HBO's "The Last of Us," a post-apocalyptic show based on the video game that was first released nearly a decade ago, depicted a Christian preacher as a crazed cannibal villain in the most recent episode.
The group is led by a man named David, a Christian preacher, and also includes James and Troy, the latter of whom cites Bible verses to support his cannibalistic actions. David, the show's evil preacher, even attempts to rape a young girl, Ellie, the protagonist, and cites a Bible verse as justification for doing so.
The pop culture site Bounding Into Comics, contrasted the show with the popular video game the series is based on: "The game’s characterization of the two cannibals simply depicts them as unhinged but resilient-in-the-face-of-the-apocalypse psychopaths, HBO’s live-action adaptation opted to provide some additional and unnecessary context to the characters’ backstories."
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Verse 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love" is the part of the Bible the preacher cites for his sexual assault.
Twitter user Angelo complained about the most recent episode, saying, "Tonight’s episode of The Last of Us was one of the best this season. Pretty faithful to the game. But I did have one gripe with it: why make the town leader a crazy Christian? That trope is so burnt out and hollow. It was so forced and pointless too."
The HBO series also features a number of gay characters. Star Bella Ramsey recently told GQ that viewers should just "get used to it," saying, "I know people will think what they want to think. But they're gonna have to get used to it. If you don't want to watch the show because it has gay storylines, because it has a trans character, that's on you, and you're missing out."
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The issue of possible anti-religious bias recently sparked heated debate during a contentious hearing on Capitol Hill. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., confronted Attorney General Merrick Garland over what he alleged was an "anti-Catholic bias" in the Justice Department after a pro-life family had their home raided by the FBI.
There have been nearly 300 attacks on Catholic churches since May 2020, ranging from vandalism to arson.
