Is Charlie Brown taking Christ out of Christmas?

by Jonathon Morgan (Subscribe to Jonathon Morgan's posts) Nov 29th 2006 2:27PM

Many of you probably watched the Charlie Brown Christmas Special on TV last night (if not, Nadine found a great Charlie Brown video to tide you over 'till next year). For decades it's been must-watch holiday fare -- probably right up there with It's a Wonderful Life.

But has this family cartoon classic turned against Jesus -- the very man who, as some commenters have suggested, is the "reason for the season?" Let's start the rumors flying, and say yes. It is anti-Jesus.

That's the story according to at least one of our readers, who noticed that a certain someone's name was omitted from Linus' famous speech about the meaning of Christmas (you know, when Charlie Brown flips out 'cause the play he's directing looks like a skiing accident in progress). Apparently, it sounded like Linus said "Jus Christ" instead of "Jesus Christ."

Is this the latest in the annual attack on Christmas? The backlash against Wal-Mart, Target and others triumphantly returning to a "Merry Christmas" message in the holiday advertisements? Or, is it just Linus' speech impediment?

You be the judge.

(Thanks to reader Ginny for the tip!)

Comments (12)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Victoria 11-29-2006 @ 3:48PM

I saw it last night and did not notice any change from the many years I've seen it before. I *did* notice, however, that there were blips and scratches in the sound and the picture, like you would experience from using a scratchy videotape. So I would chalk it up to Linus' speech impediment or a scratchy video.

LB 11-29-2006 @ 3:04PM

Huh?

A show ending with children sing "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" is taking the Christ outta Christmas??

Um, we missed it last night but I'm gonna watch my videotaped off TV copy from like 10 years ago and see. Tho if memory serves me right,-there is no purposeful fudging of His name.

My money is on Linus' pronuciation. Also the kids were taught the lines phonetically resulting in a stylized reading (and many of them could read that well yet.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Charlie_Brown_Christmas

MommaSteph 11-29-2006 @ 3:21PM

Oh for Lord's sake. It is EXACTLY the same as it's always been. The "Jesus" has always been rushed, either because of the actor or the sound recording glitch. When I was little, I thought he was saying "Which is Christ the Lord".

LB 11-29-2006 @ 3:35PM

It is "which is Christ the Lord!'

Mystery solved via Google Book search-

http://books.google.com/books?q=11For+unto+you+is+born+this+day+in+the+city+of+David+a+Saviour%2C+which+is+Christ+the+Lord.&btnG=Search+Books&as_brr=0

It does not say "Jesus Christ" in My Catholic Bible,that read "Messiah and Savior which is Christ" or my King James Version- it goes with the "Which is Christ"

Ginny 11-29-2006 @ 4:20PM

Did any of you people who say it wasn't altered actually watch it last night? It most VERY definately was "blanked" out. We have it on DVR and replayed it to make sure. It happened twice. I wonder if it was only in the Tampa Bay area that it was blanked out.

LB 11-29-2006 @ 6:33PM

Ginny, it is not possible to blanked out the "Jesus." The text does not read that way in the King James version on which the special is based-

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%202:11&version=9;

Are you saying the Christ was also edited out?

Theresa 11-29-2006 @ 6:40PM

JUST OPEN YOUR BIBLES! "FOR UNTO YOU IS BORN THIS DAY IN THE CITY DAVID A SAVIOR; WHICH IS CHRIST THE LORD." Of all the Christmas cartoon, this is ~ and always has been ~ the most reverent and Christ-centered. Why are people trying to stir up controversy where none exists? THAT'S what detracts from Christ's presence during Christmas!

MommaSteph 11-29-2006 @ 6:40PM

Oh thank you, LB! I guess I was hearing correctly. "Which is Christ the Lord" it is. But he says it quickly (or it's jumpy), so I was never quite sure.

Ginny, I have a recording from decades back, and it sort of sounds like a little skip on that word. And I've watched it every year for 35 years, and it's always "funny" on that word - rushed or skipped.

Why on earth would anyone blank out Jesus, anyway, and not Christ?

Christine 11-30-2006 @ 12:08PM

GOOD GRIEF!!!

Ginny 11-29-2006 @ 7:35PM

"Ginny, it is not possible to blanked out the "Jesus." The text does not read that way in the King James version on which the special is based-"

Hmmm maybe that's why it was blanked. It definately sounded like "J-us Christ". No, the Christ was there, but so was part of Jesus.

Paul 12-17-2006 @ 9:09PM

Yes! I just saw the show here on ABC about 15 minutes ago and I DID hear that peculiar, truncated "J-us" sound, in both instances in the cartoon when played, once when Linus is speaking, and then when it is replayed when Charlie Brown is having a flashack. I thought it was very odd for a sound error like that to be left in two instances. My initial though is that they edited it for today's TV but now I'm not so sure. The only real way to tell is if someone has a copy of an older or original copy (like maybe on an old VHS copy or DVD or something). If it was slurred way back when, then it is probably innocuous. I HATE editing of cartoons like they have done to Tom & Jerry (the black maid) and others. And, yes, I'm Jewish, and even I can't stand companies who try to be so PC that they neuter Christmas and would try to do something like this. I have always loved Charlie Brown and I fondly remember the shows sponsored by Dolly Madison back in the late '70s when I was little. =-D

Henry 12-18-2006 @ 12:02PM

I found this discussion because I just saw it and thought it butchered "Jesus," but the comments about the text being "which is" make sense. At the same time, it did sound like "jus" or something similar, not "which is." The New World Order has Charlie Brown in it's crosshairs.