December 25, 2009

1,1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;

3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,

9 According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.

20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.

22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.

23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,

25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

57 Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.

59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.

60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.

61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.

62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.

63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.

64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.

65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.

66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.

67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,

75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,

78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

2,1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.

40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.

43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.

44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.

45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.

46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.

47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.

48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.

49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

http://www.carm.org/kjv/Luke/luke_2.htm

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December 22, 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS !

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: christmas, happy — mirabilissimo100 @ 11:28 am

http://www.mimina.org/immagini/stella%20natale.gif

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December 21, 2009

Gospel Truth: Major Media Dig Up Old Errors to Shine Anew

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: errors, gospel, media, old, truth — mirabilissimo100 @ 5:54 pm

Gospel Truth: Major Media Dig Up Old Errors to Shine Anew

Written by Jeremias Wells

Thursday, 08 November 2007 12:00

For the last several years, three news magazines, Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report have published numerous cover articles and special editions that cumulatively have discredited or distorted the Gospels and the life of Christ. Add that to plays, movies and TV shows and we can easily see a mammoth onslaught against the Catholic religion. While it is unfashionable these days to show that all these attacks are interconnected, the evidence supports this conclusion, however uncomfortable it may make us feel. Since space will not allow us to connect all these dots, we will focus our attention on the news magazines, related books and their inspiration: Gnosticism.

Gnosticism surfaced as a pernicious anti-Christian movement during the first centuries of the Church. Many of the great theological works by the early Church Fathers such as Saint Irenaeus and Tertullian were written in response to the enticing novelties of Gnostic thought and their heretical forgeries sometimes called the apocryphal (spurious) gospels. In this essay we are using the term to cover several occult pagan sects (the Manichees, the Paulicians, the Albigenses etc.) which arose over the centuries in opposition to the doctrine of a visible hierarchical Church based on Divine Revelation.

An examination of the conflicting and inconsistent views of the various sects would be unproductive and tedious, but central to all of them is that salvation comes from a secret, higher form of knowledge accompanied by a cosmic, mystical encounter that frees the divine spark in all of us. The previously captured self-expression is then freed and the soul can turn inward to arrive at a purely subjective religious experience. Gnostics also deny the validity of the Old Testament and what they accept of the New is filtered through their own confused ideas.

Many of the anti-Catholic movements since the Middle Ages from Protestantism to Communism share many ideas with the Gnostics. Edward Gibbons, the famous English historian, commented that the Paulicians, “scattered over the West the seeds of Reformation.” This is especially true in the negative sense since both minimized the Sacraments, condemned the invocation of the saints and denied miracles and the fact that the Virgin Mary was the Mother of God. Both Gnostics and communists believe that evil in the world is caused by inequalities and that man must liberate himself by erasing all inequality through a long process of evolution.

Higher Critics
The attack on Church teaching based on the traditional Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John has a long history. A group of so-called scholars with a preconceived hostility toward the authenticity of the New Testament and its supernatural elements emerged in the last half of the eighteenth century. Influenced by the same ideas that brought on the French Revolution (the Enlightenment), these rationalists denied the divinity of Christ and Revelation in general since it was inconsistent with their belief that all truth only comes from the human mind. This would completely eliminate the obligations imposed on us by Christ as God-man. The higher critics, as they were known, also denied the traditional authorship of the Gospels by relying on the study of internal language and ignoring the extensive historical documentation.

Although these extremist spiritual interpreters found a sympathetic audience among the usual “well-educated” nonconformists, their audience was small. But a chance discovery which nurtured irreligion and secularization in the age of expanding mass media resulted in a much larger following.

The Gnostic gospels
In 1945 in a field near the Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi, a group of Arab peasants found a large earthenware jar containing over fifty Coptic, Gnostic writings in thirteen leather-bound books. Concealed in the late fourth century, the texts proved to be the library of a Gnostic sect that claimed to have secret knowledge of Jesus. The news media treated the discoveries in a sensational fashion, especially when English translations began to appear in 1950’s. The Gospel of Thomas, the most often-quoted, was published in English in 1959 to overwhelming acclaim and publicity. All the texts were published by 1977 and considered just as precious as or even more precious than the canonical New Testament by those who sought a new Christianity.

