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BBC presenter accuses broadcaster of depicting Christians as ’lunatics’

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By John Glenday, Reporter

September 13, 2012 | 2 min read

A presenter of on the BBC’s Radio 4 programme has claimed that a ‘liberal secular elite’ are influencing the broadcaster into assuming that Christians are ‘lunatics’.

Roger Bolton, a former presenter of on religious affairs, further railed that the service was reneging on its duties as a public service broadcaster by failing to understand people who believe in supernatural deities.

Bolton, who now presides over Radio 4’s Feedback show, said that Christians were also being marginalised at the expense of people who believed in different forms of ethereal beings - pointing out that it was easier to make jokes about Christians than other religions.

To resolve this perceived gap in coverage Bolton proposes that television news reporters be taught how to believe in things without evidence to alleviate ignorance. He also expressed a desire to ‘infuse’ religious agendas into all programming – not just ring-fenced ‘God slots’.

Bolton said: “If you don’t understand what is most important to people, as a society we are in trouble. You do have a whole liberal elite in this country, a liberal secular elite, who dominate television.

“There should at least be an effort to say that just because somebody is against gay marriage or against IVF doesn’t necessarily mean they are a lunatic – it is part of their belief, they have a genuine problem here with the legal authority or whatever – understand that position.

“Christianity is unfairly treated… other faiths do not have to put up with what Christianity has to put up with”, Bolton added, continuing: “What I do think is that Muslims in particular ought to be mature enough in this country to be able to take that humour and that Christians do have a right to say it’s about time that the satire which applied to them ought to be applied to others."

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