Christians in India pull Jesus documentary off air.

[Braznor]

Link

Discovery Channel puts off Jesus documentary telecast
From correspondents in Maharashtra, India, 10:01 PM IST

Roman Catholics in the metropolis Friday called off their protest against the proposed screening of a controversial documentary on Jesus Christ after broadcaster Discovery Channel decided not to telecast the programme in India.

The Catholics in the city had earlier sprung into action against the worldwide premiere 'The Lost Tomb of Jesus' that claims to show the burial place of Jesus challenging the basic tenets the Christian faith.

'The Lost Tomb of Jesus' is a feature documentary, directed by Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici and produced by Oscar-winning director James Cameron of the 'Titanic' fame, Flex Golubev and Ric Esther Bienstock.

The Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) had written to the Discovery Channel's office in New Delhi requesting it to refrain from broadcasting the feature documentary scheduled for a worldwide premiere Sunday.

'We have called off our protest from today after Discovery Channel expressed regret that the channel had inadvertently hurt religious sentiments of the Christian community and decided not to telecast the feature documentary in India,' said CSF general secretary Joseph Dias here Friday.

'We had taken up the matter with the TV channel, sending it notices threatening an agitation on the day of telecast and legal action. The CSF had also presented a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other ministers including the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister P.R. Dasmunsi in a move to prevent the telecast.'

Dias said that CSF would, however, continue with its awareness campaign against the documentary.

'We will continue with our awareness campaign against the documentary, exposing the falsehood promoted or implied by it.'

'We will also take up the issue with the Indian government for the possibility of banning the book by Jabobovici slated to be released before Easter and also ban the sale of DVDs intended to cash in on the hype the documentary has generated ,' Dias told IANS.

The CSF is also protesting references made in the documentary to Judah as the secret son of Jesus through Mary Magdalene and portrayal of Mathew, one of the writers of the Gospels, as a maternal relative of Jesus and the mention of the burial of Jesus' siblings in the same tomb.

'The Lost Tomb of Jesus' traces the discovery of thousands of tombs containing ossuaries or limestone boxes that served as coffins in the first-century Jerusalem.

One of these tombs was found to contain ten ossuaries. The feature documentary makes a case that the 2000-year-old 'Tombs of the Ten Ossuaries ' belonged to the family of Jesus of Nazareth.

The film also documents DNA extraction from human residue found in two of the ossuaries and reveals new evidence that throws light on Jesus' relationship with Mary Magdalene.

The documentary includes dramatic recreations, based on the latest historical evidence, illustrating accurate images of Jesus of Nazareth, his family, his followers, his ministry, his crucifixion and his entombment.

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Nice, hope the Pope remembers this the next time he preaches India about 'secularism'

 

[GroundedSailor]

Effin morons. It's only a damn TV documentary for Christs sake!! Ignore it if you don't like whats it is supposed to be about.

 

[conehead433]

Lost Tomb Of Jesus, but not necessarily THE Jesus, as that name was popular 2000 years ago. I believe the notion was dismissed over 20 years ago when the tomb was found.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Just like the DVC, the more you rail against it, the more people will wonder what you are trying to prevent from being known.


Suppression of free thought does not help one's position in the long run.

 

[hipppy]

Its quite common in india for such things to happen.

Da Vinci Code movie was also banned from being screened here. One of the major pit falls of democracy - if you have a strong voting bloc, then you can bring the govt to its knee.

 

[Trevelyan]

Originally posted by: hipppy
Its quite common in india for such things to happen.

Da Vinci Code movie was also banned from being screened here. One of the major pit falls of democracy - if you have a strong voting bloc, then you can bring the govt to its knee.

Somehow I don't see people getting their government to do what the want as a "pitfall of Democracy".

 

[BurnItDwn]

Originally posted by: Trevelyan

Originally posted by: hipppy
Its quite common in india for such things to happen.