As more radical “scholars” entered the field, news magazines and major publishers encouraged a taste for subversive interpretations of Christian origins. The early Church Fathers are seen as vindictive when they placed the heretical gospels among the apocrypha (spurious works) allegedly motivated by unjust political considerations. But the historical evidence shows that the Catholic Church was indeed established by Christ to teach in his name and the canonical books are a result of Divine Revelation and not political expediency.

It is no wonder that modern Gnostics ignore the historical documents, for they see Jesus more as a psychological reality sent by heaven to liberate the forces of light in all of us. They reject the concept of sin and judgment and seek mystical illumination. To them Jesus was not the Messias but a social radical who brought a counter-cultural message that promoted equality and diversity.

Since we are dealing with perceptions of an inward-turning modern culture which sees things in subjective terms, there will naturally be a feminist element involved. Just as the new “scholars” used the Gnostic gospels to distort the traditional Scriptures, so the feminists use them to correct what they regard as a male misreading of the traditional text. They see in their favorite, the Gospel of Mary, an indication that women in the early Church were apostles, leaders and teachers, and that Mary Magdalene was unfairly treated because she threatened Saint Peter’s status. Along with their male counterparts, they are also attracted to the Gnostic concept of spirituality without the involvement of organized religion or dogma.

While all these denigrations of the Gospels are receiving ample support from the mass media, the most shameless recent example of Catholic bashing is the popular novel The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. At this writing (early days of the New Year) it has been on The New York Times Best Seller List for thirty-nine weeks, sitting at the top for six. Carrying the Gnostic gospels a step further, Brown has interwoven in his contemporary murder mystery the blasphemous and repugnant assertion that Our Lord was married to Mary Magdalene and had a child by her.

Christ suffered a cruel persecution, torture and an ignominious death at a specific moment in historical time. To the modern Gnostics, who have great influence over the mass media, the Passion and crucifixion are not real events but have only a symbolic and mythological character. Their interpretations have been spread far beyond the theological world and have been embraced by all sorts of feminists, evolutionists, environmentalists and occultists. They look forward to a New Age that transcends time and the boundaries of space.

Christians have long accepted the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and rejected the rest.

Authorship of the Gospels
One of the most pernicious ideas spread by the news media is skepticism about the traditional authorship of the four Gospels. Many times a writer will hypocritically lament that we just don’t know who wrote them, all the while ignoring volumes of historical documents. There is more manuscript evidence supporting the integrity, authorship and historicity of the Gospels than any work of classical literature (over which, of course, nobody raises any doubts).

Tertullian of Carthage, Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, Origen of Alexandria, all wrote apologetical works that show that Matthew published his Gospel among the Hebrews initially in their language; that Mark, a pupil and interpreter of Saint Peter, had written down what he had preached; that Luke, a companion of Saint Paul, wrote for the Gentiles what he had from that Apostle; and lastly that John, who reclined on Our Lord’s breast, published his Gospel while residing at Ephesus in Asia.

The task of investigating the truth of the events of the Gospels for the early Christians was not difficult. The details of Christ’s life were widely known. The Christians accepted the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and rejected the rest. They were quite satisfied with the message that Christ was God and had come to tell us what we must do and believe to be saved.

Last Updated on Thursday, 23 July 2009 13:25

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TV Sets And The City – Jerry Springer Opera causes outrage

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: jerry, outrage, springer, tv — mirabilissimo100 @ 5:52 pm

TV Sets And The City – Jerry Springer Opera causes outrage

UK Christians Burn TV Licences Over Springer Opera

I really, really, really wish the above headline was a joke but sadly it’s not. The kerfuffle is all about the fact that Jerry Springer The Opera is finally going to be broadcast on BBC2 at 10pm this Saturday night. Unsurprisingly the Christians aren’t just burning their licenses because they are pissed off at having had to pay to see this on SKY only a couple of months before. (God if only they’d waited) They’re up in arms about watching a tap dance routine by the Ku Klux Klan and seeing Jesus and the Devil locked in a swearing match and the general level of profanity in the show. 8,000 obscenities apparently – wonder who counted all them?

