Jesus Christ on Trial in Italy

The January 3, 2006 edition of The Times (UK) reports that “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. Cascioli, author of a book called The Fable of Christ (2001), began legal proceedings against Father Righi three years ago after the priest denounced Cascioli in the parish newsletter for questioning Christ’s historical existence.

Cascioli’s one-man campaign came to a head at a court hearing on  April 29, 2005 when he brought charges against Fr. Enrico Righi, accusing the priest of  “abuse of popular credulity” (No. 661, Italian penal code) and “impersonation” (No. 494, Italian penal code). Cascioli 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. In addition, he maintains that early Christian writers confused Jesus with John of Gamala, an anti-Roman Jewish insurgent in 1st-century Palestine. Therefore, Church authorities were guilty of “substitution of persons”.

Gaetano Mautone, a judge in Viterbo, had originally refused to take up the case, but was overruled by the Court of Appeal, which agreed that Mr. Cascioli had a reasonable case for his accusation that Father Righi was “abusing popular credulity.” Cascioli said that he would withdraw his legal action if Father Righi came up with irrefutable proof of Christ’s existence. "I started this lawsuit because I wanted to deal the final blow against the Church, the bearer of obscurantism and regression," Cascioli told Reuters (Jan. 4, 2006).

While the Vatican has refused to comment, Fr. 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,” said the embattled priest, “he cannot sue me because I see it and he does not.”

Comment: God only knows what happened to Luigi Cascioli while he was in the seminary. His hope is for a verdict that will “give way to a post-Christian era that all people of good will are ready and waiting for.” So, it is not really about scholarship, but about a “new pagan order.”

And, if you go to Luigi Cascioli’s website, you will find the motive behind his rantings spelled out rather clearly. For instance, under a section titled, Nudism & Satanism: The Origins of Magic and Witchcraft, you will read that “Naturism and nudism came from the reaction to taboos imposed by repressive and obscurant laws, and are evident proof of mankind’s need to live according to a moral code based on common sense and reason.” Further on, Cascioli the scholar informs us that “Satanic ceremonies, called black masses, are only the revolt of nature against a god who by hindering the enjoyment of the pleasures that he himself created, proves to be wicked, cynical and illogical.” Finally, we are informed that Christian morality is “an enemy of mankind and therefore only worthy of profanation and contempt.”

Not surprisingly, Cascioli is obsessed with sex and views Catholic history as one gigantic crime against sexuality. Under the Sex & Christianity section of his website, we are informed that the ecstasies of the ancient Catholic mystics were only the mentally disordered result of “perpetual sexual abstinence.” Not only that, but it turns out that the stigmata granted to certain holy souls was, in the end, nothing else but “the first symptom of sexual dissatisfaction,” during which a “drama, of a psycho-physical nature, is shown in the inflammation of the skin which can be directed to the body parts where the interests of the subject are concentrated.”

As for the laughable accusations of “abuse of popular credulity” and “impersonation,” or “substitution of persons?” Cascioli here establishes a purely capricious principle which states that “any historical documents, even those chronicling the testimony of eyewitnesses, are untrustworthy if they are written [an unspecified number of] years after the fact.” Under this rule, university professors should be hauled into court for teaching that Socrates was a real person. Since no actual writings of Socrates have survived, all our information concerning one of the greatest philosophers in history is drawn from secondary sources such as Plato (one of Socrates’ students), Aristotle, etc. Come on, Mr. Cascioli, this Socrates guy, this paragon of intellect, couldn’t have existed!

The only rational approach to all this is to weigh many factors. Ancient historical texts, just like modern ones, may contain lies and exaggerations. They can also contain truth. As for modern accounts. Well, “Don’t believe everything you read in the papers.” One does not need a degree in law to figure out that the burden of proof in this case does not rest upon Fr. Righi and the need to prove the existence of Jesus, but upon Mr. Cascioli and the need to prove his particular theory about the validity of historical documents.

An “Evangelical Theme Park” for Israel?

On January 4, 2006, The Guardian, UK (Jan. 4, 2006) reported that “the Israeli government is planning to give up a large slice of land to American Christian evangelicals to build a biblical theme park by the Sea of Galilee where Jesus is said to have walked on water and fed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish.” A consortium of Christian groups, led by the television evangelist Pat Robertson, had been in negotiation with the Israeli ministry of tourism over the project, which was expected to bring up to one million extra tourists a year, and cement a political alliance between the Israeli right-wing and the American “Christian right.”

However, CNN reported (Jan. 12, 2006) that Israel “would go ahead with plans to build an evangelical Christian heritage center in northern Israel – but without Robertson,” after the Christian Coalition founder said that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was the result of divine retribution over the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. On the January 5th broadcast of his popular television show, The 700 Club, Robertson said of Sharon: "He was dividing God's land, and I would say, 'Woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the [European Union], the United Nations or the United States of America’.”

The proposed site of the evangelical theme park center, covering nearly 125 acres and provisionally called the “Galilee World Heritage Park,” would be northeast of the Mount of the Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. It would feature a garden and nature park, an auditorium, a Holy Land exhibition, outdoor amphitheaters, information center and a media studio.

