Cardinal urges legal action against Da Vinci Code

[truthpusher]

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyid=2006-05-07T141257Z_01_L07736154_RTRUKOC_0_US-VATICAN-DAVINCI.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

"Christians must not just sit back and say it is enough for us to forgive and to forget," Arinze said....

Cardinal urges legal action against Da Vinci Code
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Sun May 7, 2006 10:13 AM ET
By Philip Pullella
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VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - In the latest Vatican broadside against "The Da Vinci Code", a leading cardinal says Christians should respond to the book and film with legal action because both offend Christ and the Church he founded.

Cardinal Francis Arinze, a Nigerian who was considered a candidate for pope last year, made his strong comments in a documentary called "The Da Vinci Code-A Masterful Deception."

Arinze's appeal came some 10 days after another Vatican cardinal called for a boycott of the film. Both cardinals asserted that other religions would never stand for offences against their beliefs and that Christians should get tough.

"Christians must not just sit back and say it is enough for us to forgive and to forget," Arinze said in the documentary made by Rome film maker Mario Biasetti for Rome Reports, a Catholic film agency specializing in religious affairs.

(snip)

"This is one of the fundamental human rights: that we should be respected, our religious beliefs respected, and our founder Jesus Christ respected," he said, without elaborating on what legal means he had in mind.

(snip)

complete story: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyid=2006-05-07T141257Z_01_L07736154_RTRUKOC_0_US-VATICAN-DAVINCI.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

[acmavm]

1. Oh for God's sake, it was a damn book, a work of fiction.

Good thing this guy has nothing better to do that try to start his own fatwah over a damn book.

[izzie]

10. Soon we will have the bookstore police out

What a silly thing for these people to fight about. Hell it is easier to not read a book than turning the TV off. What is wrong with these people?

[acmavm]

18. What is wrong with these people? Well for one thing it's easier to

bitch about a book than try to deal with the real problems facing the human race. Because if they try, they would have to admit that ORGANIZED RELIGION is at the bottom of most of the world's problems.

(Don't get me wrong, I am what some would call a Christian. But I believe that the liars and schemers have perverted and hijacked the words of Christ.)

[grytpype]

25. A work of fiction, unlike the Bible.

[havocmom]

38. Fiction hitting too close to life for them?

That protesting too much thing is kicking in on this issue, isn't it?

Wonder if they have read Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins :evilgrin:

[Proud_Democratt]

41. Are you referring to the Bible or Da Vinci book???

Oh for God's sake, it was a damn book, a work of fiction.
Posted by acmavm

[BR_Parkway]

2. Wasn't there some Biblical direction about settling disputes among

themselves and not resorting to the courts?

Oh, wait, actually pay attention to what's written in the Book? Why would we want to do that when it doesn't add to our financial power or ability to runs other's lives...

[brentspeak]

3. LEGAL action?

Good thing this guy didn't become Pope.

[nuxvomica]

4. Let's not turn the other cheek on this one!

Now I want to read the book to see what's got them so riled up.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

5. Why would they want to take legal action against a work of FICTION??....

...What is it about a work of fiction that disturbs portions of the Catholic Church to such a great extent?

Take legal action because the book and film "offend Christ and the Church he founded"?

A work of fiction causes this much consternation?

Why is Cardinal Arinze getting so upset?

[unschooler]

49. This bit of fiction suggests that Mary, not Peter, was Jesus' choice

to be the "rock" on which the church was to be built. The Catholics have always hung their hat on their belief that the Pope is the direct spiritual "descendant" of St. Peter. To undermine that little story blows away their claim to being THE one true church.

It's pretty much lost on protestants and the rest of us, but it's a big issue for Catholics.

And, of course, Jesus would never have (eeeewwwww....) had SEX....! How gross! :eyes:

[Coventina]

6. This is really all about misogyny

What difference does it *really* make to Christians if Jesus was married or not? If he had sex or not? If he had children or not?

He still died for our sins (according to Christian doctrine). He still was resurrected (Mary Magdalene being one of the first, if not the first, witness).

So what is the big deal? It doesn't change who he was or what he did!

Oh yeah, he had filthy relations with a filthy woman, that's the problem.

:eyes:

[xchrom]

29. well i think he had ''relations'' with john -- but

point taken.