It’s amazingly how this has got such a massive level of complaints – probably not just amongst the licence burning Christians. The Beeb had received over 40,000 complaints by 6pm this evening and Ofcom, the independent regulator of television and radio, have received 7,000 complaints which rompingly beats the last highest number of moaners about a TV programme – 1,600 complaining about The Last Temptation of Christ.

Writer and comedian Stewart Lee must now be laughing all the way to the bank. How can a show that was a sell out in the West End have led to TV Licence burning? Where were all these licence burning people when the show was wowing huge audiences every night? I don’t seem to remember any “public outrage” then. What next – will these people be dragging out their old Starsky and Hutch action dolls burning David Soul who plays the title role in this version?

I’m sure the BBC won’t bow down to these complaints, as it is really laughable. Apparently The National Secular Society has also defended the BBC’s right to screen the opera and has urged the BBC not to give in to “religious bullies”.

There are currently loads of people’s thoughts about whether or not the show should be broadcast on the BBC’s website. My personal favourites are:

“I find Jerry Springer – The Opera far less offensive to my intelligence than Celebrity Big Brother.”

and

“This programme should not be shown. It is insulting to Christians as it depicts Jesus and Mary as foul-mouthed sexual deviants. Would the BBC even consider showing programmes that showed Muhammad, Krishna, Abraham, Buddha or Guru Nanak in that way?“

Well, I will certainly be watching and well done to the BBC for making a sell out West End Show affordable to everyone.

God willing, Jerry Springer the Opera will be on BBC2 at 10pm on Saturday 8th January.

January 7, 2005

http://londonist.com/2005/01/tv_sets_and_the_6.php

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JERRY SPRINGER-CHRISTIAN VOICE

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: christian, jerry, springer, voice — mirabilissimo100 @ 5:50 pm

CHRISTIAN VOICE

JERRY SPRINGER

What’s the background?

The story started when BBC2 decided to screen the West End ‘musical’ “Jerry Springer the Opera” on Saturday 8th January 2005. It is blasphemous (I’ll say how below) and it insults Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. It also (neat point for human rights aficionados) insults us Christians in our religious beliefs, contrary to Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Lord God brought 1,500 Christians out to protest outside BBC venues all over the United Kingdom on the evening of 8th January in an unprecedented street vigil of prayer. The 400-500 of us at White City alone prayed for God to have mercy and stop the transmission. By letting it go ahead, it was clear God’s heart was for judgment instead. And also, although He could send a York-Minster-style thunderbolt, He is generous enough to involve His people in His triumph, which will come.The story broke just a week after four hundred Sikhs felt strongly enough about the play Behzti (Dishonour), which depicted sex abuse and murder in a Sikh temple, to protest outside (and inside) the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, and to close the show. God sent a challenge to Christians to look at the willingness of Sikhs to stand up for their religion. We all know about David and Goliath, but in contrast to the Sikhs, God was telling us to start polishing and aiming up a few round spiritual stones! We know well-directed prayer made with the mind of God is very effective. However, we were painfully aware that because we are a peaceful people who do not resort to violence (sadly some Christians are peaceful to the point of pious apathy), the establishment have felt able to ridicule Jesus and Christianity in a way that political correctness and fear would make unthinkable for Islam or Hinduism. Or Sikhism, now.The BBC recorded Springer at London ‘ s Cambridge Theatre in December 2004. Since 8th January the focus has shifted to the Theatre itself. ‘Jerry Springer the Opera’ is to close there on 19th February and there are plans to take it on tour, which we shall oppose. We are also maintaining an evangelistic presence outside the Cambridge Theatre, which is in Earlham Street, Covent Garden, every Friday and Saturday night and Saturday afternoon. The purpose of that is to explain to theatre-goers why the show is offensive to us and to reach them with the true Gospel. The outreach is also in protest against the show. We know from scripture that for us to bear insults against ourselves is fortitude. To allow insults against our Redeemer is cowardice. Rev 3:16 and 21:8 make clear that the apathetic and the fearful have no part in the Lord’s purpose. He will bring to the ‘ Cambridge ‘ those Christians prepared to stand up for their Lord.

