Pot-bellied Jesus ad irks Churches*

By Frances Harrison
BBC religious affairs reporter

Christians in Belgium have protested against a TV ad depicting Jesus as
a pot-bellied hippy picking up half-naked women in a nightclub.

The advertisement is being aired on the country's main TV channel to
promote youth channel Plug TV.

The Christian Churches say this sort of portrayal of Jesus is
disrespectful to believers and that it is wrong to use him for advertising.

But Plug TV denies that the advertisement is blasphemous.

The TV advertisement shows a long-haired hippy Jesus grooving along as
he tries to get into a nightclub and is refused entry by the bouncers.

Jesus makes the sign of the cross and sweeps aside the bouncers,
shrinking them so they are left in his wake as dwarves.

'Number one dad'

This Plug TV version of Jesus then drinks whiskey at the bar and
magically turns two brown haired frumpy women into blonde babes wearing
bikini tops and red horns like devils.

The Jesus character then disappears into a huge limousine with the women
but his attention is distracted by an advertisement for Plug TV before
he is recalled by God who is standing on a cloud, wearing a T shirt with
"Number one dad" written on it.

The God figure tells Jesus off for wanting to watch Plug TV as well as
everything else - saying "you still want more".

The Christian Churches have expressed its disapproval to the TV channel
- saying advertising is not the same as journalism and should not share
the same concerns about freedom of expression.

The Churches believes this advertisement crosses the limits of
respectability.

Plug TV however argues it is not blasphemous but contains a message
about a laid-back Jesus addressing youth.