A kooky segment by a team of radio hosts turned awkward when they were confronted by a Catholic interviewer.
Three radio hosts performed in a “rage room” recently and were seen smashing statues of both Jesus and Mary in what was meant to be a comical segment showcasing the stress-relieving benefits of participating in the group activity.
‘That would be inappropriate.’
“We had a ‘Rage Room’ because we were beating the blue out of the Monday,” said Eva De Roo, a host from Studio Brussel in Belgium.
“People could text us, like, ‘I have a really a blue Monday because my car broke and everything,’ and [we say], ‘Okay, we’ll smash something for you,'” the host continued as her colleagues chuckled.
However, reporter Colm Flynn — from the EWTN Global Catholic Network — was interested to find out whether the hosts were willing to smash statues of religious figures that represent other faiths.
“I know you laugh, but do you think that for many listeners, they would find that so deeply offensive to take a bat and to smash Jesus into pieces?”
“That’s a very good question,” host Sam De Bruyn replied.
“I think in Belgium, not really. We’re not a very religious country.”
De Bruyn also qualified the sketch by saying all the statues they smashed were “already broken.”
That’s when Flynn turned the tables.
RELATED: Parthenope’s Revenge
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
“Let me ask you this: If you were doing the video again, would you smash a symbol of the prophet Muhammad?”
De Bruyn replied, “That is a very dangerous one,” before De Roo jumped in.
“No, because that would be inappropriate,” she claimed, noting that there are many Muslims in Belgium.
Flynn said, “There are Christians, too. I know the pope visited Belgium recently.”
De Roo and colleagues then clarified that they thought the stunt was okay because they were raised in the “Christian tradition.”
With the hosts floundering, the reporter jumped to the third host, Dries Lenaerts, and asked if he would smash a Star of David.
RELATED: Satan is real — whether his depraved fashion-world followers believe it or not
Leisa Tyler/LightRocket/Getty Images
“Uhh, I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it,” Lenaerts quickly replied.
De Bruyn said being raised Catholic gave the group more leeway to perform such an act and that it would be harder to do so about a religion “you know nothing about.”
The reporter, who revealed that he covers religion for major networks, did not let the group off the hook.
“You see that hypocrisy: Jesus Christ statue, smash it in two, but [you] never [see it] for Muhammad or for anything to do with the Jewish faith.”
The hosts, specifically De Bruyn, went on to defend their actions by describing their publicly funded audience as “very alternative” and “not “very religious in any way.”
However, De Roo soon jumped in to apologize, said the hosts did not think about the activity very much beforehand, and claimed that any offense they cause to listeners is often discussed on the air.
Broadcaster VRT Studio Brussel later issued another apology for the video, saying the company “misjudged the ‘Blue Monday’ sketch.”
Spokeswoman Yasmine Van der Borght said the team apologized for what was “intended to be a humorous action, and they have underestimated how sensitive religious symbols can be. They understand that this was hurtful to some people and would make different choices today.”
The apology concluded, “VRT believes it’s important that all of its employees show respect for every religion. We are not concerned with comparing religions, but with dealing with everyone’s beliefs with care.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Read the full article here