So what’s all the fuss about?

A lot of people are saying, “Hey this has been on at the Cambridge for months, and it was on at the National before that. Why have you waited till now to make a fuss?” Well, the critics said it was “blasphemous, vulgar and salacious” and I don’t know that many Christians prepared to fork out fifty quid to be offended. But reading the critics hardly prepared me for the enormity of it. I saw a preview on the afternoon of 8th January courtesy of a Sunday newspaper. It was more disgusting, more blasphemous, more crass and more offensive than I could ever have imagined. I was, and still am, angry that such a gratuitously nasty, hateful, spiteful and blasphemous piece of work is being performed in our land, let alone that it was national television. It being on in a London Theatre offends me, just as much as a murder or rape happening being closed doors offends me. And more to the point, those crimes offend Almighty God.The idea, of course, is that a Jerry Springer chat show could be translated into Opera, and that instead of people screaming at each other in speech, they could do so in song. Then make it daring and ‘adult’ (that means puerile) by adding in all the swearing deleted from the real ‘Springer’ – and more. So, in Act 1, various emotionally-challenged participants turn up to sing obscenities at each other and parade their sexual deviancy. There is one so sick he gets sexual pleasure from dressing in an oversized baby’s nappy and defecating in his pants.

How is ‘Springer’ blasphemous?

In Act 2, the character of Jerry Springer descends into hell, where the weirdos from Act 1 now become Biblical characters and take part in another Jerry Springer show. There is a shouting (singing) match between Jesus and Satan, Jesus says He is ‘a little bit gay’ and Mary rants at Jesus for abandoning her by dying on the cross. The Saviour of the world is told in his duet with Satan to “F*** off”, while He sings “Talk to the stigmata”. So even His wounds are ridiculed. God the Father emerges as an old fool who needs therapy, and Jerry Springer becomes an alternative saviour. Which makes David Soul’s character the Antichrist, of course.What I could not fail to notice that every character gets a change of clothes from Act 1 to Act 2, so as to distance themselves in part from whom they played before, except Jerry Springer and, you’ll never guess, Jesus. Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords, God incarnate who lived a perfect life and suffered on the cross for the sins of the world, is the perv in a nappy. People connected with the show are saying it was a nappy in Act 1, now it’s a loincloth. It still looks like a nappy to me and the guy who plays Jesus hardly resembles Tarzan. In any case, finally Springer tells my Saviour, “Jesus, grow up and put some clothes on”. With blasphemies and expletives, of course. It’s an ‘adult’ show.God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, is portrayed as an inadequate who is called upon to answer Satan’s grievances. He needs a shoulder to cry on and it’s Jerry Springer’s. “Jerry eleison” means “Jerry have mercy” and is a mockery of “Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison” (Lord, Christ have mercy). Any of this would make the show blasphemous and offensive to God and to Christians. And by the way, to all of those liberal wiseacres who have said there is a deeply ‘moral message’ in ‘Springer’, get real. Yes, trash-TV is pretty crass, but this show hardly offers some wonderful, uplifting alternative. Jerry’s “Yin, Yang, no wrong, no right” is not a moral, let alone a Christian message. It’s amoral. Jesus Christ said “Keep the Commandments” and first of all, “Love the Lord thy God”. That’s where morality starts.

Don’t you support free speech?