Da Vinci Code movie was also banned from being screened here. One of the major pit falls of democracy - if you have a strong voting bloc, then you can bring the govt to its knee.

Somehow I don't see people getting their government to do what the want as a "pitfall of Democracy".

Perhaps you are shortsighted.
Indeed often what the majority want is common sense or "correct", however, the majority should never be allowed to force it's beliefs upon the minority.

The rights of the majority should never override the rights of the minority.

 

[CycloWizard]

Maybe they rallied against it because it's totally bogus. It's amazing how many people jump on the bad science bandwagon when the bad science agrees with their agenda.

 

[DealMonkey]

Originally posted by: conehead433
Lost Tomb Of Jesus, but not necessarily THE Jesus, as that name was popular 2000 years ago. I believe the notion was dismissed over 20 years ago when the tomb was found.

The Jesus?

 

[BurnItDwn]

Originally posted by: CycloWizard
Maybe they rallied against it because it's totally bogus. It's amazing how many people jump on the bad science bandwagon when the bad science agrees with their agenda.

Stupid question: If people are rallying against it "because it's totally bogus" than why does it appear that a religious organization is trying to derail it rather than a scientific one?

note: I haven't seen it, nor do I care to, I am completely indifferent to the whole issue. My complaint is that I do not really like censorship all that much. I also think that religion should never play a part in the making of law or decisions as to what policy will dictate.

 

[CycloWizard]

Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
Stupid question.
If people are rallying against it "because it's totally bogus" than why does it appear that a religious organization is trying to derail it rather than a scientific one?

First, I didn't ask a question, so how is my question stupid? Second, scientists and religious groups both are railing against this 'documentary', as evidenced by the link I posted (which you obviously didn't bother to read before telling me how stupid I am).

 

[BurnItDwn]

Originally posted by: CycloWizard

Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
Stupid question.
If people are rallying against it "because it's totally bogus" than why does it appear that a religious organization is trying to derail it rather than a scientific one?

First, I didn't ask a question, so how is my question stupid? Second, scientists and religious groups both are railing against this 'documentary', as evidenced by the link I posted (which you obviously didn't bother to read before telling me how stupid I am).

Sorry, I badly misworded my post.
I am the one asking the stupid question ....

I am not calling you stupid nor am I attempting to make any sort of personal attack. I may disagree with you, but I do respect you as a poster and I do not think you are stupid.

I have edited my post to clear up that point of confusion ...


As far as the "didn't bother to read" part, I did say that my question was stupid ...

 

[CycloWizard]

Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
I have edited my post to clear up that point of confusion ...

Well, the answer hasn't changed from the unedited version.

 

[judasmachine]

Jesus H... They are entirely too uptight. This show changes NOTHING. Those who believe are going to believe, and those who don't won't. Big deal.

 

[magomago]

I'm going to kind of side with Cyclo here.

They SHOULD be able to aire it if they want. Most of what is on TV are lies anyways - see "Da Vinci Code" for a prime example. They put on these shows because it gathers people's attention.

That said - if this is total B.S. (which it seems to be) - then Indian Christians have every right to protest over this. They also have every right to inform people that this simply isn't true. Hell, why not support the creation of a documentary saying - "Media Sensationalism and the lies of Jesus pbuh".

If the creators over this decide not to show it...well then it was a sucessful protest right or wrong.

Just because people defend religion doesn't make them "intolerant" and wanting to "hide the truth".

If people want to aire a documentary here on the "lies" of Mohammed and present false evidence as fact, I sure as HELLLL would protest it~ I would also counter all the "facts" that are presented. If they show it - well they show it, I can't control that.

Only a narrow point of view would assume that automatically that it is about hiding the truth

Eaglekeeper has the basic premise correct- suppression of other ideas doesn't help...Ideally it would be shown, but then Indian Christians would have an equal opportunity to counter these false claims

in the end though...the truth will always come out~

Furthemore, It would probably help spread the Christian message of Jesus more around the population by airing someting like this because it would peak public interest in the topic...

