Jesus' Existence Case in Italian Court

Quixote · Guru

RE: Jesus' Existence Case in Italian Court

Lahtina · Foro Master

Confesiones wrote:

Lahtina. im loving this thread already.

Why? Are you an atheist?

Who was this John of Gamala? I can't find any reliable sources but the ones that are already related to this trial.

Julie · Comandante

Coming from Italia, pffff I am not surprised, if the priest might or might not be violating the law, it's not the problem. They probably had a strong disagrement on something else (Cascioli filed a criminal complaint against Righi, his old schoolmate) and that's the only way one find to get back to the other.

Anyway, for the believers, will it change something, your faith, it if was true ? I mean that Jesus never existed as the one you know ?

You should see the movie The Body, se lo recomiendo.

Confesiones · TOP Guru

Lahtina wrote:

Quote: Jesus existence case in Italian court Friday 27 January 2006, 16:17 Makka Time, 13:17 GMT Rev. Righi says Jesus was born of a couple named Mary and Joseph Related: Researcher: Jesus died of blood clot The search for the real Bethlehem Best selling novel banned in Lebanon Following Jesus’ path for last time An Italian judge has heard arguments from lawyers on whether a small-town parish priest should stand trial for asserting that Jesus Christ existed. The priest's accuser, an atheist, says the Roman Catholic Church has been deceiving people for 2000 years with a fable that Christ existed and he accused the priest of violating two laws by furthering the assertion. Lawyers for the prelate, the Rev. Enrico Righi, and his accuser, Luigi Cascioli, made their arguments before Judge Gaetano Mautone in a brief, closed-door hearing in Viterbo, north of Rome on Friday. They said they expected Mautone to decide quickly whether to dismiss the case or order Righi to stand trial. Cascioli filed a criminal complaint against Righi, his old schoolmate, in 2002 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 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. Mauro Fonzo, Cascioli's attorney, told reporters before the hearing "the point (of today's hearing) is not to establish whether Jesus existed or not, but if there is a question of possible fraud." 'Religious racism' Cascioli says that for 2000 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. "The point is not to establish whether Jesus existed or not, but if there is a question of possible fraud" Mauro Fonzo, Cascioli's attorney He has said he has little expectation that the case will succeed in overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Italy, but says he is merely going through the necessary legal steps so he can ultimately take the case to the European Court of Human Rights, where he intends to pursue the case against the church for "religious racism." Righi has defended himself by stressing the substantial historical evidence of Jesus' existence, both Christian and non-Christian, and saying Cascioli should not go after him just because he happens to believe it. He has cited not only the Gospels but non-Christian writers whom scholars say are authoritative sources of Jesus' existence. Righi's attorney, Severo Bruno, told reporters that he fully expected the case to be thrown out. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=1138359320790&col=968705899037&call_page=TS_Ontario&call_pageid=968256289824&call_pagepath=News/Ontario

Lahtina. im loving this thread already.

Lahtina · Foro Master

Daeveed wrote:

Uselessly interesting!!! Thanks. (I hope the atheist wins)

LOL I'm gonna read more on this because I am siding with the atheist too right now.

Daeveed · Foro Master

Uselessly interesting!!!

Thanks.

(I hope the atheist wins)

Lahtina · Foro Master

Quote:

Jesus existence case in Italian court
Friday 27 January 2006, 16:17 Makka Time, 13:17 GMT
Rev. Righi says Jesus was born of a couple named Mary and Joseph

Related:
Researcher: Jesus died of blood clot
The search for the real Bethlehem
Best selling novel banned in Lebanon
Following Jesus’ path for last time

An Italian judge has heard arguments from lawyers on whether a small-town parish priest should stand trial for asserting that Jesus Christ existed.

The priest's accuser, an atheist, says the Roman Catholic Church has been deceiving people for 2000 years with a fable that Christ existed and he accused the priest of violating two laws by furthering the assertion.

Lawyers for the prelate, the Rev. Enrico Righi, and his accuser, Luigi Cascioli, made their arguments before Judge Gaetano Mautone in a brief, closed-door hearing in Viterbo, north of Rome on Friday.

They said they expected Mautone to decide quickly whether to dismiss the case or order Righi to stand trial.

Cascioli filed a criminal complaint against Righi, his old schoolmate, in 2002 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 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.

Mauro Fonzo, Cascioli's attorney, told reporters before the hearing "the point (of today's hearing) is not to establish whether Jesus existed or not, but if there is a question of possible fraud."

'Religious racism'

Cascioli says that for 2000 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.

"The point is not to establish whether Jesus existed or not, but if there is a question of possible fraud"

Mauro Fonzo,
Cascioli's attorney

He has said he has little expectation that the case will succeed in overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Italy, but says he is merely going through the necessary legal steps so he can ultimately take the case to the European Court of Human Rights, where he intends to pursue the case against the church for "religious racism."

Righi has defended himself by stressing the substantial historical evidence of Jesus' existence, both Christian and non-Christian, and saying Cascioli should not go after him just because he happens to believe it.

He has cited not only the Gospels but non-Christian writers whom scholars say are authoritative sources of Jesus' existence.

Righi's attorney, Severo Bruno, told reporters that he fully expected the case to be thrown out.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=1138359320790&col=968705899037&call_page=TS_Ontario&call_pageid=968256289824&call_pagepath=News/Ontario