Be sure we Christians support free speech. That’s why we oppose the Governments’ plans for a law against ’stirring up religious hatred.’ That is the real attack on free speech. And they accuse us of wanting censorship. We should all be free to criticise one another’s religion in decent, respectful, moderate tones. If we are for good, then presumably we are against evil. And no law will ever stop Christians preaching the Gospel. We have to do it. We are commanded to by our Saviour. If the Government enact their wretched ‘religious hatred’ clause, I know of a few Christian leaders who will be preaching against sin, Islam, Hinduism, or whatever, the day the Government’s ‘Serious Crime and Disorder Act’ comes into force. We shall have to ensure that we are the first martyrs in court, because a certain Mr Nicholas Griffin will be trying to get there before us. So the production company and those going to the Cambridge Theatre, and those who put ‘Springer’ on TV, and those who watched it, aren’t striking a blow for free speech. Free speech is not an unqualified human right, it is limited. It brings responsibilities, and the causing of gratuitous offence is hardly the hallmark of a civilised society. No civilised person would deliberately insult a stranger in the street. So why would someone want to insult God, Jesus Christ, and Christian believers? The only reason I can come up with is that they actually hate God, Jesus Christ, and Christian believers. Otherwise, they would stop, from normal human decency. Consider: “I’m sorry, but your constant talking about ‘blacks’ offends me.” “I don’t understand why.” “Just take it from me, it does, OK?” Here’s one response: “Oh, well I don’t understand why, but in deference to you, I’ll stop.” And here’s another: “Well, I don’t understand why, so I’ll keep doing it.” Which is the more civilised response?

So what now?

You can still protest through the official channels: Email info@bbc.co.uk or phone the BBC on 08700 100222. However, post-broadcast it is better to email contact@ofcom.org.uk or phone Ofcom on 0845 456 3000. You could also Email the Director General: mark.thompson@bbc.co.uk (please send a copy of any complaints to stephen@christianvoice.org.uk .) Although your protest will be counted, the BBC will send you a load of platitudes back and Ofcom will go away and think about it. Neither the BBC nor Ofcom care what you think anyway. Normal protests are channelled in such a way as to be ignored. That’s why we wrote direct to Roly Keating, Controller of BBC, Jana Bennett, head of BBC TV. These execs were so grossed off by ordinary people having the brass neck to write to them at home that they let the Mail on Sunday put out an untrue story that Keating had received death threats and had gone into hiding. That story was, as Jana Bennett said on Radio 4’s Today Programme on 11th December, ‘overstated’ and Roly Keating said on Premier Radio on Sunday 23rd January that it was ‘exaggerated’. Thanks to the BBC, we now have video evidence of the entire Jerry Springer the Opera. I and Christian Voice intend to bring charges of blasphemy against those most responsible, from the Chairman of Governors of the BBC down to those involved with producing and staging it at the Cambridge Theatre where it was recorded. The last time the blasphemy law was used in England and Wales was in 1977, when Gay News and its owners were convicted in the case of a poem centring on homosexual fantasies about Jesus on the cross. Lord Scarman, speaking in the House of Lords judgment in the ‘Gay News case’, endorsed the definition of blasphemy found in Stephen’s Digest of the Criminal Law, which defines blasphemy as “any contemptuous, reviling, scurrilous or ludicrous matter relating to God, Jesus Christ or the Bible, or the formularies of the Church of England as by law established.” His Lordship went on: “It is not blasphemous to speak or publish opinions hostile to the Christian faith or to deny the existence of God if the publication is couched in decent or temperate language.” It’s that freedom of speech vs gratuitous offence point again. By the way, the cases of Otto Preminger Institut vs Austria and Wingrove vs UK established that blasphemy law is not just in tune with, but necessary under the European Convention on Human Rights.Please pray that Almighty God will go before and glorify His name through our humble efforts. Sure, God does not us to stand up for Him, or for anything He does. But for His great purpose He chose to become one of us, and even today He calls us to fellowship with Him and to be His witnesses on earth. To let His holy and wonderful name be blasphemed and slandered brings judgment on our land and we care about that. If we raise not a squeak of protest, we become complicit in that crime. Thank God that He brought hundreds of faithful Christians out on the streets to defend their Saviour’s name on 8th January. May that just be a beginning. May Almighty God put some backbone into Christian men. May He confound the stereotype of Christians as a lily-livered bunch of wimps, stuck in their holy clubs on Sunday, letting the world go to hell without a whimper. May God bless our street vigils and our blasphemy action. Lord, be glorified!
http://www.christianvoice.org.uk/springer.html

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Jerry Springer Opera-Wikipedia

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: jerry, springer, wikipedia — mirabilissimo100 @ 5:48 pm

Jerry Springer: The Opera

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jerry Springer: The Opera is a British musical written by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas, based on the television show The Jerry Springer Show. The musical is notable for its profanity, its irreverent treatment of Judeo-Christian themes, and surreal images such as a troupe of tap-dancing Ku Klux Klan members. The musical is completely sung through, with the exceptions of title character, Jerry, who speaks, and a brief speech by the character Steve.

