1.29.2006 | "deceiving people for 2,000 years"

This is the claim of an atheist in what used to be the most Catholic of nations, Italy. Atheists, and believers, may claim anything they like here in the land of the free. But in Italy, free speech is not so free. From a Washington Post story, the gist:

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

The priest's atheist accuser, Luigi Cascioli, says the Roman Catholic Church has been deceiving people for 2,000 years with a fable that Christ existed, and that the Rev. Enrico Righi violated two Italian laws by reasserting the claim.

The only proper response to this arrant nonsense is that Italy has left the democratic West and rejoined the Middle Ages, this time reversing the roles.

Back then, it was so-called heretics, including non-believers, who were fried. Now, the shoe's on the other foot, and it's become a crime to confess Jesus Christ as a real, living, man.

One may believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, or not. And, that He lived as a man at a precise and well-known time in human history. But to have such beliefs become a criminal matter is, itself a crime.

The issue isn't having to prove that Jesus lived, or did not. It's about freedom of religion. Shame on Italy for allowing this kind of hateful anti-religious nonsense. But, then, it's apparent they are beyond embarrassment.

| technorati tag | Christianity|