[leesa]

7. Hmmm...what are they so afraid of?

Frankly, I could care less if it's true or not. I take it as a matter of course that religious powers are as corrupt as any political body. Do they think we actually believe they wouldn't do something like this?

[CatholicEdHead]

8. What part about the definition of FICTION does he not understand?

Yet you will always find those types in the hierarchy. They want to make a name for themselves to try to move up.

[LiberalFighter]

17. Could it be that he wants the Bible to be the only fictional work?

[truthpusher]

19. good one!...n/t

[truthpusher]

24. "The Laughing Jesus" is a great book about fictional religious works...

here is a link to the authors website: https://www.timothyfreke.com/

info on the book: http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400082780

[earthside]

9. An Obvious Stunt

Isn't it obvious that Cardinal Arinze is just part of the publicity campaign for the movie?

I wonder how much he got paid to issue that statement?

Clearly the Roman Church is doing everything it can to build the audience for this movie.

Maybe Sony Pictures is going to help pay-off some of the molestation lawsuits?

Or, maybe, the Roman Church has just become so irrelevant that it has no choice but to spend time and money to fight a fictional piece of cinema to prop itself up?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

14. I doubt seriously that Arinze, or the portion of the Catholic Church....

...he represents, is "part of the publicity campaign for the movie".

Sorry, but that doesn't make any sense to me.

[earthside]

31. I Guess I Should Have Added ...

:sarcasm:

[Zenlitened]

11. Oy. Where to begin...

Christians shouldn't turn the other cheek, but rather ought to respond aggressively? Um...

And this quote:

"This is one of the fundamental human rights: that we should be respected, our religious beliefs respected, and our founder Jesus Christ respected..."

Do we have the right to be respected, no matter what? Or do we have earn at least some portion of the respect we feel we're due?

Is all criticism of religion automatically "disrespect"? Is the Da Vinci code even criticism, or merely a tale told around a prominent feature of a culture -- which is what storytelling has always been about.

And when Jesus Christ steps forward to assert that his human rights have been violated... well, we'll examine the merits of that case once it's presented.

[arwalden]

12. Oh Brother! GMAFB!! Who Does He Think He IS?

Who do THEY think that THEY are?

It reminds me of the Muslim fundamentalists who are demanding the head of the cartoonist who depicted Muhammed with a bomb in his turban.

[Zenlitened]

16. So if radical Muslim clerics issue "fatwahs," and Pat Robertson...

... issues "patwahs"... does that make this a "catwah"?

:hi:

[arwalden]

20. Ooph! --- Oh you!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
Your crack me up!!


:hi:

[Zorra]

13. Yeah, make it legal to execute "heretics". Like they did when the

Vatican ruled over much of Europe back in the glory days of the church.

Thank God we have seperation of Church and State. Jesus save us from the nutcases among your "followers".

[Zenlitened]

23. Hmmm... it does have that "burn the heretics" feel to it, doesn't it?

Check out this quote from later in the article:

"Those who blaspheme Christ and get away with it are exploiting the Christian readiness to forgive and to love even those who insult us. There are some other religions which if you insult their founder they will not be just talking. They will make it painfully clear to you," Arinze said.

Jeebus. :yoiks:

They declare what is "blasphemy." They decide who is guilty of it. They will apply the punishment for it.

Dark Ages, indeed.

[xchrom]

32. and neither did catholics .. savanorola ring a bell?

catholics have been ever ready and eager not to forgive and forget in the past.

why is it that europe is soooo skeptical of the vatican or any other organized religion?

maybe because the people declared sometime ago -- ''been there done that''.

[acmavm]

42. He's just jealous he can't cut off a few heads himself. Teach everyone

who's boss.

[madmom]

15. "me thinks thou doeth protest to much!"

[Spazito]

27. LOL, my thoughts exactly! n/t

[movonne]

21. "The Da Vinci code a masterful deception" so is the Catholic Church...

[msongs]

22. sue the catholic church for plagarism ?

just about every component of the catholic religion was borrowed/taken/swiped from previously existing religions/spiritual belief systems and texts. using the catholic church's own logic, the church could be sued for plagarism/theft for its various texts and beliefs.

the catholic church has a long history of murdering people in the name of its religion, most recently when it aided and abetted the nazis, so getting "tough" would be nothing new here. How about killing anyone who creates a "picture" of their alleged prophet? Oh sorry, another religion has claimed that.

the makers of the davinci code movie are no doubt delighted with the free publicity.

