Chef throws toys out of his cot and leaves.

Since 1997 Isaac Hayes has provided the voice for the South Park character Chef. Now he has thrown his toys out of the cot, packed his diaper bag and gone off to cry. Hayes protested what he called the show's "inappropriate ridicule of religious communities."

Like most religionists Hayes thinks they alone should be exempt from ridicule. You can challenge anything else but don't touch their myths. But if Hayes has been on the show since 1997 shouldn't he have noticed that the show ridiculed religion regularly. This is no new trend. Yet now he says that "a growing insensitivity toward personal spiritual beliefs." Surely the man saw previous episodes that ridiculed everyone and everything sacred?

Of course he has. What changed was that South Park did a show on the absolutely wacky cult of Scientology and Hayes is one this nuts. Ridiculing Jesus was okay since the Scientology has some space aliene cult instead. But they are notoriously nasty to people who challenge their beliefs. And the very authoritarian cult issues orders so I would not be suprised one bit if Hayes was not ordered to quite the show.

Matt Stone, of the show's creators said they would relieve Hayes of his contractual obligations. "In 10 years and over 150 episodes of South Park,, Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslims, Mormons and Jews. He got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show."

If you want to see the episode that got the Scientologists all upset you can download the entire show here:

http://www.xenu.net/

It's a hoot. And there is a chance that future showings of the program will not be aired as the Scientologists are a litigious bunch.