The Israeli Ministry of Tourism estimates the total cost would be $48 million. Jonathan Pulik, a spokesman for the ministry, said that the Christian market was very important for Israel's tourism industry. "We would like to give them more of a reason to come here. We would be willing to lease the land to them free of charge and they would finance the construction." He also pointed out that the project would bring large numbers of jobs to the area.

Yossi Sarid, a former government minister and member of the Knesset, is wary Israel’s friendship of the American Christian right and projects such as the Galilee center. "I am not enthusiastic about this cooperation,” he said, “because I have no desire to be cannon fodder for the evangelists.” Avraham Hirschson, the Israeli tourism minister, takes a different approach to the project: "I'm not a theologian, I'm the minister of tourism, and I'm not interested in the politics of our tourists as long as they come here. They come here as tourists, and they're friends of Israel."

Comment: On December 17, 2003, Pat Robertson delivered a speech to the Herzliya Conference at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy in Herzliya, Israel. Speaking on the theme, Why Evangelical Christians Support Israel, he declared, “We believe that the emergence of a Jewish state in the land promised by God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was ordained by God.”

The Cox News Service reported that Israel's leaders reacted “enthusiastically” to Pat Robertson's Christian Zionism. “When the founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network culminated his give-no-ground speech to the elite of Israel's political and military establishment with the ringing declaration, ‘Be strong! Be strong!’, many of his listeners jumped to their feet to give him a boisterous round of applause,” wrote Craig Nelson of Cox News.

Only two months before the conference, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon addressed 3,000 visiting evangelical Christians from 80 countries, including about 450 Americans. "We love you!" Sharon told the gathering. In a march through the streets of Jerusalem, the evangelicals returned the sentiment, waving signs such as "Oklahoma Loves Israel" and shouting "Hallelujah to the God of Israel!"

Yes, the Israeli government loves evangelicals, and their political and financial support. During the same month in which Sharon was sharing the love with the American evangelicals pilgrims, their brethren back home in the good old USA were bending over backwards to show their support for Israel. About 16,000 evangelical churches participated in a one-day "Stand for Israel" prayer campaign co-chaired by Ralph Reed,  former head the Christian Coalition. In addition, several thousand evangelicals flocked to Washington to participate in a "Christian Solidarity for Israel" rally sponsored by the Christian Coalition.

Pat Robertson has been the darling of the “Christian Zionist” movement, and his obeisances to the State of Israel have been both extravagant and consistent. But, Pat Robertson put his foot in his mouth, and has done so in truly grand fashion. His real crime is not religious fanaticism or intolerance, it is the criticizing of Israel. And this small nation to which he has pledged his primary allegiance has made an example of him, although negotiations for the evangelical theme park will continue.

According to CNN report (January 12, 2006), Israeli Deputy Tourism Minister Rami Levy, after referring to Robertson's statement as “outrageous,” went on to say that the project will continue as the “same joint venture, just the players are going to be changed.” The irony of the Robertson incident is that he must have imagined that his proclamation concerning the cause of Ariel Sharon’s stroke was merely another indication of his fervent pro-Israel stance. As was only to be expected, Roberston issued a January 11^th apology in which he asked “forgiveness of the people of Israel for saying what was clearly insensitive at the time."

It is interesting that news of the proposed “Galilee World Heritage Park” arrived right on the heels of a January 4^th story reported by the Israeli news agency, Yedioth Internet, stating that “the Vatican's legal advisor in Israel, David Jaeger, harshly criticized Israel’s policy regarding safeguarding Christian holy sites.” It seems there is a certain tendency for the Israeli government to “stick it to the man,” in this case, the Catholic Church. As recently as 2004, only a year after Pat Robertson was wowing them at the Herzliya Conference, Catholic priests and religious were being treated as "clandestine immigrants" on account of the Israeli government refusing to renew their visas, in a violation of the 1993 accord between Israel and the Holy See.

Perhaps an “Evangelical” theme park (God help us!), and its possible prodigious revenue will fit right into the Israeli landscape. But that pesky Vatican – even today’s wimped-out, head-on-backwards Vatican – can still summon enough testosterone on occasion to take the Israeli government to task. It’s not much, but perhaps it keeps them guessing.

Lessons in “Gay History” For Young British Schoolchildren

The January 4, 2006 edition of The Daily Mail (UK) reports that the Organizers of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History Month have the support of Scotland Yard and government departments in Britain to teach children that famous historical figures were gay and to study sexual swear words. According to reporter Steve Doughty, the LGBT History Month campaign, scheduled for February, has been launched in order to “celebrate” the homosexual lifestyle and to end the alleged “silence” about homosexual issues in schools.

Last November, Metropolitan Police Chief Sir Ian Blair approved the use of a police headquarters in West London for a reception of LGBT History Month campaigners, while the Metropolitan Police Authority has donated £3,125 (approximately $5,500.00 ) towards the project. Blair has been promoting “gay rights” since becoming chief of the Metropolitan Police. To date, he has appointed 24 diversity advisers on £35,000-a-year (approximately $61,700-a-year) salaries and he has been a speaker at homosexual events.

