Quotes from Around the News
Posted by Cory Tucholski on February 27, 2007
James Cameron certainly is getting his debate. Here are some quotes from around the news world on the so-called Jesus Tomb:
Let me just throw this out there for you. If it were something that was attacking another religion, because there’s this idea out there that Christianity is sort of, it’s fine, you know, you can try to debunk anything out there, but if you tried to do this to the Muslim religion or perhaps the Jewish religion there would be an outcry of huge proportions. [Martha MacCallum during a roundtable discussion on The Live Desk, source]
That reflects what my wife and I have discussed about Christianity for as long as I can remember: It’s okay to bash Christianity, but if you try to bash another religion, there are all kinds of consequences and lawsuits and stuff.
One person sums up the DNA evidence nicely:
Except the whole thing seems kind of pointless. DNA comparison only works if you have something to compare the bones to. Last I checked, no one had a Jesus hair follicle in their bathroom hair brush. Sure, someone might claim to have DNA that definitely belonged to the Christ, but there’s no way to prove it. And without absolutely proof positive Jesus DNA to compare those bones to, I don’t see how Cameron can prove anything. [source]
Again, Amos Kloner, the tomb’s discoverer, has had this to say:
“I’m a scholar. I do scholarly work which has nothing to do with documentary film-making. There’s no way to take a religious story and to turn it into something scientific,” he told AFP in a telephone interview.
”I still insist that it is a regular burial chamber from the 1st century BC,” Kloner said, adding that the names were a coincidence.
”Who says that ‘Maria’ is Magdalena and ‘Judah’ is the son of Jesus? It cannot be proved. These are very popular and common names from the 1st century BC,” said the academic at Israel’s Bar Ilan University.
Kloner said that of 900 burial caves found within four kilometres (two and a half miles) of Jerusalem’s Old City and from the same era, the name Jesus or Yeshu was found 71 times, and that “Jesus son of Joseph” had also been found. [source, emphasis added]
The Israeli Antiques Authority made no comment on the press conference, “although in 1996 a spokesman said that the probability of the caskets belonging to the family of Jesus were ‘next to zero’” (ibid.).
Tim McGirk, who reported on the story for Time Magazine, says of Jesus: “His father, after all, was a humble carpenter who couldn’t afford a luxury crypt for his family. And all were common Jewish names” [source].
Finally, I repeat the words of National Clergy Council President Robert Schenck:
“Today, Hollywood director James Cameron, whose claim to fame is a fictionalized account of the sinking of the Titanic, unveiled a documentary claiming a coffin found in Jerusalem 27 years ago once contained the remains of Jesus Christ. Cameron employed archaeologists and DNA experts to bolster his assertion Jesus was buried along with his mother Mary, Mary Magdalene and a supposed son, Judah.
”Over the years, Hollywood has attacked and mocked Christianity, providing only negative portrayals of people of faith. It has produced films that undermine moral culture. Hollywood’s production of ‘The Da Vinci Code’ sensationalized a conspiracy theory that the Catholic Church engaged in a cover up of the real story of Jesus operating in the manner of a crime syndicate.
”According to Cameron, his film is no mere speculation, but historical fact. By claiming the remains of Jesus returned to dust along with other members of his family, the Hollywood filmmaker is denying the divinity of the Son of God and his victory over death. Cameron clearly intended to drive a stake into the heart of Christianity, since without the Resurrection, Jesus was only a mortal man.
”Media outlets should exercise restraint in reporting Cameron’s Hollywood fiction masquerading as scientific fact. All of Jesus’ contemporaries recorded Christ rose after being dead for three days and ascended into Heaven. For 2,000 years people of faith along and countless scholars have pored over the Scriptures, confirming their veracity. A Hollywood director is the least qualified to render any determination of Biblical truth. Not only so, but the people Mr. Cameron has partnered with completely lack credibility. One has been discredited by experts as a charlatan. This is nothing more than a modern day circus sideshow. At best it is pure presumption. At worst, it is pure chicanery.” [source]
It will be very interesting to see what will become of this story. I urge my readers to listen to James White’s podcast, The Dividing Line, Tuesday 2/27/07 at 11:00am Moutain Standard Time (for us Eastern Daylight Timers, that would be 1:00pm). If you can’t make the live broadcast, check out the link to it, which I will post later. You can also find it by clicking on the Alpha and Omega Ministries link on the left side of this page.