The musical ran for 609 performances in London from April 2003 to February 2005 before touring the UK in 2006. The production won four Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical. The musical received a number of American regional theatre productions and made its New York City debut on January 29 and January 30, 2008 at Carnegie Hall. Harvey Keitel starred as Jerry Springer.

Jerry Springer: The Opera was the subject of controversy beginning in January 2005, when its UK television broadcast on BBC Two elicited 55,000 complaints.^[1] The organisation Christian Voice led street protests against the screening at nine BBC offices^[2] and announced their intention to bring blasphemy charges, due to the depictions of the Judeo-Christian characters in Act II. The Christian Institute attempted to bring a private prosecution against the BBC,^[3] but the Magistrates Court refused to issue a summons, a decision which was later upheld by the High Court of Justice.^[4] Protests continued at tour venues in 2006 and on the internet.

Act I

Jerry Springer’s frenzied audience greets Jerry as he arrives at his notorious TV talk show. His first guest, Dwight, is cheating on Peaches with Zandra. The three fight, and Jerry’s security men break up the battle. Jerry is briefly admonished by his inner Valkyrie. Dwight is also cheating with a transexual, Tremont. After a commercial break, Jerry’s second guest, Montel, tells his partner, Andrea, that he likes to dress as a baby and that he is cheating on her with Baby Jane, a woman who dresses as a little girl. Jerry’s Warm-Up Man contributes to Andrea’s humiliation and is fired. Jerry again wrestles with his inner Valkyrie. Jerry’s final guests are Shawntel and her husband Chucky. She wants to be a stripper and demonstrates a dance before her mother, Irene, arrives. Irene attacks Shawntel. Chucky pleads innocence, but Jerry’s secret JerryCam camera footage shows that Chucky is a patron of strip clubs and a Ku Klux Klan member. The Klan comes up on stage, and the Warm Up Man gives Montel a gun. The Warm-Up Man jostles Montel, who accidentally shoots Jerry.

[edit] Act II

Jerry is found injured in a wheelchair, accompanied by his security man, Steve. The scene is Purgatory, a fog enshrouded wilderness. Jerry meets ghostly versions of his talk show guests, who have all suffered unpleasant fates. Jerry tries to justify his actions to the ghosts. The Warm-Up Man arrives and is revealed to be Satan. Baby Jane asks Satan to spare Jerry’s soul. Satan forces Jerry to return to Hell with him to do a special show.

[edit] Act III

Jerry arrives in Hell at a charred version of his Earthly TV studio. The audience is locked into cracks in its walls. Jerry reads cue cards produced by Baby Jane that introduce Satan, who is in charge of the proceedings. Satan seeks apology for his expulsion from Heaven and wants to reunite Heaven and Hell. Jerry must faithfully read the cue cards, by introducing Jesus, the next guest, who resembles Montel. Jesus and Satan trade accusations. Adam and Eve are next; they are reminiscent of Chucky and Shawntel. They argue with Jesus, and Eve eventually attacks him. Mary, mother of Jesus, who resembles Irene, condemns Jesus. Everyone turns against Jerry, who hopes for a miracle.

God and the angels arrive and ask Jerry come to Heaven and help God judge humanity. He accepts the offer, but the angels and devils fight over Jerry, and the talk-show host finds himself suspended over a pit of flame. Jerry launches into a series of glib homilies asking for his life, but finally gives up and makes an honest statement that resounds with his audience. Devils, angels and everyone sing a hymn of praise to life.

