Ash Wednesday ... remembering Ted Turner's "Jesus Freaks" comment

In 2001, media mogul Ted Turner managed to insult just about every Christian with his insensitive remarks on Ash Wednesday, as reported by Fox News Channel's Brit Hume and passed along by Media Research:

Ted Turner insulted attendees at Bernard Shaw’s retirement party, asking those on Ash Wednesday with a smudge on their foreheads if they were "a bunch of Jesus freaks," FNC’s Brit Hume reported Tuesday night.

Hume revealed during his "Grapevine" segment on Special Report with Brit Hume:

"CNN founder Ted Turner, in town last week for a retirement party for anchor Bernard Shaw, left the staff stunned after meeting with them at the network’s Washington bureau. It was Ash Wednesday and a number of those present still had a smudge on their forehead.

‘What are you?’ asked Turner, ‘a bunch of Jesus freaks? You ought to be working for Fox.’

Turner, it may be remembered, stirred controversy a decade ago when he said Christianity is, quote, ‘for losers.’ He apologized for that, but as recently as last August criticized Christianity for being, quote, ‘very intolerant.’"

Sounds like he’s the intolerant one.

And that's a flashback from Ash Wednesday 2001.