Monday, February 26, 2007

Jesus Buried In Jerusalem?? (Universal)

Canadian filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici is about to cinematically rock the archeological and theological worlds with his claim that ten tombs found in Jerusalem in 1980 contain the remains of Jesus Christ and his family, including his son Judah and his wife Mary Magdelene.

An excerpt from his new documentary, “Burial Cave of Jesus,” will be shown for the first time at a press conference on February 26. It will premiere on World Discovery Channel, Britain's Channel 4, Canada's Vision and Israel's Channel 8.

The film was co-produced by veteran Canadian director James Cameron, who made Titanic and The Terminator.

The Israeli-born Jacobovici worked with world-famous archeologists, statisticians and DNA experts to substantiate his belief that the 2,000-year-old tombs are those of the world’s most infamous familia.

The existence of Jesus and Mary’s bones would refute the Christian idea that their bodies were ascended into heaven after their deaths. It could have a major impact on that religion.As could a lawsuit before the European World Court charging the Roman Catholic Church with promulgating a lie for 2,000 years.

Luigi Cascioli, the former priest who brought the suit, believes that the church knew all along that Jesus was modeled after John of Gamala, a Jewish rebel who led an unsuccessful coupe against the Roman occupiers. He was crucified around 33 AD.No one expects Cascioli’s suit to get very far. But then again, no one expected it to go beyond the small Italian village court where it was first filed.

The European Court isn’t likely to declare that the church has to stop teaching that Jesus is the son of God. Logic never trumps religious dogma. Even if the remains in Jacobovici’s tombs are proven without a doubt to be that of the Holy Family. Or if the lawsuit that Cascioli has filed forces every court in the world to conclude that the man we know as Jesus was not a prophet claiming godhood, but a freedom fighter who wanted nothing more than to drive out the Roman colonizers.

The Pope will not put away his dresses and don tee-shirt and jeans to sell burgers and fries at MacDonald’s. Christianity will not crumble tomorrow.

Christians have something that can’t be discouraged by the facts: It’s called faith. With that on their side, they can continue to believe that the devil, not basic human nature, is responsible for all of the evil in the world.

They can call a horrible natural disaster retribution from some deity in the sky for mankind’s sins, not the failure of a right-wing Republican administration to repair levees. They can oppose abortion as murder, but view capital punishment and war as perfectly compatible with their Christian beliefs.

Religion and reason: Never the twain shall meet.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce