Prove Jesus Christ exists, judge orders priest (rock, gospel, Religious)

Urban Hat€monger ? · 01-04-2006, 01:24 PM

The Times January 03, 2006

Prove Christ exists, judge orders priest
From Richard Owen in Rome

AN ITALIAN judge has ordered a priest to appear in court this month to prove that Jesus Christ existed.

The case against Father Enrico Righi has been brought in the town of Viterbo, north of Rome, by Luigi Cascioli, a retired agronomist who once studied for the priesthood but later became a militant atheist.

Signor Cascioli, author of a book called The Fable of Christ, began legal proceedings against Father Righi three years ago after the priest denounced Signor Cascioli in the parish newsletter for questioning Christ’s historical existence.

Yesterday Gaetano Mautone, a judge in Viterbo, set a preliminary hearing for the end of this month and ordered Father Righi to appear. The judge had earlier refused to take up the case, but was overruled last month by the Court of Appeal, which agreed that Signor Cascioli had a reasonable case for his accusation that Father Righi was “abusing popular credulity”.

Signor Cascioli’s contention — echoed in numerous atheist books and internet sites — is that there was no reliable evidence that Jesus lived and died in 1st-century Palestine apart from the Gospel accounts, which Christians took on faith. There is therefore no basis for Christianity, he claims.

Signor Cascioli’s one-man campaign came to a head at a court hearing last April when he lodged his accusations of “abuse of popular credulity” and “impersonation”, both offences under the Italian penal code. He argued that all claims for the existence of Jesus from sources other than the Bible stem from authors who lived “after the time of the hypothetical Jesus” and were therefore not reliable witnesses.

Signor Cascioli maintains that early Christian writers confused Jesus with John of Gamala, an anti-Roman Jewish insurgent in 1st-century Palestine. Church authorities were therefore guilty of “substitution of persons”.

The Roman historians Tacitus and Suetonius mention a “Christus” or “Chrestus”, but were writing “well after the life of the purported Jesus” and were relying on hearsay.

Father Righi said there was overwhelming testimony to Christ’s existence in religious and secular texts. Millions had in any case believed in Christ as both man and Son of God for 2,000 years.

“If Cascioli does not see the sun in the sky at midday, he cannot sue me because I see it and he does not,” Father Righi said.

Signor Cascioli said that the Gospels themselves were full of inconsistencies and did not agree on the names of the 12 apostles. He said that he would withdraw his legal action if Father Righi came up with irrefutable proof of Christ’s existence by the end of the month.

The Vatican has so far declined to comment.

ArtistInTheAmbulance · 01-04-2006, 02:33 PM

Wow.

Some people are ridiculous.

madeinNY · 01-04-2006, 02:34 PM

That's just...wow. What AITA said.

riseagainstrocks · 01-04-2006, 05:06 PM

oh gosh. this should prove a crushing blow to atheism!

Barnard17 · 01-04-2006, 05:21 PM

I doubt it. It's just about impossible to prove beyond all deniable doubt that someone existed that long ago.

franscar · 01-04-2006, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fal

I doubt it. It's just about impossible to prove beyond all deniable doubt that someone existed that long ago.

Caesar?

madeinNY · 01-04-2006, 05:33 PM

Cleopatra too, for that matter...

Barnard17 · 01-04-2006, 05:39 PM

It's possible that they are Mythological characters (they're certainly treated like them to an extent). I wouldn't be willing to 100% say they are real. 99.9999% maybe, but not 100.

right-track · 01-04-2006, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riseagainstrocks

oh gosh. this should prove a crushing blow to atheism!

Or Christianity...

Not that it will a blind bit of difference to either.

riseagainstrocks · 01-04-2006, 05:44 PM

it was semi-sarcastic.