 

[daniel49]

I'm sure they wouldn't view it so much as censorship but as being offensive towards someone they love and cherish. (Christ)

Much the same way as you wouldn't want someone making bogus claims in a movie about say your wife or family.

 

[blackllotus]

Originally posted by: magomago
Just because people defend religion doesn't make them "intolerant" and wanting to "hide the truth".

I agree with the ideas in your post, however in this situation the protestors also want to ban the book and DVD on the documentary.

'We will also take up the issue with the Indian government for the possibility of banning the book by Jabobovici slated to be released before Easter and also ban the sale of DVDs intended to cash in on the hype the documentary has generated ,' Dias told IANS.

 

[3chordcharlie]

Originally posted by: daniel49
I'm sure they wouldn't view it so much as censorship but as being offensive towards someone they love and cherish. (Christ)

Much the same way as you wouldn't want someone making bogus claims in a movie about say your wife or family.

They might see it that way, but would be constructively misconstruing the situation.

It is censorship when you ban things.

Note that this was not 'banned', but pulled by the network for political reasons, and there is a difference between the two.

As far as the science goes, it is certainly not conclusive, though I would hesitate to call all of it bad science.

The fact is the only people who might know more of the real history of Jesus than we do will keep it buried in the Vatican forever.

 

[her209]

From CycloWizard's link.

The very fact that Jesus had an ossuary would contradict the Christian belief that he was resurrected and ascended to heaven.

Most Christians believe Jesus' body spent three days at the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem's Old City. The burial site identified in Cameron's documentary is in a southern Jerusalem neighborhood nowhere near the church.

Simply believing what the facts are supposed to be and what was actually found doesn't automatically invalidate what was found.

 

[Moonbeam]

Originally posted by: conehead433
Lost Tomb Of Jesus, but not necessarily THE Jesus, as that name was popular 2000 years ago. I believe the notion was dismissed over 20 years ago when the tomb was found.

The fools didn't realize the market potential it could generate.

 

[Moonbeam]

Originally posted by: hipppy
Its quite common in india for such things to happen.

Da Vinci Code movie was also banned from being screened here. One of the major pit falls of democracy - if you have a strong voting bloc, then you can bring the govt to its knee.

I wonder what happened to our original Hippy.

 

[imported_hscorpio]

Originally posted by: CycloWizard
Maybe they rallied against it because it's totally bogus. It's amazing how many people jump on the bad science bandwagon when the bad science agrees with their agenda.

When I heard about this I wondered if it might be true, the possibility was there in my mind that it could be. However I'm generally a skeptic and began to think that its unlikely this is the tomb of Jesus based on a suspicion that its probably just a film makers gimmick to generate controversy and money. However I'm still open to the possibility it could be true and would like to read more about it after the hype dies down and hopefully more archaeologists/scholars/scientists weigh in on it with as little bias as possible.

It does bother me that so many people immediately supported it just because it would validate their skepticism of Christianity.

The flip side also bothers me. Immediately upon hearing about this many Christians began looking for ways to dismiss it just because it disagrees with their agenda. Imagine if the bible taught Christians that Jesus' spirit ascended to heaven but his body was buried in a secret place. What would the response to this tomb be then? I'd bet we'd see a fury of Christian support for it without even looking seriously at the details.

 

[CycloWizard]

Originally posted by: 3chordcharlie
They might see it that way, but would be constructively misconstruing the situation.

It is censorship when you ban things.

Note that this was not 'banned', but pulled by the network for political reasons, and there is a difference between the two.

As far as the science goes, it is certainly not conclusive, though I would hesitate to call all of it bad science.

The fact is the only people who might know more of the real history of Jesus than we do will keep it buried in the Vatican forever.

