don't those dumb asses use a Bible to swear the wittness in??? if so... case closed.
Posted on 01/04/2006 12:53:16 PM PST by billorites
Forget the U.S. debate over intelligent design versus evolution.
An Italian court is tackling Jesus -- and whether the Roman Catholic Church may be breaking the law by teaching that he existed 2,000 years ago.
The case pits against each other two men in their 70s, who are from the same central Italian town and even went to the same seminary school in their teenage years.
The defendant, Enrico Righi, went on to become a priest writing for the parish newspaper. The plaintiff, Luigi Cascioli, became a vocal atheist who, after years of legal wrangling, is set to get his day in court later this month.
"I started this lawsuit because I wanted to deal the final blow against the Church, the bearer of obscurantism and regression," Cascioli told Reuters.
Cascioli says Righi, and by extension the whole Church, broke two Italian laws. The first is "Abuso di Credulita Popolare" (Abuse of Popular Belief) meant to protect people against being swindled or conned. The second crime, he says, is "Sostituzione di Persona," or impersonation.
"The Church constructed Christ upon the personality of John of Gamala," Cascioli claimed, referring to the 1st century Jew who fought against the Roman army.
A court in Viterbo will hear from Righi, who has yet to be indicted, at a January 27 preliminary hearing meant to determine whether the case has enough merit to go forward.
"In my book, The Fable of Christ, I present proof Jesus did not exist as a historic figure. He must now refute this by showing proof of Christ's existence," Cascioli said.
Speaking to Reuters, Righi, 76, sounded frustrated by the case and baffled as to why Cascioli -- who, like him, came from the town of Bagnoregio -- singled him out in his crusade against the Church.
"We're both from Bagnoregio, both of us. We were in seminary together. Then he took a different path and we didn't see each other anymore," Righi said.
"Since I'm a priest, and I write in the parish newspaper, he is now suing me because I 'trick' the people."
Righi claims there is plenty of evidence to support the existence of Jesus, including historical texts.
He also claims that justice is on his side. The judge presiding over the hearing has tried, repeatedly, to dismiss the case -- prompting appeals from Cascioli.
"Cascioli says he didn't exist. And I said that he did," he said. "The judge will to decide if Christ exists or not."
Even Cascioli admits that the odds are against him, especially in Roman Catholic Italy.
"It would take a miracle to win," he joked.
"I started this lawsuit because I wanted to deal the final blow against the Church"
Now why can't the ACLU be this honest?
That's like saying a judge will decide if George Washington was the first president of the United States or not."
Well all the 12 Apostles are dead and Pontius Pilate washed his hands from the whole affair.
Another professional a**hole. Let's elect this guy to the Senate!
...reading
If Jesus didn't exist, then why, pray tell, did Romans mention a nonexistent person in the only known reference to Pontius Pilate?
That's like saying a judge will decide if George Washington was the first president of the United States or not."
He wasn't.
He was eleventh.
He was only the first president under the Constitution.
The presidents under the Articles of Confederation:
Samuel Huntington, Thomas McKean John Hanson, Elias Boudinot, Thomas Mifflin, Richard Henry Lee, John Hancock, Nathaniel Gorham, Arthur St. Clair, and Cyrus Griffin
are too often ignored.
So9
don't those dumb asses use a Bible to swear the wittness in??? if so... case closed.
I just can't wait to see this judge before the real Judge one day.
You know, how one stands on the divinity of Jesus is one thing, but not only , as someone mentioned, did the Romans know of Christ, but the Jews have him down in their Scriptures and so do the Muslims (eh, no accounting for taste with the last one).
This guy reminds me of the rabid atheist, back in the 70's who decided to take a hammer to Michaelangelos Pietà.
(ps: I am agnostic myself and deplore this type of idiocy)
Well, in their respective books, numbering in excess of twenty, the contemporary authors Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, and James presented proof not only that Jesus existed but that He was also the promised Messiah and Son of God.
Furthermore, noted American scholar and speaker Josh McDowell has written several books, including Evidence that Demands a Verdict, More Than A Carpenter, The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict, The Resurrection Factor, and Reasons Skeptics Should Consider Christianity, that present extensive documentary evidence that Jesus existed and that He fulfilled all of the Messianic prophecies written hundreds of years before His birth.
And Mr. Cascioli has his one little book that he wants to stack up against all these other authors and scholars?
As the author of this book and a professed athiest, shouldn't he have to prove there is no God?
Good luck finding the body!
One of the funniest organization names I have ever seen is "The Society of Open-minded Athiests". (If they were truly open-minded, and honest, they would have to call themselves agnostic rather than athiests now wouldn't they.)
GNOSTIC - a KNOWER!
AGNOSTIC - A NO-KNOWER
ping
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