01-04-2006, 01:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	Prove Jesus Christ exists, judge orders priest The Times January 03, 2006 Prove Christ exists, judge orders priest From Richard Owen in Rome AN ITALIAN judge has ordered a priest to appear in court this month to prove that Jesus Christ existed. The case against Father Enrico Righi has been brought in the town of Viterbo, north of Rome, by Luigi Cascioli, a retired agronomist who once studied for the priesthood but later became a militant atheist. Signor Cascioli, author of a book called The Fable of Christ, began legal proceedings against Father Righi three years ago after the priest denounced Signor Cascioli in the parish newsletter for questioning Christ’s historical existence. Yesterday Gaetano Mautone, a judge in Viterbo, set a preliminary hearing for the end of this month and ordered Father Righi to appear. The judge had earlier refused to take up the case, but was overruled last month by the Court of Appeal, which agreed that Signor Cascioli had a reasonable case for his accusation that Father Righi was “abusing popular credulity”. Signor Cascioli’s contention — echoed in numerous atheist books and internet sites — is that there was no reliable evidence that Jesus lived and died in 1st-century Palestine apart from the Gospel accounts, which Christians took on faith. There is therefore no basis for Christianity, he claims. Signor Cascioli’s one-man campaign came to a head at a court hearing last April when he lodged his accusations of “abuse of popular credulity” and “impersonation”, both offences under the Italian penal code. He argued that all claims for the existence of Jesus from sources other than the Bible stem from authors who lived “after the time of the hypothetical Jesus” and were therefore not reliable witnesses. Signor Cascioli maintains that early Christian writers confused Jesus with John of Gamala, an anti-Roman Jewish insurgent in 1st-century Palestine. Church authorities were therefore guilty of “substitution of persons”. The Roman historians Tacitus and Suetonius mention a “Christus” or “Chrestus”, but were writing “well after the life of the purported Jesus” and were relying on hearsay. Father Righi said there was overwhelming testimony to Christ’s existence in religious and secular texts. Millions had in any case believed in Christ as both man and Son of God for 2,000 years. “If Cascioli does not see the sun in the sky at midday, he cannot sue me because I see it and he does not,” Father Righi said. Signor Cascioli said that the Gospels themselves were full of inconsistencies and did not agree on the names of the 12 apostles. He said that he would withdraw his legal action if Father Righi came up with irrefutable proof of Christ’s existence by the end of the month. The Vatican has so far declined to comment. __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

01-04-2006, 02:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
ArtistInTheAmbulance enchanted. Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: cornwailles, angleterre. Posts: 2,537	Wow. Some people are ridiculous. __________________ shake your wings like theyre laced with sound!

01-04-2006, 02:34 PM	#3 (permalink)
madeinNY [[la de da diddy da]] Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NY...duh. Posts: 444	That's just...wow. What AITA said. __________________ I cleared out my PM box...I promise. lol

01-04-2006, 05:06 PM	#4 (permalink)
riseagainstrocks Music Addict Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: DC Posts: 3,320	oh gosh. this should prove a crushing blow to atheism! __________________ One note timeless, came out of nowhere...

01-04-2006, 05:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
Barnard17 My home? Discabled, Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Bristol, UK Posts: 204	I doubt it. It's just about impossible to prove beyond all deniable doubt that someone existed that long ago. __________________ Vita brevis, Occasio praeceps

01-04-2006, 05:33 PM	#7 (permalink)
madeinNY [[la de da diddy da]] Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NY...duh. Posts: 444	Cleopatra too, for that matter... __________________ I cleared out my PM box...I promise. lol

01-04-2006, 05:39 PM	#8 (permalink)
Barnard17 My home? Discabled, Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Bristol, UK Posts: 204	It's possible that they are Mythological characters (they're certainly treated like them to an extent). I wouldn't be willing to 100% say they are real. 99.9999% maybe, but not 100. __________________ Vita brevis, Occasio praeceps

01-04-2006, 05:44 PM	#10 (permalink)
riseagainstrocks Music Addict Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: DC Posts: 3,320	it was semi-sarcastic. __________________ One note timeless, came out of nowhere...