I read the book (yard sale, 50 cents), I thought it was undistinguished and ordinary.

Msongs
www.msongs.com
batik & digital art
mugs and shirts

[applegrove]

26. I wonder when the poor of the Catholic world will take the Vatican to

court for teaching them not to touch birth control or condoms?

[biscotti]

28. How Stupid!

[JohnKay1000]

30. A 'family' member of the Essene/Ebionites/Therapeutae answers:

Dan Brown based his work of 'fiction' on actual documents, which remain true to this day. As a descendant of the family of all the 'Jesuses', I can only say he didn't go far enough.

This particular Jesus did not take a vow of celibacy as James had, and was not constrained from marrying as a result. The marriage at Canaan is his own 'engagement party' for he and Mary the Magdala, who was also never a prostitute at any time, and never had seven devils cast put of her, but had overcome the Seven Deadly Sins as Luke's Second Book Of Acts attests. Quite a difference between the'truth' and what the church of Rome decided to spew out to yank worship of the Mother from its' curriculum.

As an aside, the Knights Templar built over 500 churches all across Europe not to honor Mary the Mother, but Mary the Magdala. The Magdala is taken from the word for migdal which means watchtower, erected to protect livestock and inhabitants. It's also an esoteric term meaning much more.

Sara Kali might be of interest to some, another of my blood ancestors. Let Dan Brown write all he can. The 'family' supports his effort, knowing there's much, much more that will come out soon enough.

[JohnKay1000]

35. One more thing:

No 'cardinal' of the church of Rome enjoys apostolic succession from James as the only Head of the Jerusalem Church Jesus was not at any time. For that matter, no 'Jesus' was trying to establish a new church, when the Jerusalem Church at Qumran was in full swing, and James was already it's High Priest, not Jesus at any time in his life.

The Essenes were Freemasons. Jospeh was not a 'carpenter' that's a deliberate mistranslation from 'Master Craftsman' he truly was. A family descended from David would be 'poor'? Not possible, and Jospeh of Arimathea as a 'family member' makes any other assumption patently false. They were certainly known as The Poor: the Ebionotes, Therapeutae and Essenes, but because they gave a minimum of one third of all they had to the poor themselves, and lived in communal settings where all was shared, rather than individually owned.

Having Synoptic gospels that have never seen with one eye and contradict one another because they were written a hundred and four years after the fact, means no eyewitnesses contributed to them in the first place. What of the ORIGINAL Gospels of Matthew and Mark (Mark's referred to as Secret Mark), and the fact Matthew was written in Hebrew and actually embraced by the family of the Jesuses and still is? Obviously, much more than some of the 'facts' in Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code' is known.

It is, and they are.

By the family.

It makes sense to go to the Source.

[no_hypocrisy]

33. Hasn't the Catholic Church lost enough money paying settlements to

victims of pedophile priests?

[TroubleMan]

34. So much for The Lord's Prayer...huh?

Forgive those who trespass against us is out the frickin' door with this guy. One of the most important changes that Christ brought into religion, one of the most important concepts of Christianity, and he just shoves it out of the window over a fictional book and movie.


LOL....and this guy was on the short list for Pope....ha!

[Canuckistanian]

36. I'd like to see a class-action suit against the Catholic Church

To demand restitution for the centuries of death, pain and suffering they've inflicted on believers and non-believers alike.

[Kailassa]

44. Hear, Hear. But, did they leave any Cathars alive to sue them?

Any institution that has done so much harm should have to pay restitution. Where they wiped out populations so thoroughly no descendants were left, they should have to make restitution to the countries concerned for the murders committed.

And they should have to pay all education for every gay person in the world for the dreadful name they endowed them with: "faggot".

Catholics believed that fire was clean, and had to be made dirty before it could burn a witch. Their way of making the fire dirty was to throw on the person they despised most in the whole world, the gay man. So before a witch-burning, Catholics would scour the local towns for "faggots" to throw into the flames.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

37. Howard Ahmenson...

Is deeply and financially involved in the schism in the Episcopal Church over gay prests and bishops, esecially as regards African Churches. He is giving out a lot of money to maintain this schism as well. That has been documented. Paul Weyrich is said to be somewhere in this woodpile as well. Interesting, because both are not Episcopalians.

