Tom Marsland
Friday, Jan. 24, 2003

America's No. 1 subscription service is HBO. Unbeknownst to them, they've a great deal in common with a discredited 2,000-year-old Bible character, the infamous Judas Iscariot.

First let's get to know the Judas of antiquity, then we'll visit our present-day Judas, HBO.

Judas Iscariot was a trusted member of history's utmost spiritual inner circle; he was one of the original 12 disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus was from Nazareth and was the eldest son (stepson really) of Joseph, a humble though well regarded furniture maker.

Who would have thought the story of sacrifice and redemption that came from this carpenter's son would rock our world, even to this day? One of the surest signs of anyone's power and influence is the stature of their enemies, and Christ's detractors were legion. They ran the gamut from gossips questioning his birthright to kings fearing popular rebellion.

These stories are recorded with tested accuracy in multiple religious texts. Even famed first-century Roman historian Flavius Josephus validated Christianity's account of Jesus. Josephus referred to him in his Annals XV.44 and made further reference to Christ in his Chronicles ii.30.6.

So how does 2,000-year-old religious history relate to HBO? A reasonable question, given this story's premise.

A short time ago we, like so many others, converted our home's cable TV to a much clearer 'digital' signal. Part of that package was a trial period for HBO. I reasoned with myself: "Why not? It's free and I can drop it if HBO's licentious reputation proves true."

Let me be blunt. We were not prepared for what we saw – in fact, I hardly know where to begin.

On our very first HBO outing, what did our eyes behold? Real-life porn stars demonstrating the latest in high-tech sex toys ... PORN! On another occasion, we viewed fully disrobed men and women dancing erotically (or was that neurotically?) with all body parts flailing about (yes, even genitalia). Apparently this vacuous ill-work was a European game-show, masquerading as entertainment.

Recently, Angelina Jolie played the part of a suicidal-crack-addict-lesbian-bad-girl-supermodel. It was a lamentable docudrama that included multiple audacious homosexual love scenes. It's worth noting that the part didn't seem to be much of a stretch for her artistically, if you get my drift.

We even witnessed a brilliantly written comedic offering by "Seinfeld" creator Larry David. HBO has a genuine hit in the award-winning half-hour Show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

For some inexplicable reason, though, this genius-gazillionaire-writer-creator-producer, Larry David, believes you want every third word to be an insolent expletive. The 'F' bombs blow down the walls of propriety every few seconds. In short order, it seemed more pathetic than nasty, though I believe it to be both.

Back to Judas Iscariot, you may recall that he was entrusted as treasurer on Christ's team. He betrayed that trust and ultimately faced judgment, while Jesus was tortured without mercy and executed as a common criminal, though innocent.

HBO is the recipient of a similar trust, our intellectual vulnerability, a very real national treasure. Our vulnerability exists due to the fiduciary responsibility placed on HBO, via their broadcast license. As far as I know, there are presently no religious or community groups waging holy war against this bidder of lust and arbiter of moral decay ... and that is untenable!

Try as I may, I cannot take my mind off a statement once made by the undisputed godfather of modern Christian evangelism, Dr. Billy Graham. Voicing his opinion regarding our culture's post-Christian hedonism, the Rev. Graham stated, "If God does not destroy America, He will owe Sodom and Gomorrah an apology!"

To quote Lloyd Bentsen, I am certainly no Billy Graham. Still, permit me to convey the nearly three-millennia-old story of Solomon, the wise. The Lord appeared to the deeply troubled king one night and gave him and his nation a formula ... a way out of their woeful difficulties.

The Lord said in 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Due to his association with Judas, Jesus was brutally tortured, ultimately losing his life in the process. Unlike Christ, I respectfully doubt your family's ability to raise themselves from the dead. So do your loved ones a big favor before it's too late: Disassociate from HBO, deny them their 30 pieces of silver. Then please refer to 2 Chronicles 7:14 for further instructions.

Amen ... well, OK, perhaps that was a tad Billy Graham-like.

Tom Marsland is the talk show host of "Tom's Place," heard M-F from 4-6 p.m. CST on the nationwide Salem Radio Network's AM 980 KKMS in Minneapolis, Minn. Tom's a former corporate CEO, former heavyweight wrestler, and noted speaker. He writes cultural, political and religious commentary for the Assist News Service, NewsMax.com, the MN Christian Chronicle and others.

E-mail comments to: tom@kkms.com.

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