Yes, the great circle of corruption that is St. Peter's Square will forever hold the mysteries of the universe. :roll:

 

[CycloWizard]

Originally posted by: hscorpio
When I heard about this I wondered if it might be true, the possibility was there in my mind that it could be. However I'm generally a skeptic and began to think that its unlikely this is the tomb of Jesus based on a suspicion that its probably just a film makers gimmick to generate controversy and money. However I'm still open to the possibility it could be true and would like to read more about it after the hype dies down and hopefully more archaeologists/scholars/scientists weigh in on it with as little bias as possible.

It does bother me that so many people immediately supported it just because it would validate their skepticism of Christianity.

The flip side also bothers me. Immediately upon hearing about this many Christians began looking for ways to dismiss it just because it disagrees with their agenda. Imagine if the bible taught Christians that Jesus' spirit ascended to heaven but his body was buried in a secret place. What would the response to this tomb be then? I'd bet we'd see a fury of Christian support for it without even looking seriously at the details.

Apparently you (and everyone else) selectively missed the part of my link where they mentioned the BBC documentary released on this over 20 years ago. Archaeologists have already weighed in - long before this new wave of hype arose. It's a mockumentary designed to rake in the money from ignorant bigots who would love nothing more than to see Christianity falsified. Based on the response it's getting in this thread (after I posted the expert opinion that literally stated "They just want to get money for it," no less), the creators are achieving their goal. They know that their target audience will, in their own blind faith, believe whatever they tell them because it supports their agenda, not because it has any basis in reality. This is the greatest irony of the modern anti-Christian - he claims to be above the need for faith, yet his faith is just as strong and at least as misdirected as those he disparages.

 

[imported_hscorpio]

Originally posted by: CycloWizard

Originally posted by: hscorpio
When I heard about this I wondered if it might be true, the possibility was there in my mind that it could be. However I'm generally a skeptic and began to think that its unlikely this is the tomb of Jesus based on a suspicion that its probably just a film makers gimmick to generate controversy and money. However I'm still open to the possibility it could be true and would like to read more about it after the hype dies down and hopefully more archaeologists/scholars/scientists weigh in on it with as little bias as possible.

It does bother me that so many people immediately supported it just because it would validate their skepticism of Christianity.

The flip side also bothers me. Immediately upon hearing about this many Christians began looking for ways to dismiss it just because it disagrees with their agenda. Imagine if the bible taught Christians that Jesus' spirit ascended to heaven but his body was buried in a secret place. What would the response to this tomb be then? I'd bet we'd see a fury of Christian support for it without even looking seriously at the details.

Apparently you (and everyone else) selectively missed the part of my link where they mentioned the BBC documentary released on this over 20 years ago. Archaeologists have already weighed in - long before this new wave of hype arose. It's a mockumentary designed to rake in the money from ignorant bigots who would love nothing more than to see Christianity falsified. Based on the response it's getting in this thread (after I posted the expert opinion that literally stated "They just want to get money for it," no less), the creators are achieving their goal. They know that their target audience will, in their own blind faith, believe whatever they tell them because it supports their agenda, not because it has any basis in reality. This is the greatest irony of the modern anti-Christian - he claims to be above the need for faith, yet his faith is just as strong and at least as misdirected as those he disparages.

I didn't miss it, in fact I think I noticed a couple a details you might have missed. Such as the BBC documentary, it was back in 1996 before the missing 10th ossuary thats supposedly that of James, surfaced from a private collector in 2002. And even then I wonder if a large majority of archaeologists agreed it was not the tomb of Jesus. Honestly I don't know and I won't pretend to. Up until this week I had never heard of this tomb, and I still don't really know much about it.

You mention one experts opinion and I said that I suspect that is the case. However another of the discovering experts said "I'm skeptical, but that's the way I am. I'm willing to accept the possibility.".

Are you willing to accept the possibility or are you just as blindly biased as the anti-Christians you describe? Have you really looked into this and tried to find different sources of scholastic information to try and make an informed conclusion or did you instantly dismiss the idea because it would conflict with your religious beliefs?