LGBT History Month also has the support of Education Secretary Ruth Kelly, whose government department is understood to be contributing £20,000 (approximately $35,000.00) towards the campaign. The Department of Health is also a sponsor.

For students aged 7 to 11, the LGBT History Month lesson plan recommends that the pupils “think of all the unpleasant names they hear pupils call each other in the playground.” They are then to repeat them, write them on the blackboard and discuss their “real meaning.” This is to be done even though the exercise “will provoke some embarrassment from the pupils as many of the words will be sexual or swear words.” If students resist, teachers are told to begin the discussion with words that they heard while on “playground duty.”

Students older than 11 are expected “to discover and learn that sex and gender diversity is one of the last great secret taboos on our society” and that “sex and gender are separate concepts from each other and both are distinct from sexual orientation." The LGBT History Month lesson plan recommends that these students explore “the fascination which people have with the idea of gender-crossing” in popular culture, and that they hold a competition for essays on the topic, "Who is your favorite LGBT person from history?"

While schools in Great Britain are not required to adopt the recommendations of LGBT History Month, the campaign is run by activists linked to the “Schools Out” organization of homosexual teachers. One organizer, Sue Sanders, a lesbian activist who works as a diversity teacher for the Metropolitan Police, believes that the campaign “will encourage people to start looking more closely at the white, male, heterosexual way in which history is presented to us." Another organizer, Paul Patrick, is a former teacher who has contributed to the Trotskyist Socialist Worker newspaper. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said that “events like this are an opportunity to increase the trust and confidence of the LGBT community in the police."

Comment: As regards the LGBT History Month campaign itself no comment is necessary. Children have an innate aversion to the perverse, and that is the sole reason why “gay” activists are foaming at the mouth these days to indoctrinate them at younger and younger ages. There is one, and only one, way to describe a program designed to break down a child’s natural defenses: Child Abuse. The LGBT History Month campaign is nothing neither more nor less.

An interesting, if sobering, aspect of this sad story is the involvement of the police. In the decades that have passed since the inception of the (for lack of a better term) “pro-life movement,” we have witnessed the police behaving more and more like the lapdogs of pro-abort politicos than defenders of the public. This is not “cop-bashing.” There are police officers out there who have put their careers on the line rather than become pawns to the abortion industry, and God bless them for it. But these are a few among the many. The stories of the mistreatment of peaceful pro-lifers at the hands of the police are legion. An internet search will provide you with the dates and details.

It is disconcerting to see this same strategy of intimidation used against those who would challenge the homosexual agenda. In his Daily Mail report, Steve Doughty related the case of author Lynette Burrows, who accused LGBT History Month organizers of "peddling poison" and distorting history. In December, Mrs. Burrows was warned by a Scotland Yard officer for being involved in a "homophobic incident" after criticizing gay adoption on a BBC program. Days after she received this warning, the Daily Mail revealed that a Christian couple in Lancashire were told by police they were "walking on eggshells" after complaining to their council about its gay rights policies.

I’m sure many Remnant readers will remember an episode of The Twilight Zone titled “It’s A Good Life.” In it, a small boy possessed unimaginable power, and he terrorized everyone around him. People had to approve and applaud everything he did, no matter how destructive or selfish. They even had to think a certain way around him. Because, if they dared to question him or disapprove of anything he did, he would “wish them into the cornfield” – or worse!

With the police on their side, the sort of people who would attack children through “History Month” programs – or slaughter them in  the womb – are becoming daily more like that little boy in the Twilight Zone episode. They will brook neither opposition nor disagreement. In fact, they will not even tolerate independent thought. What they teach is good and right, and let anyone who disagrees take it up with Scotland Yard!

Braveheart Killing “Topped Bill at Fair”

According to George Mair of Scotsman.com (Jan. 8, 2006), the execution of Scottish patriot William Wallace, the subject of Mel Gibson’s award-winning film Braveheart, was “the opening attraction of a giant medieval carnival.”

The killing of  Wallace, during which he was hanged, drawn and quartered, is now believed to have marked the opening of Bartholomew Fair, the largest medieval market in England, held annually for centuries to commemorate St. Bartholomew's Day on August 24th. Tens of thousands flocked to Smithfield – the site of the execution – for the fortnight-long celebration, which featured vast cloth and meat markets as well as sideshows, musicians, wire-walkers, acrobats, puppets, freaks and wild animals.

The convener of the Society of William Wallace, David Ross, who discovered the link between Wallace’s execution and Bartholomew Fair, said: "Unlike most prisoners, who were thrown into dungeons to languish for months or even years, Wallace appeared in London on August 22^nd, was tried on the 23^rd and executed immediately after. That is extremely unusual, but until now we have never known why – other than that Wallace was to be made an example of. But Bartholomew Fair presented the perfect opportunity for King Edward to demonstrate his power to the maximum number of people. A vast number of people thronging to the medieval fair would have seen the champion of Scotland torn to pieces, and known what would happen to those who crossed Edward.”