Penn & Teller ridicule Christ's crucifixion

WorldNet Daily ^ | 2003-01-20

[Ethan Clive Osgoode]

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.

[joesnuffy]

Wonder if these performance arteests
would do something equally as debasing to
Mohhamed and Allah?
Thought not..

God will not be mocked...the fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom...

[ConfusedAndLovingIt]

I have a great friend in Rome called Biggus Dickus.

[Boxsford]

*smile* agreed!

[Boxsford]

that says it all--good post!

[wasp69]

He's not an atheist as is pointed out, he is in fact a Satanist.

[Lunatic Fringe]

Christianity Islam can be dangerous. Look at the Trade Center.

Bet he wouldnt have the brass balls to say THIS!

[Salgak]

God most certainly DOES have a sense of humor. . . or we wouldn't have one.

Personally, I always liked Spider Robinson's conclusion: God is an Iron.

Confused ? What do you call someone who commits a felony ? A Felon. Therefore, it follows, that one who commits irony. . . . . (g)

[hattend]

This happened months ago and was discussed in endless detail at the time.

I'm glad you said this. I thought I was experiencing Deja Vu (all over again).

[wasp69]

Which leads to my question: Does God have a sense of humor?

Have you ever contemplated the existance of the platypus?

[TexasRepublic]

Speaking of roasts, those guys should be very afraid of the afterlife they don't believe in.

[Humbug]

I used to think Penn & Teller were okay when i was a kid. I'd only seen them a few times but they struck me as kind of funny and kind of cool too. But then about 10 (or more) years ago i read an article how they (or at least Penn) were part of some sort of Hollywood Satanic cult. It was probably just a "gag" cult, just to thumb their noses at Christians or something. But anyway it definitely rubbed me the wrong way. BTW one of the things mentioned in the article was that members of this cult would paint one fingernail black. So a while later i saw a special on TV showing off Penn's rather oddly designed home and watched some of it just to see if he still had a black fingernail and if the reporter would question him about it. Penn was giving a guided tour of the house and i finally spotted the nail (though it did seem he tried to hide it) but not surprisingly - and probably at his request - the reporter never made any inquiries.

[marshmallow]

That's what I thinking. I once saw Penn give a tour of his home on TV and he has a whole library devoted to atheism. I don't understand how someone who doesn't believe in a higher power can be so rabid and zealous about their non-belief.

As G.K. Chesterton once said; "If there was no God, there would be no atheists."

Atheism tends to militancy. Exhibit A is communism. It is not simply a non-belief in the existence of God but rather a pro-active a-theism which seeks to spread itself. It is a direct, diabolical counterpoint to theism.

[Genesis defender]

Most Christians, myself included, don't consider the illusionist style of magic to be evil. What IS evil is the type of magic practiced by witches, warlocks, and others. Spells, curses, voodoo, and similar magic is forbidden in the Bible.

Penn & Teller performed once at the university I attended. About one third of the audience walked out after some of their stunts.

[Huck]

http://www.mwscomp.com/movies/brian/brian.htm

[MEGoody]

"I don't understand how someone who doesn't believe in a higher power can be so rabid and zealous about their non-belief."

Madelyn Murray O'Hare was like this - she was positively venomous. I've come to the conclusion that atheists who are this 'rabid' really aren't atheists at all. They know God is out there, looking at them - and it drives them crazy.

[MEGoody]

"Which leads to my question: Does God have a sense of humor?"

Certainly. But there's nothing humorous in what Penn/Teller did as described in this article.

[MEGoody]

"Oh, and as a side note, many Christians consider "magic" to be evil."

I've never talked to a Christian who would consider slight of hand to be 'magic' or 'evil'.

[TomServo]

First posted here.