CNN.com - Did Jesus exist? Court to decide - Jan 4, 2006

An Italian Court is being asked to decide if Jesus really existed.

CNN.com - Did Jesus exist? Court to decide - Jan 4, 2006.

An Italian court is tackling Jesus -- and whether the Roman Catholic Church may be breaking the law by teaching that he existed 2,000 years ago.

The case pits against each other two men in their 70s, who are from the same central Italian town and even went to the same seminary school in their teenage years.

The defendant, Enrico Righi, went on to become a priest writing for the parish newspaper. The plaintiff, Luigi Cascioli, became a vocal atheist who, after years of legal wrangling, is set to get his day in court later this month.

"I started this lawsuit because I wanted to deal the final blow against the Church, the bearer of obscurantism and regression," Cascioli told Reuters.

Cascioli says Righi, and by extension the whole Church, broke two Italian laws. The first is "Abuso di Credulita Popolare" (Abuse of Popular Belief) meant to protect people against being swindled or conned. The second crime, he says, is "Sostituzione di Persona," or impersonation.

Super Fun Power Hour says:

Atheists really have nothing better to do than sue anyone who dares to practice their religion. (See Michael Newdow)

Joe Fleener at Emeth Aletheia finds this rather silly:

Of course this has nothing to do with whether Jesus was the Son of God. It is simply addressing the historicity of a man named Jesus according the Roman Catholic tradition.

In that sense it is really pretty silly and will probably get thrown out of court. However, in our “modern” world, especially Europe – who knows!

Jefe, at Political Cockfight thinks this guy is as bad as people who believe in intelligent design - ouch!

Did Jesus exist? No, says an Italian atheist. And, he's suing about it. Maybe because I believe Jesus did exist, but militant atheists like this Luigi fellow are just as bad as those who would teach intelligent design.

Polimon seems to have heard this kind of stuff before:

The whole argument reminds me a great deal of the recent controversy kicked up by Holy Blood, Holy Grail (which led to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code).

Tainted Bill says the plaintiff needs to lighten up:

Seriously, dude. Don't be such an (censored word - because this is a family friendly blog - describing a certain posteriorally oriented part of the body). If Righi wants to believe, that's his business. If he wants to write a religion column in the local paper, that's his right. No one is forcing you or anyone else to read it.

The Republic of T is encouraged to see that it is finally Christians who are in the dock in Italy and not the atheists:

So, it’s encouraging when anyone questions at all, let alone dares to ask for evidence. So, it’s a delicious bit of a role reversal, since several centuries ago Cascioli would have been hauled before a very different kind of court, made by various means to recant, and then quickly dispatched to his heavenly reward. Father Righi is getting off easy, in that sense.

And I am sure that Baseball Crank echoes the concerns of many:

Luigi Cascioli. Personally, I don't understand how anyone - regardless of their position on the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth - can believe that the man never walked this Earth, and I certainly don't understand how you would go about proving that in a court of law.

Of course, what is menacing here is the threat to use the legal system to outlaw Christianity. (italics mine)

If anyone cares about my own opinion on this I think this is to be standard fare for the next several months as the second coming of The Davinci Code draws nigh, this time in it's movie form.

As to the merits of the case, well I just don't know what to think.  After all, I have never received proof or evidence that Luigi Cascioli exists. 

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