Last week, Isaac Hayes decided that he was leaving his role as the voice of Chef on South Park. Apparently, he was offended by the show’s insensitivity towards Scientology in a recent episode.

Hayes is quoted as saying:

“There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins. Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored. As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices.”

I call bullshit!

South Park is arguably the most irreverent television show ever created. They have made fun of Black (even called them niggers), Jews, Gays, Lesbians, Christians, disabled people, and nearly anyone else you could imagine. How are his moral and ethical sensibilities only challenged when scientology is the topic? Clearly, his beef isn’t with intolerance and disrespect. Rather, it’s with intolerance and disrespect of Scientology.
I’m not going to go so far as to call scientology a cult. However, the representions offered by people like Hayes and Tom Cruise, certainly suggest very narrow, condescending, and uncritical perspectives. Can similar claims be made about other religions? Certainly. But my experiences going into Scientology stores and talking to members have left me with the same feeling I had when talking to Linden LaRouche’s followers: uneasy.