Posted on 01/22/2006 3:10:37 PM PST by Cornpone
Rome - Lawyers for a small-town parish priest have been ordered to appear in court next week after the Roman Catholic cleric was accused of unlawfully asserting what many people take for granted: that Jesus Christ existed.
The Reverend Enrico Righi was named in a 2002 complaint filed by Luigi Cascioli after Righi wrote in a parish bulletin that Jesus did indeed exist, and that he was born of a couple named Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and lived in Nazareth.
Cascioli, a lifelong atheist, claims that Righi violated two Italian laws by making the assertion: so-called "abuse of popular belief" in which someone fraudulently deceives people; and "impersonation" in which someone gains by attributing a false name to someone.
Cascioli says that for 2 000 years the Roman Catholic Church has been deceiving people by furthering the fable that Christ existed, and says the church has been gaining financially by "impersonating" as Christ someone by the name of John of Gamala, the son of Judas from Gamala.
Gospels 'full of errors'
He also asserts that the Gospels - the most frequently cited testimony of Jesus' existence - are inconsistent, full of errors and biased, and that other written evidence from the time is scant and doesn't hold up to scholarly analysis.
Prosecutors, who in Italy are obliged to investigate such complaints, initially tried to have the case dismissed, saying no crime could be verified.
But Cascioli challenged them, and Judge Gaetano Mautone set a hearing for next Friday in Viterbo, north of Rome, to discuss preliminary motions in Cascioli's bid to have the court appoint technical experts to review the historical data and determine if Jesus really did exist.
Cascioli, 72, said in a recent interview that he decided to pursue the case against Righi, a priest in the village of Bagnoregio, near Viterbo, because the cleric had written in the parish bulletin that Jesus existed.
Cascioli is quick to stress that he has no problem with Christians freely professing their faith.
Righi argues that the existence of Christ is "unmistakable" because of the substantial historical evidence - both pagan and religious - testifying that he indeed lived.
"Cascioli maintains that Christ never existed. If he doesn't see the sun at midday, he can't denounce me just because I do.
"He should denounce all believers!" Righi wrote.
Born 'against Christ'
Cascioli says he fully recognises that his case has a slim chance of succeeding in overwhelmingly Catholic Italy, but not because his argument is lacking.
"We aren't optimistic - unless the Madonna makes a miracle, but I don't think that will happen," he joked.
Cascioli says he is merely going through the necessary legal steps in Italy so he can ultimately take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights, where he intends to pursue the case against the church for "religious racism".
"I was born against Christ and God," he said.
"I'm doing it (the complaint) now because I should do it before I die."
I held this debate with a "religion professor" throughout a semester.
What I don't understand about some athiests, is that if they don't believe Jesus existed, why make such a fuss over some one, that in there mind , never lived?
Because, in their minds, he obstructs human progress. Of course, what they fail to understand, is that humans have not "progressed" at all. Technology has, but man has not. Furthermore, progression assumes some final goal, something to progress to, which in turn implies an absolute standard, which in turn implies a higher authority who put that standard into effect--all ideas that are repulsive to this group of people.
The (socialist/anti-Christian) attacks continue.
1. Notice that this is DELIBERATELY taken up so it could go the (viciously-anti-Christian/pro-socialist) courts in the EU.
2. Notice that the PRIEST is writing about Jesus IN a (privately-funded) church bulletin, TO church-goers (not to general athiests-at-large in the community), in a document FOR church believers (who ALREADLY believe based on their faith that Jesus is real/was real/will be real.) What should this atheist then propose? That the priest deny God in his own bulletin?
So, why is the atheist/devil doing this?
ELLIE: (a beat, then softly) You may not believe this... but there's a part of me that wants more than anything to believe in your God. To believe that we're all here for a purpose, that all this... means something. But it's because that part of me wants it so badly that I'm so stubborn about making sure it isn't just self-delusion. Of course I want to know God if there is one... but it has to be real. Unless I have proof how can I be sure?
JOSS: Did you love your father?
ELLIE: (softly) Yes. Very much.
JOSS: Prove it.
Ellie stops and looks at him, truly disarmed.
There was another thread about this a few weeks back. one of the comments was something along the line of "Woudn't it be funny if the pope showed up for the trial?"
I believe Islam admits he exists, doesn't he? Let's see the athiest take after Islam.
I believe, and in that belief, am saved.
"Man has not progressed at all"? You got a laptop in your cave? Ya still dragging your knuckles? You still grunting when you speak? Oh wait! That is evolution, nevermind.
This is new ground for me, i've never really discussed this. I think in very black and white (chocolate and vanilla for the New Orleans residents). Believe or disbelieve, it's ones choice.I just again find it interesting, that people would raise 9 different kinds of hell about something that in there mind doesn't exist lol. I find it amazing they spend so much time and energy to prove NOTHING doesn't exist. ;)
Jeff
"Common Era" of what, why?
The athiests I speak with on paltalk have some kind of affinity for Islam, some of them believe that because they don't have a religion, that some how shields them from Islam. I can not figure that one out.
Jeff
Just last week I watched a special on the History channel that stated several stories of Jesus' childhood are documented in the Koran. So it isn't only the Catholics & Protestants who believe Jesus was a real person who existed in history.
EXACTLY! If it's no big deal, and all hocus pocus, what's the problem? Let us have our hocus pocus, I'm not asking them to do it! :)
Jeff
Why would a atheist give Islam a free pass....it's easy to make an argument that this God business has caused the world incredible suffering....and perhaps the most suffering is yet to come!
"I submit these types are not just garden variety athiests, but *specifically anti-Christian* which probably requires a special title of such."
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I used to have Athiests in my garden. Raid worked great!
Apparently, you have not "progressed" enough to read my entire post. This little line happens to appear therein: Technology has, but man has not. Technology does not fundamentaly change humanity. Furthermore, I do not acknowledge that man was ever dragging his knuckles or grunting to speak. THAT is assumed by evolutionists. Why? Because, in order to evolve we had to evolve from something. Yet, they cannot prove that either of these things used to be true. For all you know, we could have walked on our hands dragging our feet along and talked with high-pitched screetches that can no longer be heard by the human ear. In short, your assumption that we dragged our knuckles and grunted is just that--an unproveable assumption.
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