Video Mocks Steve Jobs for Christian App Censorship
A traditional marriage group released a video Tuesday mocking Apple founder Steve Jobs for the company's decision to remove an app linked to a Christian document supporting traditional marriage and sanctity of life.
In the video by National Organization for Marriage, Jobs is compared to the "Big Brother" featured in Apple's 1984 ad.
The 95-second clip describes Jobs as an iconic figure and legendary marketer who made his reputation in the breakthrough commercial for the Macintosh computer in which Apple promises to take on "Big Brother."
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But in censoring the Manhattan Declaration app, Jobs has become the "Big Brother" he has decried, according to the video's message.
"What's happened over the years is the iconic Steve Jobs has become the ironic Steve Jobs," says the video's narrator.
Job's email is posted at the end of the clip as the narrator encourages viewers to protest the app's censorship.
NOM president Brian Brown sent the video in an email to the organization's 800,000 supporters.
The group has questioned why Apple has singled out the Manhattan Declaration app when the company has allowed apps representing opposing views, such as the app for Planned Parenthood and another calling for the repeal of Proposition 8.
"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," said Brown in a statement.
"What is offensive is that Steve Jobs has targeted Christians for discrimination and religious bigotry, censoring our basic right to speech."
The Manhattan Declaration app was developed to garner further support for an ecumenical document of the same title. Nearly 500,000 Christians, including prominent evangelical, Orthodox and Catholic leaders, have signed the declaration which articulates the Christian position for the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty.
The app debuted in October with a 4+ rating by Apple, which cleared it of any objectionable material.
But Apple removed the app over the Thanksgiving holiday after opponents complained in a petition on Change.org that the application was "anti-gay, anti-choice."
Last week, drafters of the Manhattan Declaration, including Chuck Colson, resubmitted a revised version of the app that no longer contains a poll evaluating the user's beliefs regarding same-sex relationships and abortion.
Organizers behind the Manhattan Declaration made the decision to axe the poll after determining that the questionnaire was a "lightning rod for gay activists."
The original app had a poll that awarded points for the user's response to yes/no questions like "Do you believe in protecting life from the moment of conception?" and "Do you support same-sex relationships?"
A pro-abortion or pro-gay marriage response was considered incorrect.
In addition to the resubmission to Apple, Manhattan Declaration supporters also sent a petition urging Apple to reinstate the app.
More than 46,000 people have added their names to the petition.
