Keep religion out of wrestling!!!!

[Wolfdemon]

So last night i was watching ECW and Christian and Zeke start cutting a promo. If you did not see it here it is.[YOUTUBE] <object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xkza8XgW9Qo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xkza8XgW9Qo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object> [/YOUTUBE]

So after watching this i was very upset with WWE. They should not talk about any certain religion and use it in WWE like this. This is not the first occasion in wrestling that has upset me. Back in Old School ECW with the Raven/Sandman incident. Also the Undertaker/Kane are going to send you to hell "Hell" gimmicks.

So this brings up the question do you think they should leave all religion out of wrestling?(Let's please not make this into a religion war.)

 

[Mr. TM]

Religion is one of the easiest ways to draw heat in professional wrestling, especially in America where there is a majority of the population falling under some religious background. No one likes religion pushed on them, so if any group wants some heat, all they have to do is that.

Many also dislike people telling them that their religion is better than others, or that they are better religious persons than their targeted audience. Religion must stay.

 

[Big Time]

Yes, THANK YOU! Exactly my view as well. Yes, I get that the majority of the wrestlers are either christians from the start or born again to make up for a life of alcoholism, drug addiction, beating up prostitutes or whatever got their rocks off, but I do not want to get that garbage thrown in my face.

 

[Dan E. Inferno]

So this brings up the question do you think they should leave all religion out of wrestling?(Let's please not make this into a religion war.)

I'm not a religious person so I can view this with an open minded point of view and I have to say I have no problem with religion in wrestling. While its important not to "cross the line", its debatable where that line is. Some people say the Sandman/Raven incident crossed the line but I had no problem with that at all.

At the end of the day, I don't think religion in wrestling is too different to race or demographics in wrestling. JBL, for example, would constantly mock mexicans and it worked very effectively. I don't think JBL can safely visit Mexico anymore. The point is that that advanced the character and the storyline and if religion can advance someones' character or storline effectively, then I have no issues with it.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think that it's absolutely great. Using religion to draw heat always has worked and it always will work. The WWE isn't doing anything regarding its usage of religious dogma that other media venues haven't been doing for decades. Now, is there a line in which it's too far? Yeah, probably so. The infamous crucifixion segment in ECW is probably an example of going too far, although it would all depend on your point of view. However, quoting a few lines from the Bible is no big deal whatsoever to me.

People can watch movies in which women get raped, blood and guts are flying everywhere, gratuitous sex takes place in every other scene, etc. But, in some cases, those same people get their drawers in a bind whenever religion is used.

CM Punk's current angle with the Straight Edge Society has shades of religious/cult like aspects to it and it's great. Underneath the wrestling gimmick, one could possibly interpret Punk's Straight Edge dogma as a challenge to the conventional habits of some people. Straight Edge is, to some degree, considered a bit of an alternative lifestyle and Punk shoving it down the throats of fans as part of his character gets him instant heat. Nobody likes being made to feel inferior and being told you are and/or being made to feel that way is a guaranteed way to generate heat.

So, in the end, religion needs to stay. Simply put, it just works. It's worked and it always has worked.

 

[Schizophrenic]

I don't see an issue with religion involed with wrestling, to an extent. Something like Jackson & Christian on ECW didn't bother me. It seemed like a normal promo to me. I live in a very religious household (although I am not religious) and no one watching found anything offensive. The only thing someone said to me about it was "at least they chose good verses." I think to make a big deal out of it or your other example of being unnerved by someone saying they were gonna send the other "to Hell" is just kind of ridiculous. Do you also get bothered when someone says that I'm gonna beat the hell out of you in wrestling? Probably not. DO I think the things like the Raven/Sandman cross thing go over a line? Yeah probably. I dont think religious iconigraphy should be involved but quoting the bible to get over your anger or love for something is not worht getting bothered and flustered about.

 

[HBK-aholic]

We've had storylines surrounding death, miscarriage, live sex shows and necrophilia to name a few of the more shocking stories. And with that being said, I don't have a problem with using religion in storylines. It's no different to any of those above, and I'd actually prefer to see religion used in a story than a fake death, or sex with a corpse, yet again.

Religion isn't special, contrary to popular belief. There should be no rule against it being used in any manner in shows such as the WWE. If Kane and The Undertaker want to talk about sending people to hell, let them. There's no logical reason to ban something like this. Religion is also a subject many people get very passionate about. I don't think banning something that could gain a lot of heat would ever be a good idea.

 

[krispix]

I consider myself to be a devout Catholic, and I have absolutely no problem with religion in wrestling. As HBK-aholic said, we've been presented with various other outrageous storylines. Wrestling loves the sensational stories, so why shouldn't they use something as incendiary as religion? It's one of the easiest ways to draw heat from both the "religious" and "non-religious" sides.

 

[Dagger Dias]

There's really no reason to make religion something they can't ever mention. Everyone has their own set of beliefs, and hearing passages from a religion's books is not going to hurt someone. There is nothing wrong with the promos Christian and Zeke had. Far more controversial things have been on WWE shows before, most of us fondly remember the attitude era and it was FULL of controversial stuff. The only reason I would ever be offended by religious matter in the storylines is if WWE actually tried to convert someone. That's when it goes too far because conversion attempts sometimes offend some people. Now, all they were doing on ECW was adding an interesting element to Zeke's character and some funny responses from Christian. That's all. I have friends who aren't Christian and they weren't offended by those segments at all. As long as WWE don't try to convert fans through a storyline (which I seriously doubt would ever happen) then there's nothing wrong here that I can think of.

 

[Suneeboy]

In the world of wrestling, damn near nothing is out of bounds and that includes religion. You also have to remember, we are watching scripted television shows, so they must play characters and get a reaction. If they have to pull the religion card to get a desired reaction then so be it. They&#8217;ve done far worse.

 

[Melina]

I think religion is what made the buildup for Undertaker/Michaels last year so great. I don't have a problem with it to be honest, as long as it is done in a classy way.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

No. I don't think Religion should necessarily be off-limits for wrestling. As a viewer, I am entertained by controversial things that appear on television. Religion is always a topic that sparks fierce debate and is often a taboo topic on TV. Therefore, when someone shows the "balls" to go there with the topic and use it in a controversial, albeit, scripted manner such as in a wrestling angle, it adds to the intrigue.

People are going to complain about being offended, and this, that, and the other thing ... but the reality is that this is something people are just going to have to get over. You are going to have to accept that you are watching a scripted television program that is no different than watching a television drama or movie. And I am sure there have been several things that may have offended you there, as well. It's part of television, and if you don't like it, simply tune out.

But this once again points to lines that are blurred and people not being able to accept that what they are seeing on wrestling is not real and nor should it be taken seriously or to heart. It is done for entertainment purposes only. But if you aren't entertained, simply tune out.