Back on solid ground, Baby Jane tells Jerry that he must go back to Earth. Jerry wakes up in his television studio, having been shot, his life ebbing away as he is cradled in Steve’s arms. Jerry gives a final speech, and everyone is joined in sorrow.

Protests and controversy

In addition to the Christian protests at the BBC facilities, several venues throughout the 2006 tour saw protests. The Manchester Evening News reviewer saw the protests as misplaced, writing “an audacious and scandalous, yet ultimately moral and challenging show that’s recommended to anyone who can accept the odd dose of outrage in their lives.”^[10] Another reviewer recommended, “don’t get your knickers in such a twist, drop ‘em and enjoy yourself.”^[11]

In Plymouth, at the preview night at the Theatre Royal, a group of about 40 Christian Voice supporters turned out to sing hymns and hand out leaflets to the audience as they entered the theatre.
In Birmingham, performances attracted a few protesters, and more commotion was made by audience members arguing when being presented with leaflets.
In York, leaflets were handed out by small numbers of Salvation Army and Christian Voice protesters.
In Manchester, 10 protestors appeared on the opening night, but these were outnumbered by an anti-protest of people holding up signs for freedom of speech. Subsequent nights saw a single regular protestor, or none.
In Oxford, several elderly Christian protesters turned out.
In Cambridge, a handful of protesters handed out leaflets on opening night. Protestors were particularly present on Good Friday, the events of which are referenced in Act III of the show.
In Edinburgh, one man from Christian Voice handed out leaflets on a few of the nights.
In Glasgow, a group of Christian protestors stood outside the theater waving placards, singing Hymns, handing out leaflets and taking photographs of patrons.
In Bristol, about 100 protesters appeared on opening night, particularly mothers with young children. Many came from the Carmel Evangelical Church in Brislington. Their leaflets stated that the Bristol Old Vic had edited a “classic production” to avoid offending Muslims but did not specify which production. All the protesters had left by the interval.
In Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, over 300 protestors appeared on opening night.
In Brighton, two protestors arrived at several of the performances. After the Saturday matinee, Christian Voice protestors appeared.
In Liverpool, a group of protestors gathered across the road from the theatre singing hymns, whilst small children handed out leaflets about Christianity.
In St Andrews, a large group of protestors gathered across the street from the student union of the University of St Andrews, where a student production of the Jerry Springer opera was being performed. The performance was one of the largest and most elaborate ever put on by the University, and extra security was brought on board to ensure the safety of students as they entered and left the union. On the opening night, the cast received a standing ovation, despite the leaflets being distributed outside by members of the Christian Voice.

The opposition by Christian Voice caused the cancer charity Maggie’s Centres to reject a £3,000 donation from Jerry Springer: The Opera. Christian Voice threatened to picket their centres, which provide palliative care to cancer sufferers and their families. It claimed it had warned the charity that accepting cash from a show full of “filth and blasphemy” would be a public relations disaster.^[12]

In January 2007 Christian Voice, represented by Stephen Green, attempted to prosecute BBC director-general Mark Thompson for blasphemy over the show. A summons was refused due to lack of prima facie evidence that a crime had been committed, and a provision of the 1968 Theatres Act which enshrines the right of free expression in theatrical works.^[13] An appeal to the High Court was dismissed on December 5, 2005, with the decision of the lower court upheld on all counts and ruling that it was reasonable to conclude that the play “in context” could not be considered as blasphemous.^[14]^[15]

Asked about the controversy during an interview with The Observer in 2009, Lee stated:

If you have been on the verge of becoming a millionaire and that has not happened because of far-right pressure groups, and your work has been banned and taken apart, and you’ve been threatened with prosecution, and the police have advised people involved with your production to go into hiding, and bed and breakfasts won’t have the cast to stay because they’re blasphemers, and you have to cross a BNP picket line to go to work in Plymouth, you do start to think, well, what can be worse that that?^[16]

Asked if the experience had an impact on his stand-up comedy, Lee replied: “It did make me feel there was not much point ever trying to reach a mass audience with anything interesting and provocative. You just run the risk of being misunderstood on a large scale”.^[16]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Springer:_The_Opera