How much you want to bet that these guys lurk somewhere in the background of this, as well? Africa seems to be their little playground these days.

[Peace Patriot]

40. Howard Ahmamson was the initial funder of ES&S, Diebold's brethren

Bushite-controlled electronic voting corporation. Together, ES&S and Diebold "counted" 80% of our nation's votes in 2004, using 'TRADE SECRET,' PROPRIETARY programming code, with virtually no audit/recount controls--an election system engineered by the two biggest crooks in Congress, Tom Delay and Bob Ney, with their infamous $4 billion "Help America Vote Act" boondoggle.

ES&S is a spinoff of Diebold (similar computer architecture). Diebold, until recently, was headed by Wally O'Dell, a Bush-Cheney campaign chair and major fundraiser, who promised (in writing) to "deliver Ohio's electoral votes" to Bush-Cheney in 2004. ES&S and Diebold have an incestuous relationship; they are run by two brothers, Tod and Bob Urosevich.

The "Help America Vote for Bush Act" not only permitted private, corporate, 'trade secret' vote tabulation, it failed to require even a paper trail (let alone a real paper ballot backup), failed to ban lavish lobbying and "revolving door" employment (the means by which state/county election officials were corrupted), failed to ban partisan vendors (a no-brainer), failed to ban internal modems (secret dialup of the machines), failed to require independent scientific testing of the voting systems (permitted secret industry "testing" of itself), and established a weak, underfunded regulatory group (the EAC-Election Assistance Commission) of Bush appointees.

The law--and the private, Bushite-run vendors--bullied, bribed and corrupted election officials and legislators across the country into purchasing these crapass, unreliable, hackable, electronic voting systems on an accelerated schedule, so that now, we not only have outright criminals in the White House, and Congress filled with Bush "pod people," we have voting machines that are notoriously screwing up election after election (the machines are run on a Windows platform!).

Ahmanson also gave one million dollars to the extremist 'christian' Chalcedon Foundation--which touts the death penalty for homosexuals (among other things).

Frankly, I think it's time not only to bust a number of corporation--oil companies, war profiteers, news monopolies, and peddlers of electronics in government--it's time to bust a couple of rightwing billionaires and their bogus "non-profit" empires, dismantle them and seize their assets for the common good.

But first we have to get back our right to vote.

Throw Diebold and ES&S election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor' NOW!

---------------------------------------

SOME RESOURCES FOR AMERICAN REVOLUTION II:

Hopeful signs - latest news:

California voters sue the state over Diebold:
www.VoterAction.org is suing the state of California and 18 Calif county registrars on behalf of 25 California voter/plaintiffs, on the illegal Diebold "certification" by Schwarzenegger appointee Bruce McPherson.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2180496
Seven of these counties just promised the judge they would use PAPER BALLOTS, and were dismissed from this lawsuit (4/27/06).
http://kcbs.com/pages/29285.php
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2249205

Maryland rejects Diebold:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x418263

Florida - anti-trust accusations against Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia, re: heroic Florida election official Ion Sancho:
(FLA AG subpoenas the companies)
http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/legalissues/story/0,10801,110192,00.html
http://www.tbo.com/news/politics/MGBKSY8W8LE.html
(info & discussion)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2183630

Utah county clerk fights back!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x419226

-----

More resources for American Revolution II:

www.votersunite.org (MythBreakers - easy primer on electronic voting--one of the myths is that HAVA requires electronic voting; it does not.)
www.UScountvotes.org (statistical monitoring of '06 and '08 elections--they need donations)


(Activist sites with links to state activist groups or info)
www.votetrustusa.org (news of this great movement from around the country)
www.votersunited.org (good general info, and state links)
www.verifiedvoting.org (great activist site)
www.solarbus.org/election/index.shtml (fab compendium of all election info)

www.freepress.org (devoted to election reform)
www.bradblog.com (also great, and devoted to election reform)
www.TruthIsAll.net (analysis of the 2004 election)* :patriot: :applause: :patriot:
www.votepa.us (well-organized local group of citizen activists in Pennsylvania, where important legal issues are at stake, including state's rights over election systems)
Provisions of the PA lawsuit:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x423739

