Posted on 01/20/2003 3:07:38 PM PST by Houmatt
The magic-comedy team of Penn & Teller has performed a stunt parodying the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, offending some attendees of a major magicians' convention, reports columnist Norm Clarke of the Las Vegas Review.
The skit, performed last week in Las Vegas, included Teller, dressed as Christ on a full-size cross, entering the room on a cart. According to the column, a midget dressed as an angel "performed a simulated sex act on the near-naked Teller." Penn, in a Roman gladiator costume, unveiled the scene by pulling away a "Shroud of Turin" that covered the cross.
A group of people attending the event, billed as a roast of magician Amazing Johnathan, walked out in protest, says Clarke.
According to Rick Neiswonger, a longtime magician and marketing executive, said "the majority" of the 400 who attended the roast were offended.
"They (organizers) warned everybody that something offensive was going to happen, but my God, where do you draw the line? … This was beyond bad taste," Neiswonger told the Review.
One magician, Lance Burton, defended the stunt in an address at the finale luncheon of the conference.
"I told them, 'You were warned ahead of time.' It was a roast; it was held late at night (midnight)," he said, according to the Review column. "Penn & Teller are my dear friends and I would take a bullet for them, and you can write that."
Amazing Johnathan told the Review he was aware that a number of what he called "gospel magicians" walked out of the performance.
"This was performance art," said Johnathan. "I know that Penn is a practicing atheist, and I agree with him that Christianity can be dangerous. Look at the Trade Center. That was done in the name of religion."
Clarke said in his column that Penn & Teller declined comment.
He is also against the death penalty but has a "used" electric chair (and I believe some jarred fetuses).
A vile man who's stage act can be "entertaining" at some times.
Hitler was inspired to carry out his monstrous acts by the atheist madman Nietzsche who destested Christianity almost as much as jlogajan does.
Spends his spare time "debunking" and mocking other religions; specifically Christianity.
http://www.forbes.com/asap/1999/1004/235.html
They have always been controversial..is their "act"..seems here they played more to an audience of one..themselves.
Penn is also against the death penalty.
Ted Rall supported Bill Clinton's impeachment over lying to the court about Monica. Doesn't make Ted Rall a conservative either.
That's Seigfreid and Roy.
Dear Lord please bring them to conversion!
For the record, I've had dinner with Penn Jillette. Yes, he's a very staunch atheist and quite in your face about it. He also hates Bill Clinton and is, if anything political, a rabid Libertarian. I'm hardly in agreement with everything he says or thinks, but anyone who's done so much to expose scum-sucking charlatans like faith healers, psychic surgeons and John Edward is doing the Lord's work, whether he likes to think so or not.
That's offensively stupid, yet thats a standard message over in left America. It a quick excuse to dismiss a meaningful conversation about Christianity.
It's not too late. You don't HAVE to BURN IN HELL, unless you particularly WANT to.
I prefer James Randi's style in doing this. Penn and Teller, who can be sporadically amusing, muddle their message by getting people to focus on their shocking behavior. It's the same problem I have with the TV show 'South Park'. It's not worth watching when I have to keep concentrating on ignoring (or trying to justify) the potty humor. 'The Simpsons' makes a lot of the same points, but are eminently more watchable. In my opinion, anyway.
It's absolutely amazing (and very, very sad) that so many liberals - who most often have not the slightest idea what Christ actually taught or what He said, or of the significance of what He did - mock Him. They don't want to know - because they know that to know would mean to give up lives of sin and to turn toward God. They are afraid and insecure. We are called to pray for them.
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