“Hell” is the first episode of the second series of Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted, and the 7th episode overall.
Ted and Dougal decide to put Jack to sleep (by putting a cardboard box over his head) and search for entertainment. However, all that is available are St Kevin’s Stump (an ordinary tree stump whose name is unexplained) and the Magic Road
The film Life of Brian:
satirises both the tendency to interpret banal incidents as “signs from God” and the factions and infighting that can emerge from this. For example, when Brian loses his shoe, some of his over-zealous followers declare it to be a sign but they can’t agree on what it means, while one other instructs them to “Cast off the shoe. Follow the gourd!” (which is viewed by some as being significant owing to Brian’s seemingly charitable refusal to accept a price for it – and not even haggle over what it is worth – the truth actually being that it was a cheap, unwanted gift).
In an ironic twist of fate someone is claiming that Dara O’Brian blasphemed when talking about the tree stump. I wonder if worshipping the tree stump is itself blasphemy:
Broadcasting body rejects complaint that Rathkeale tree stump remarks were ‘blasphemy’
Published Date: 13 March 2010
By David Hurley
THE Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has rejected a complaint in relation to comments made on the Late Late Show about a tree stump in Rathkeale that made global headlines last year.
The stump, which is in the grounds of St Mary’s Church, attracted thousands of worshippers last summer after a number of parishioners claimed they saw a vision of the Virgin Mary in the wood.
In his complaint to the BAI, James Clark maintained that comments made by comedian Dara O’Briain on the Late Late Show last November were “blasphemous, insulting and showed his clear lack of knowledge”.
Mr O’Briain was on the programme to discuss the BBC television series, Three men in a Boat, during which he and two other comedians navigated around the waterways or Ireland. Part of that programme was recorded in Limerick, but Mr O’Briain explained the trio did not travel to Rathkeale.
“I kept trying to steer us away from things, like they kept on wanting to go to Rathkeale. Do you know what’s in Rathkeale? The Holy Stump, the bit of a tree. I can say this now. It’s a tree. It could look like anything, a bun in a tree. It looks like isobars. I had to keep steering them away from this,” he told Ryan Tubridy.
In his complaint, Mr Clarke stated: “Without truly knowing what this tree stump is all about, this funny man thought he would get a laugh by mocking it and telling people on live television that it was utter nonsense, thus RTÉ and Mr Tubridy were leading people astray
“He states if the faithful of Ireland want to pray at a tree stump and it helps them prepare for the much prophesied and talked about Second Coming, then so be it. The comments made about this stump without them knowing its importance to Ireland and world history was similar to someone saying the Mount of Olives is just a silly hill or the Garden of Gethsemane is just a silly old park.”
Responding to Mr Clarke’s complaint, RTÉ stated: “Most people in Ireland today would be highly sceptical of claims of apparition and would find nothing wrong in such claims being satirised or treated as suitable subject matter for jokes.”
The State broadcaster also said it had not received any other complaints in relation to the comments.
“If upsetting one viewer was sufficient to uphold a complaint, many programmes would regularly find themselves in breach. No one was harmed by this gentle and unmalicious joke,” they said.
Rejecting Mr Clarke’s complaint the BAI stated: “The (Compliance) Committee found that the humorous content of the programme was reasonable and within acceptable standards. As religion is a facet of Irish society, one could expect that associated issues could be targeted and subjected to humour.”
limerickleader.ie
Hello you made a comment about the treet stump – it is not the tree stump they are worshipping it is the role it plays. I am james clarke and you can download my evidence free of charge before judgeing me or the people please and thks http://stores.lulu.com/2012
I simply quoted the article and posed what I think is an interesting question on the blasphemy debate. I have downloaded your book of evidence and have read some. It is interesting, thanks.
btw, have you seen the movie 2012? – I downloaded a camjob so I could’nt really watch it.
don’t mock the treet stump.
I wonder will the (insert insulting word(‘s) of your own here) try get him arrested/charged with blasphemy under the new law?
As an aside did you see this (http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0312/nama.html) they gave the head of NAMA a 70% pay rise.
The fact that religions are so full of hypocrisy has always amused the hell (pardon the pun) out of me.
Coming in at number 4 of YOUR 10 commandments is “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.”. These people are obviously breaking one of the commandments and therefore are making a mortal sin. They are definitely going to purgatory at the very least (oh no wait I forgot some one in Rome decided that did not exist any more as it was to awkward to tell parents of dead unchristened babies that their kids were going there).
Just out of interest how much extra money did the local parish make when all the people came to visit the rotten bit of wood? But it is not about the money is it? It has nothing to do with the priceless works of art in the Vatican either although lately I believe they are spending a lot more on lawyers then on art (we will skip over the allegedly stolen art for now).
I think he would be better off watching “the invention of lying”, the only good part of the movie (except Jenifer Garner talking about having a wank) is the fact that the first person to invent lying is also the first person to invent religion.