turtleneck-and-blue-jeans-wearing Apple CEO Steve Jobs has landed smack dab in
the middle of Christian censorship controversy.
In response to
the iPhone-maker’s decision to remove a pro-life app that supports traditional
marriage from its iTunes Store, the National Organization
for Marriage (NOM) has launched a video
called “The Iconic Steve Jobs” that paints Jobs as “Big Brother.”
“Steve Jobs
built his reputation as an iconic marketer in the famous 1984 commercial for
the Macintosh computer in which Apple promises to take on ‘Big Brother,’” says Brian Brown, president of NOM. “Jobs has made billions
taking on ‘Big Brother’ yet the irony is that in refusing to allow citizens to
support pro-life and traditional marriage positions he’s become the very ‘Big
Brother’ he has decried.”
The Manhattan Declaration, an organization of Christians who
support traditional marriage, life and religious liberty, created the app.
Launched in Manhattan in November 2009, the Declaration—called “A Call of Christian Conscience”—enjoys the support of
prominent Christian clergy, ministers and scholars. It has been signed by
nearly 500,000 Christians.
The app was
developed to facilitate other Christians to sign the declaration. Apple
reviewers initially approved the app and certified that it contains no
offensive content. Later, when gay marriage advocates mounted an online
petition, Apple pulled the app from the iTunes Store. An Apple spokesperson
defended the action saying that the Christian app was “offensive to large
groups of people.”
As Brown sees
it, Apple happily allows all kinds of apps for pro-abortion and pro-gay
marriage groups, yet when Christians develop an app to support traditional
marriage and life, it is called offensive and is pulled from the iTunes Store.
“What is
offensive is that Steve Jobs has targeted Christians for discrimination and
religious bigotry, censoring our basic right to speech. Steve Jobs has become
Big Brother and we call on Christians across America to contact Jobs to express
their outrage at his unfair, discriminatory decision. Apple should immediately
restore the Manhattan Declaration app and apologize to all Christians for their
actions.”
Apple was not
immediately available for comment.
