I hope I have posted to the right thread on this one!

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Christ's existence challenged
Italian atheist takes priest to court over claim

Alleges church has reaped cash through deceit
Jan. 21, 2006. 01:00 AM
ANICOLE WINFIELD
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ROME—Lawyers for a small-town parish priest have been ordered to appear in court next week after the Roman Catholic cleric was accused of unlawfully asserting what many people take for granted: that Jesus Christ existed.

The Rev. Enrico Righi was named in a 2002 complaint by Luigi Cascioli after Righi wrote in a parish bulletin that Jesus did indeed exist, and was born of a couple named Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and lived in Nazareth.

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This is a neat concept, legally! It will be interesting to watch!

Toronto Star Story

Sorry...all fixed Michele!

[ 22 January 2006: Message edited by: cdnviking ]

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Originally posted by sidra:
Double edged sword. If such theatrical is allowed to proceed, twenty years from now, any miscreant could challenge the Holocaust ever took place and demand "evidence".

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That is comparing apples to oranges sidra!

The evidence of the Holocaust is absolute! From mass graves to the Nazi's own records of the slaughter.

What this case is pursuing is the fact that there is all but NO evidence upon which to PROVE the "mortal" Jesus Christ EVER EXISTED.

Under Italian law (or most any other country's laws) it is ILLEGAL to financially gain by misrepresentation.

Given all the various sects of christianity (catholics first and foremost) who PROFIT from the "belief" there was ACTUALLY a person named Jesus, PROOF is required to substantiate such a claim!

I like this particular case! Perhaps it will set an example to churches about what they can and cannot claim in order to solicite financial contributions from their supporters.

If this fellow fails at the Italian court level, his next step is the European Court, which is far more likely to rule in his favour than an Italian one and such a ruling would apply to ALL OF EUROPE.

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That is comparing apples to oranges sidra!

The evidence of the Holocaust is absolute! From mass graves to the Nazi's own records of the slaughter.

What this case is pursuing is the fact that there is all but NO evidence upon which to PROVE the "mortal" Jesus Christ EVER EXISTED.

Under Italian law (or most any other country's laws) it is ILLEGAL to financially gain by misrepresentation.

Given all the various sects of christianity (catholics first and foremost) who PROFIT from the "belief" there was ACTUALLY a person named Jesus, PROOF is required to substantiate such a claim!

I like this particular case! Perhaps it will set an example to churches about what they can and cannot claim in order to solicite financial contributions from their supporters.

If this fellow fails at the Italian court level, his next step is the European Court, which is far more likely to rule in his favour than an Italian one and such a ruling would apply to ALL OF EUROPE.

If successful at that level, then others could do the same here in North America, as we have laws that forbid such misrepresentation as well.

-cdnviking

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Well, cdnviking, I gave an arbitrary period of time (20 years). We can make it two centuries. You think that the evidence will remain absolute ?
I doubt! Imagine what we would be saying: The "Protocol of the Elders of Zion" was a hoax. The Holocaust was not. Some evidence should be disregarded, other evidence should be considered.
Why? How come?

As for the financial gain by misrepresentation, that certainly was in my mind. You sure know that there are still treasures, money and valuables. besides compensatory amounts, that are still owed to victims of the Holocaust and their descendants and which the latter are still seeking to collect.

Mind you, I am arguing for the sake of argument. This particular case is theatrical and if successful, its consequences do not seem pretty to me.

Cheers

Edited to add:

A court challenge for evidence of the existence of the invisible hand in a market economy? That would be a good challenge. How many rip-offs are perpetrated on its name!!

[ 22 January 2006: Message edited by: sidra ]

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Originally posted by sidra:

Well, cdnviking, I gave an arbitrary period of time (20 years). We can make it two centuries. You think that the evidence will remain absolute ?

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Actually yes, yes it will.
Barring the complete collapse of civilization, it shouldn't be a problem. We keep an awful lot of records nowadays, and the amount of effort that has been directed precisely to amassing and preserving the evidence for the holocaust in specific is massive. Even if there's a nuclear war and a new dark age lasting hundreds of years, if civilization returns and archaeologists and historians can find anything out about the 20th century at all, they will certainly find out about the holocaust to an extent that leaves little room for doubt.