Italian Court asks for proof of Christ

[Matabiri]

This (http://www.shortnews.com/shownews.cfm?id=52073) is an interesting minor story.

Judge Tells Priest to Provide Proof of Christs Existence

Father Enrico Righi, a priest who denounced the writer of The Fable of Christ in his parish newsletter, has been ordered by a judge to prove that Christ existed in order to win the case bought against him by the books author.

The author, Luigi Cascioli, maintains in his book that the only evidence for Christs existence is through the Gospels, which Christians believed by faith. Non-biblical sources were from a time after the life of Christ and therefore unreliable.

Cascioli says that many had confused the identity of Jesus with that of John of Gamala, a first century insurgent who was anti-Jewish. Father Righi argues that there is ample historical proof on his side and he has one month to offer it to the court.

(Also, here (http://www.christianism.com/html/notes/8note57.html).)

Aside the ranting tone, I wonder what evidence will be produced?

[DrRyanScarsella]

proof of christ has been eluding christians for thousands of years. Proof of higher being has eluded religions since anyone can remember, only an enlightened few have ever had the chance to say they talked to their gods. How would a court of law, even Italian law, prove such a claim. Exhibit A, a burning bush, exhibit B, this wine(that used to be water), exhibit c this pregnant virgin. Good luck father enrico

[schplurg]

from a CNN article:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/01/04/italy.jesus.reut/index.html
Even Cascioli admits that the odds are against him, especially in Roman Catholic Italy.
"It would take a miracle to win," he joked.
Unfortunately, this would kind of put a dent in his Atheism.

[Capt.Nemo]

How so?

I, for one, would love to have atheism severly dented, not to say eradicated, by actual proof. Y'know, that kind of incontestable, self-evident and reproducible proof that has all 'faithless skepticks' quakin' in their collective booties.
Although, it is possible, of course, that Mr. Cascioli's atheism is too important to him, as an author, to let it go without a fight.

Jus' my... hmm... ($0.02 converted into Swedish currency) worth.
/N.

[Tricky]

I, for one, would love to have atheism severly dented, not to say eradicated, by actual proof. Y'know, that kind of incontestable, self-evident and reproducible proof that has all 'faithless skepticks' quakin' in their collective booties.
Yeah, wouldn't that be great? There's the smug-looking atheists with Jesus about to be nailed to the cross, and then in the final scene, God (played by Bruce Willis) bursts in, lightning bolts blazing, kills all the atheists and saves the day! Of course, Jesus nearly eluded them in the car-chase when he drove over the lake...