"The All-American, family-loving, Bible-quoting, Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination… and the Walt Disney Company, the world's largest producer of family friendly programs and products…seems like a match made…well, in heaven!"

The 60 Minutes segment soon makes clear, however, that the two parties mentioned do not, in fact, make such a heavenly match.

Richard Land, President of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, announces that Disney is "pushing a Christian bashing, family bashing, pro-homosexual agenda."

Baptist leader Land says there needs to be an understanding "that when you take your money and you go to the theme parks or you rent the animated features or you go to the animated features, you're helping to subsidize material in other venues that is going to be an attack on your values or your beliefs."

Michael Eisner, Disney's CEO, says, "Well, that's ridiculous! We're not pushing any agenda."

When asked why the Southern Baptists are boycotting Disney, Eisner replies, "We're large. When somebody attacks us it gets their agenda into the news."

The Baptist boycott, initiated last June, is aimed not only at Disney's theme parks but at its retail stores, ABC television, magazines, record companies, sports franchises, and movies.

Two animated Disney movies, The Little Mermaid and Pocahontas have caused the Baptists particular grief. Rand, who says he has not seen The Little Mermaid, nevertheless attacks it on the ground that the film shows a clergyman who becomes "sexually aroused while performing a marriage ceremony."

60 Minutes runs (at regular speed) and re-runs (more slowly) a clip of the film, as well as a denial of the scene as one of sexual arousal by Michael Eisner. The re-run, clearly, shows that where the Baptists see an erection (under the clergyman's clothes) there is, in fact, only his knee.

As for Pocahontas, Baptist leader Rand complains that Disney has twisted history by failing to note that the Native American legend was "baptised an orthodox Christian." Eisner defends Pocahontas as one of the most pro-social movies in Disney's 75 year history, one that promotes ecology, for example, and points out that "incidentally…she didn't become a Christian in the legend until after our story ended."

The Southern Baptist Convention is not the only organization boycotting Disney, says Leslie Stahl. There is also the conservative American Family Association and The Catholic League.

60 Minutes interviews a Kissimmee, Florida Baptist family in which two youngsters who live near Orlando's Disney World have been forbidden to frolic there. The boy, particularly, seems miffed at being grounded by his fundamentalist parents.

"Nothing," says Ms. Stahl, upsets the Baptists "more than what they see as Disney's promotion of homosexuality."

ABC-TV's Ellen, which airs Wednesdays (9:30 p.m. EST), particularly irks the religious right. Stahl asks Eisner: "Is it tasteful to have two women kissing on television?"

He replies: "It didn't offend me. Did it make some people uncomfotable? Probably. Did we put an advisory on it? Yes. Would we in the future? I don't know."

The Disney CEO continues: "At the same time even for the Disney Company on a non-branded Disney show I would be hard (pressed) to ask ABC even in their news division, on their public relations division, or their entertainment division to cancel or edit something out that was mature."

Eisner insists that the introductory advisories ABC has used on the Ellen show have not been prompted by letters and taunts from the religious right.

He defends Gay Day at Disney by saying that denying any group of citizens access to the theme park would amount to "a travesty for us."

Baptist leader Land is asked, "What is the (Southern Baptist) Convention's view of homosexuals? You don't luike homosexuals?"

He replies: "We love homosexuals. We're commanded by the Lord to love homosexuals. As does the Bible. As does God."

"Why, then," asks Leslie Stahl, "do you deny them health benefits?"

Rand replies: "We deny anything that promotes the normalization of a lifestyle that is abnormal, deviant, unhealthy, and dangerous."

Finally, wonders Stahl, is the boycott working?

"Turns out," she says, that most Southern Baptists are not moved by the Convention's boycott. "A recent independent poll," she says, "shows that 55% disagreed with the Disney boycott."

Disney's CEO Eisner says the boycott has not hurt his company financially.