A CALL on the Church to support censorship of television playwrights and comedians who use gratuitous sex and violence as well as foul language was thrown out yesterday by the Assembly.
It came from a minister from the Presbytery of Dumfries and Kirkcudbright who denied being a ''killjoy''.
The Rev John Gisbey, of Lochmaboe, said he had served his time in the yards where ''declensions of the 'f' and 'c' words'' could be heard. ''I do not profess to having something inflicted on my virginal ears,'' he told the Kirk gathering.
Mr Gisbey, in a Church and Nation Committee debate on media interests, called on the Assembly in a deliverance to deplore the gratuitous sex and violence and foul language used by playwrights and comedians.
He said he believed the deliverance would strike a lot of chords with those who had to watch ''this kind of material'' often with their families.
Mr Gisbey said he felt society should be against gratuitous violence and ''the writhings of naked bodies on the screen and the use of the 'f' word just for their own sakes.''
He added that a few weeks ago he had read in the papers an article in which Scots comedian Billy Connolly said he deplored the use of swearing by modern comedians.
''If any of you have watched his escapades in Australia on television recently you will wonder how on earth the man can have this kind of double think.''
Mr Gisbey praised excellent shows like Cracker but said the programme was ''utterly spoilt'' by the use of violence, ''particular habits'' and language quite unnecessary to the plot.
Professional librarian Mr J Moore from Glasgow Presbytery said they had to be very careful about who decided what was gratuitous and about who becomes an arbiter of taste.
''If you accept these then the whole idea of censorship and people setting themselves up as moral judges comes into question. I'm not sure the Assembly should be going down this road at all.''
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