act of the Prophet. Because this is so uncomfortable, one simply refrains from doing so. Well, of course.
The former chief executive of the SME and Business Union, Thorsten Alsleben, has lodged a formal complaint against the programme.
For ZDF is already using its tried-and-tested tactics of misdirection on young viewers in order to turn children against Christianity and in favour of Islam.
Child abusers and the fear of hell, or delicious food after dusk? After watching this programme, it should be clear to any child which religious community they should join. Well, obviously.