Christian group opposes ‘Book’

A conservative Christian organization critical of “The Book of Daniel,” a new NBC drama about an Episcopal priest who sees and talks to Jesus, has launched a campaign asking local affiliates not to air the program and warning that supporters will lodge protests with the show’s advertisers

The Mississippi-based American Family Assn. says the show, set to premiere Jan. 6, disrespects Christians by depicting the Rev. Daniel Webster and his family as “deeply dysfunctional.” Webster, played by Aidan Quinn, is addicted to painkillers, while his wife has a drinking problem, one of their sons is gay and their teenage daughter sells drugs.

“It seems they made every decision they could to alienate us,” said AFA spokesman Ed Vitagliano. The group says it has generated more than 400,000 protest e-mails to network officials in the last week. An NBC spokesman could confirm receipt of only a couple of hundred e-mails and released a statement expressing the network’s support for the show.

“ ‘The Book of Daniel’ is a fictional drama about an Episcopalian priest’s family and the contemporary issues with which they must grapple,” the statement read. “We’re confident that once audiences view this quality drama themselves, they’ll appreciate this thought-provoking examination of one American family.”

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-- Matea Gold