Another Slap In Christ's Face

Apparently, it's OK to attempt to sucker-punch Christianity.

Despite the disdain of Biblical scholars and archaeologists, James Cameron is challenging the tenets of Christianity by claiming to have found a tomb and ossuary of Jesus Christ and His supposed family, wife and kids.

From the Evening Standard:

'The Lost Tomb of Christ', a documentary set to air on Channel Four (The Discovery Channel in America) next month, argues that ten ancient ossuaries, small caskets used to store bones, which were found when bulldozers flattened a Jerusalem suburb in 1980, may have contained the remains of Jesus and his wife and child.

One of the caskets even bears the title, 'Judah, son of Jesus,' which Cameron claims as evidence that Jesus may have had a son. Another coffin was said to hold the bones of Mary Magdalene, also known as 'Mariamne'.

Cameron unveiled two of the small limestone caskets at a press conference in New York, but the director could offer little proof to support his claims, other than the mathematical probability of a tomb containing a set of ossuaries with names linked to Jesus.

Of the ten ossuaries found, six were inscribed with the names of Jesus, Mary, Joseph and Mary Magdalene, as well as Judah, Son of Jesus, and a Matthew, of which there were many in Mary's family, according to Luke 3:23.

Critics said all the names were commonplace in Biblical times.

Apparently surprised at the hostility over his 'discovery', the director who famously claimed to be 'the king of the world' when he won an Oscar for Titanic, insisted it was not a publicity stunt and said his critics should wait and see the film.

Stephen Pfann, a biblical scholar at the University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem who was interviewed in the documentary, said the film's hypothesis holds little weight.

"I don't think that Christians are going to buy into this," he said. "But sceptics, in general, would like to see something that pokes holes into the story that so many people hold dear."

"How possible is it?" he added. "On a scale of one through ten, with ten being completely possible, it's probably a one, maybe a one and a half."

Pfann is even unsure that the name Jesus on the caskets was read correctly. He thinks it is more likely the name Hanun. Ancient Semitic script is notoriously difficult to decipher.

So go ahead, Hollywood. Make millions off The DaVinci Code, and produce "documentaries" that attempt to slam the majority of America's faith. It's all right; no need to worry about offending the docile Christians.

Just try publishing so much as a cartoon about Mohammad, and watch the rioting and murdering start.

Hollywood, you are a coward and a bully. You only pick on the one person on the playground who won't hit you back because of the very beliefs you mock.