Has the History Channel Lost It?

[Martin TK]

Did anyone watch the History Channel's LAME two hours of preaching on the "Gates of Hell" ?  I watched the first half hour of it and after I finished throwing up for the next half hour, I was shocked.  It was clearly an attempt to shove the Christian idea of Hell on those watching, or at the very least, an attempt to legitimize the concept of an actual Hell.

I'm not sure what the rest of the show was about, but the part I watched had some serious "fire and brimstone" preaching going on, and there was an actual statement that proposed that hell might actually be a place.  I'm just really "fired" up about the whole thing... pun intended.

Any comments?

[Thumpalumpacus]

History Channel has a long, ahem, history of sensationalism at the expense of factuality.

[The Magic Pudding]

They probably get this stuff cheap, and I hear there is demand for it in the US.

[AtheistInEden]

I watched it for a little while and had the same reaction. I wasn't paying super close attention, but it seemed like everything they said was presented as a fact. "Jesus Christ died on a Friday and became a zombie on Sunday and in between he went to hell to save some souls. BUT! What about those he left behind? What TORTURES did they have to SUFFER?" That's when I got annoyed and decided to watch Seinfeld instead.

[KDbeads]

Please tell me I was not the only one sitting on the couch correcting their 'idea's on the mesoamerican version of what the underworld was?  Or what half the other myths actually were?  I mean seriously, we call this sensational bias drama BS "Hamming It Up" in this house.

And here I was hoping to learn new stuff  

History channel fail on numerous accounts.

[parrotpirate]

The quality of programming on History Channel has been sliding for 3-5 years already. Where they used to show a lot of
quality documentary (actual history) programming, they have now become almost exclusively a source of pseudo-science, religion discussed as if it were fact, and conspiracy theorist crap.

[KDbeads]

Well at least I'm not the only one noticing it

[Squid]

The quality of programming on History Channel has been sliding for 3-5 years already. Where they used to show a lot of
quality documentary (actual history) programming, they have now become almost exclusively a source of pseudo-science, religion discussed as if it were fact, and conspiracy theorist crap.

Like Magic Pudding alluded to, I think this is a result of what most viewers want to see...unfortunately.

[pinkocommie]

I haven't had cable for a while, are they still over playing that terrible gangland show?  I really did not find that show interesting most of the time and it seemed to be on a lot.  

[Sophus]

Yes, I'm watching it now, they've gone off the deep end. There's such a Christian curve to it too. Not all underworlds were based on punishment for crimes or sins, as is reiterated over and over in this show. I wonder if these legitimate experts are upset about being bamboozled into such a ridiculous production that claims the secrets to the reality of hell. Assuming they were bamboozled, and that they are legit.

[Martin TK]

Thanks folks, I just wanted some input on what I was thinking.  I used to love the history channel, years ago, but now it's just as one of you said, mostly a Christian slant to nearly everything.  History International is just about as bad... makes my butt twitch.

[KDbeads]

Not all underworlds were based on punishment for crimes or sins

My point exactly!

[lundberg500]

"Jesus Christ died on a Friday and became a zombie on Sunday and in between he went to hell to save some souls. BUT! What about those he left behind? What TORTURES did they have to SUFFER?"

Too funny... became a zombie. That's pretty good. For some reason, that just cracked me up today.

[deekayfry]

I haven't had cable for a while, are they still over playing that terrible gangland show?  I really did not find that show interesting most of the time and it seemed to be on a lot.  

Oh man don't get me started on that.  I watched one of them.  The content was interesting, but I couldn't help having an overwhelming feeling that HC was glorifying the gang life.  It did nothing to downplay the ugliness of it.

Not only that, it played out like an advertisement.  I can only imagine teens watching this show and lining up for initiations.

[pinkocommie]

I remember watching episode after episode before realizing that they rarely if ever showed religious tattoos/tags.  If you watch the show, you know they often talk about body art and tagging and they show tattoos and tags that the gangs use but they hardly ever show religious imagery.  At least not Christian religious imagery and from my experience in the South and in California, religious imagery is more often then not a pretty big aspect of gang culture - especially among skin heads and Latino gangs.  That's not only a huge thing to gloss over, but it's somewhat questionable that they would seemingly ignore it, isn't it?  

Man, I remember LOVING the History Channel when I was a kid - I'd watch it all the time with my dad.  Now it just reeks of agenda and slant.