I Demand the FCC Remove God from My Television

As someone who has possessed strongly held atheistic beliefs since childhood, I can't tell you how much alienation I felt when fraternizing with my peers.

"The Cosby Show on Thursday was laugh out loud funny," a friend would say. "I've seen every Brady Bunch rerun at least four times," a classmate would boast. "I can't get enough of Sherman Hemsley in Amen," an acquaintance would announce.

I had no way in which to relate to the above comments because I did not watch these television shows.

The Cosby clan frequented church, Carol Brady sang at a Christmas service after a "miracle" restored her laryngitis infested voice, and the name, Amen says all you need to know about said Sherman Hemsley vehicle.

This country has improved vastly in the past 25-years in terms of race relations and civil rights, though we still have a long way to go. I wish I could say the amount of church related shows on television has declined.

But in this category we're worse off than we were 25-years ago.

Way worse.

7th Heaven, about some minister and his seven children, was on the air for 11 seasons! The show even had a series finale, and then came back for one more year!

You Christians probably believe it was some kind of divine intervention that led to the show's resurgence. "Jesus wouldn’t let such a heavenly show get canceled," you say.

But the reason the show came back is largely due to the apathetic failure of the Federal Communications Commission.

Every television show mentioned in the article thus far have been network programs broadcast over PUBLIC AIRWAVES; and they all exclude and alienate people of my non-faith!

The FCC could have told the Cosby's to stay away from church, Carol Brady to sing a non-religious song at the YMCA, and the producers of Amen to set their show in a bowling alley and call it Strike. I'm an atheist living in America; the FCC is supposed to preserve my rights to have viewing alternatives. Or does the Federal Government only look after their own?

Would I have problem with shows revolving around church going families if there were at least a few shows on the air that reflected the lifestyle of an atheistic family?

Of course not.

And I understand that this country is filled with horribly naïve people... I mean horribly religious people... I mean delightfully religious people.

Therefore, I would have no problem with the majority of families reflected on television be of the church going variety... An atheist family for every 10 Christian families is all I ask.

I'm a very reasonable atheist!

In fact, just give me one; one traditional American family who laughs at the notion of a higher power. That could make for a lot of hilarious storylines…

A male member of the atheist family falls in love with a religious woman and has to sit through church while trying not to double over with laughter every time a ridiculous notion is espoused by the preacher.

Hopefully I will receive more FCC support with Obama in the White House. However, since he is a Christian, perhaps I should direct my ire at the producers of this questionable programming.

So come on Hollywood, I expect far better from you. You can say you're far left all you want, but actions speak louder than words.