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Jerry Springer: The Opera Condemned by Catholic League

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: jerry, springer, condemnd, catholic, league — mirabilissimo100 @ 5:40 pm

Jerry Springer: The Opera Condemned by Catholic League

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League – a group that exists to promote Bill Donohue, er, prevent “virulent anti-Catholicism” – is leading a protest against Jerry Springer: The Opera, which will be performed at Carnegie Hall on January 29th and 30th and stars Harvey Keitel as Springer. The show chronicles Jerry Springer’s adventures in hell, where he’s forced to host an outrageous talk show whose guests include Adam and Eve, Mary, Jesus, and, as his crowd “warm up” man, Satan.Donohue’s dutifully parsed the script and excerpted all the blasphemous material, which may not be the best tactic because after reading his synopsis, we realized we have got to see this. A sample:

Jesus then grabs the biscuit from Satan and holds it above his head before throwing it down as he sings: “I am Jesus, son of man, son of Mary, son of God. So do not, do not, do not fuck with me. I do not want your biscuit. I want your love and your respect, for I am love and I love all mankind.” The chorus then sings, “Jesus is gay, Jesus is gay.”

Okay, so maybe that does sound a little blasphemous to Catholic ears, as well as the part where the choir sings about Mary being raped by angels. But isn’t it the point of the outré libretto to use taboo subject matter as a cudgel to satirize the tabloid culture Springer hath wrought? And come on, the part where the choir triumphantly sings “Jerry Eleison”? Even the pope would have to admit that’s gold.

Speaking to amNew York, Donohue concedes that “the producers have a First Amendment right to stage the musical.” But his fear is that if Jerry Springer: The Opera isn’t stopped now, it might head for an extended run on Broadway, thus damning the entire Times Square area straight to hell. (An attempt to stage the show on Broadway in 2004 was stymied by financial problems.) Carnegie Hall reps deny the two night concert production is being staged as a tryout for hell or Broadway.

Photo from the British production of Jerry Springer: The Opera, which also drew outrage.

http://gothamist.com/2008/01/25/jerry_springer.php

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Blasphemy in Spain, When Will the Hate Stop?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: blasphemy, spain — mirabilissimo100 @ 4:59 pm

Blasphemy in Spain, When Will the Hate Stop?

Written by John Horvat

Thursday, 29 October 2009 15:53

According to press reports, homosexual groups in Spain published a calendar that has horrific blasphemies against Our Lady of Fatima and other Marian apparitions. Besides a man that is practically naked alongside Our Lady, the calendar has “images that are based on famous works of sacred art, especially apparitions of the Virgin Mary, but interpreted by transsexuals.”

“In the ‘Secular Calendar,’ informs the BBC Brasil, “each month is represented by a free interpretation of famous scenes of Catholic imagery, such as Our Lady of Fatima and the three shepherd children but redecorated with homosexual esthetics.” The scenes show saints dressed as “drag queens,” and using “crowns, necklaces, bracelets, and colored condoms…”

Moreover, the homosexual group behind the calendar suggests December 25 be officially declared the Day of Democracy instead of Christmas. (Access with extreme caution — blasphemous image, Article is written in Portuguese http://www.ccsp.com.br/ultimas/noticia.php?id=42507 — Access with caution).

As Catholics, the American Society for the Defense of Tradition Family and Property (TFP) is joining with its America Needs Fatima campaign to protest these blasphemous insults to Our Lady and the Catholic faith. No matter where in the world blasphemy is, all must protest. One must only wonder when the hatred will stop.

Click here to send a protest message now via email to the Minister of Justice in Spain asking him to apply Spanish anti-blasphemy law and stop this outrage that offends God and so many Catholics everywhere. Consider forwarding this email message to friends and relatives.

Last Updated on Friday, 04 December 2009 21:05

http://www.tfp.org/current-campaigns/2009/blasphemy-in-spain-when-will-the-hate-stop.html

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December 20, 2009

BLASPHEMY IN SPAIN

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: blasphemy, spain — mirabilissimo100 @ 4:10 pm

http://it.gloria.tv/?media=41351

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