The Voter Confidence Resolution
http://tinyurl.com/rlnr2 (“We Do Not Consent”)
http://guvwurld.blogspot.com (GuvWurld blog main page)
http://tinyurl.com/amryg (Voter Confidence Resolution

www.debrabowen.com (Calif Senator running for Sec of State to reform election system)
www.johnbonifaz.com (running for Massachusetts Sec of State on strong election reform and antiwar platform)

*Some tributes to TruthIsAll, who is very ill:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x417007
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x417231
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x675477

Congressional bills:

Russ Holt's HR 550 requires a real paper ballot, bans secret software in "voting machines", and has more than 170 co-sponsors, but the audit required is too weak, it promotes electronic voting and centralized power, and the secret software might be permitted to continue in the central tabulators (the bill is not clear). To sign the HR 550 petition: http://www.rushholt.com/petition.html
At lot of discussion at DU of the loopholes/pitfalls in HR 550:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x422926
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x421136
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=422967&mesg_id=422967
(Note: Senate Bill-SB 330 and House-HR704 simply require a "voter verified paper audit trail" (VVPAT), which may be best for the moment.)


Also of interest:

Michael Collins (Autorank)'s searing election reform article for New Zealand's Scoop.com
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x971363

Bob Koehler (-- four recent election reform initiatives in Ohio, predicted to win by 60/40 votes, flipped over, on election day, into 60/40 LOSSES!--the biggest flipover we've seen yet; the election theft machines and their masters are now dictating election policy! Title: "Poll Shock" 11/24/05)
http://commonwonders.com/archives/col321.htm

Bob Koehler's latest: "Trust us: Take this box and stuff it" (3/16/06)
http://commonwonders.com/archives/col337.htm
More Koehler:
www.tmsfeatures.com/tmsfeatures/subcategory.jsp?file=20051124ctnbk-a.txt&catid=1824&code=ctnbk

Amaryllis (Diebold, ES&S, Sequoia lavish lobbying of election officials - Beverly Hilton, Aug. '05)
www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x380340

HOWARD DEAN remarks on electronic voting machines 04/06
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x994507

------------------------------------------------

Throw Diebold, ES&S and ALL election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor' NOW!

:think: :patriot: :woohoo: :patriot: :think:

-----------

"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it." --Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

[AX10]

39. The Catholic Church is one of the world's greatest deceptions..

so who are they to be talking about who is decieving?

[OneBlueSky]

43. hey, Cardinal . . . it's a work of FICTION! . . . duh . . . n/t

.

[Proud_Democratt]

45. So is the Bible....that's why they are worried.

[hedgehog]

46. When people were pushing this man's candidacy as Pope

simply because he was from Africa, (ie not European) I cringed. He was already on record saying some rather outrageous things. I don't know what his function in Rome is, but I hope it's nothing too important. Nigeria seems to have a lot of literal fighting going on between Christians and Moslems and many times it seems they try to outdo each other proving how much more fundamentalist they can be. The local leaders don't seem to be much of an asset to either faith.

[The Magistrate]

47. The Cardinal Needs To Sit Down And Shut Up, Sir

He has no more right to enforce through law his personal tastes than anyone else. Indeed, there really is not a shadow of a legal ground extant on which he could do so.

[TechBear_Seattle]

48. Under what legal jurisdiction?

Cardinal Francis Arinze should pull his head out of his hindquarters and realize that the world is not a theocracy run by the Holy See.

[Hoping4Change]

50. The hypocrisy is unbelievable.

Back in 1978, I worked with a guy from Quebec, a Catholic. He told that he had never set foot in a Protestant church because he had been told repeatedly by priests his entire life that Satan resides in Protestant churches and anyone who dared to enter a enter a Protestant would be in serious trouble with the local priest. He said he no longer believed it and wasn't a practicing Catholic but he couldn't shake off that idea. He said that every Catholic in Quebec was indoctrinated with what amounts to a loathing of Protestants.

This is not to say that Protestants didn't hold similar animosities towards Catholics. All I want to point out is that Catholics have been in the smearing business themselves.