Catholic Radio Advert Banned

The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland has banned a radio advert for the Catholic bookstore Veritas. The advert promoted religious Christmas presents. Catholic spokespersons have slammed the decision as bizarre, ridiculous, silly, absurd, farcical and ludicrous.

Why did this happen? Irish law bans adverts that are directed towards a religious end. There is a free speech case that they shouldn’t be banned. And there is a public protection case that they should be. For me, the key point is that our advertising code treats religious adverts on the same basis as any other advert.

So why do we have an advertising code? It is to protect vulnerable people from being misled. As an advertiser, you must be able to rationally prove, using objective evidence, that you can deliver what you are promoting. This is the test, whether it be slimming tablets that soak up fat or eternal salvation after you die.

That’s why the law bans adverts directed towards a religious end. And, despite its subtle message, this advert is clearly one of these. The Catholic bishops own Veritas. The stated purpose of Veritas is “to serve the needs of the Irish Catholic church”. It does this by “using the culture and modes of communication of the time to speak to the people about god and his message.”

The wording of the advert

Here’s what the proposed advert says:

Cake and crackers, Santa and stockings, turkey and tinsel, mistletoe and mince pies, and presents and puddings. Christmas: aren’t we forgetting something? This Christmas, why not give a gift that means more? Veritas has a range of different and thoughtful gifts, for children and adults alike. From books and music to candles and artwork, there is something for everyone to enjoy and treasure. So to give a gift that means more, drop into your local Veritas shop or log on to www.veritas.ie

The Broadcasting Commission objected to the following phrases: “Christmas: aren’t we forgetting something?” and “Why not give a gift that means more?” and “So, to give a gift that means more.”

The Commission also objected to the inclusion of the address for the Veritas website, which contains material that is much more overtly religious than the wording of the advert.

Christmas: aren’t we forgetting something?

Let’s start with a point that is often skipped over. The implication of the phrase “aren’t we forgetting something” is that we are forgetting that we should really be celebrating the birth of the baby Jesus on December 25. But the Christian Bible says nothing about when Jesus was born, and the presence of shepherds does not suggest winter.

Christmas evolved from an ancient tradition of midwinter festivals that celebrated the winter solstice, the impending return of good weather, the Roman festival of Saturnalia the god of agriculture, and the birth of the Persian sun god Mithras on December 25.

In the mid-300s, Pope Julius designated December 25 to be the birthdate of Jesus. By doing this, he made it easier to absorb pagans, with their existing traditions, into Christianity. And food, drink and hedonism were always at the heart of their midwinter festivals.

That’s a secondary point, because the Christian churches have long established their own tradition of celebrating at this time of year, but it should not be ignored.

Why not give a gift that means more?

Now let’s look at the main issue. On the face of it, the phrase “give a gift that means more” sounds harmless enough. Who wouldn’t want a gift that means more? Particularly one chosen from “a range of different and thoughtful gifts, for children and adults alike”, where “there is something for everyone to enjoy and treasure.”

However, in reality, the range of available gifts is much narrower than that. The only gifts that Veritas sells are gifts that are aimed at promoting Catholicism in Ireland. If you visit the website named in the advert, you will see a set of category links on the front page. The first five are:

• Christmas and Advent at Veritas
  
• Helping Others at Veritas
  
• Baptism at Veritas
  
• Holy Communion at Veritas
  
• Confirmation at Veritas

And if you visit the “about us” page on the website, you can read about the history and purpose of Veritas, as described by its owners, the Catholic bishops of Ireland:

• Veritas has its origins in the Catholic Truth Society of Ireland, which was founded to publish and make available a range of religious materials…
  
• The name was recently changed to Veritas Communications. Its aim is to explore and use the language, culture and modes of communication of the time to speak to the people about God and about God’s message for their times…
  
• Our function is to serve the needs of the Irish Church…
  
• Veritas is wholly owned by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference...

This advert is directed towards a religious end

On the basis of this alone, there can be no doubt that any advert that aims to bring people to Veritas is an advert directed towards a religious end.

the words of the advert are more subtle than its ultimate aim, just as the personality tests that Scientologists offer are more subtle than their ultimate aim.

As I have mentioned earlier, there is a separate argument as to whether we should ban adverts that are directed towards a religious end. But, given that they are currently banned, I believe that this advert falls into that category.

Photo: Golden Christmas by Krisdecurtis (cc)

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