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And we have an excommunication!
Laetae sententiae!

20240706_201859.jpg
 
The Book of Mormon Musical is returning to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre Dublin in November.

Odd that no one has written The Koran Musical.
 
The French Catholic Church "profoundly deplores" the Olympic opening ceremony, describing it as blasphemous.
In particular the scene featuring an obese drag-queen with a halo, surrounded by his "disciples" was cited as mocking Christ's Last Supper.

View attachment 80264

https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/19076/french-church-criticises-paris-olympics-opening-
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/upset-bishops-mixed-reviews-paris-121927419.html
Despite it not being based on the Last Supper. It was an interpretation of Dionysus.
 
Despite it not being based on the Last Supper. It was an interpretation of Dionysus.

Interesting.

Two pastors have publicly pushed back against claims from conservatives that a scene from the Paris Olympic opening ceremony depicted the "Last Supper," instead countering that it represented the Feast of Dionysus.

On Friday evening, the four-hour Olympic opening ceremony showcased a blend of modern and historic French culture, featuring diverse artistic expressions and a wide representation of sexuality, identity, fashion, music, and culture.

At one point, there appeared to be a scene that many say represented famed Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper," which depicts Jesus at a long table with the Twelve Apostles. The reenactment featured drag queens and dancers behind a shimmery blue naked body on a plate at the center of the table. ...

However, at least two Christian leaders are countering claims that depicted the "Last Supper," such as Atlanta Pastor Cassie Noland Rapko who wrote on Facebook on Saturday, "It was the Feast of Dionysus. Greek God of festivity and feasting and ritual and theater. The Olympics are from Greek culture and tradition. French culture is deeply rooted in feasting and festivity and performing arts." ...

Reverend Benjamin Cremer, who is also a pastor, shared Rapko's post on X in a thread suggesting that the scene was not the "Last Supper."

On Sunday morning, he wrote on X, "I just don't think we Christians realize how fragile we make our faith look when we act as though something like artistic expression represents an existential threat to us. We have allowed fear and suspicion to overtake our public witness rather than love and understanding." ...

https://www.newsweek.com/pastors-co...over-olympics-last-supper-performance-1931202


 
And this is yet another reason why there should not be blasphemy statutes on any books in nations that allow freedom of expression. If adherents to a religion can't even discern of it is their religion that is being blasphemed how can a judge make a ruling or a jury decide a case?
 
Reverend Benjamin Cremer, who is also a pastor, shared Rapko's post on X in a thread suggesting that the scene was not the "Last Supper."

I found it baffling but didn;t think it was Christian iconography.
 
The French Catholic Church "profoundly deplores" the Olympic opening ceremony, describing it as blasphemous.
In particular the scene featuring an obese drag-queen with a halo, surrounded by his "disciples" was cited as mocking Christ's Last Supper.

View attachment 80264

https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/19076/french-church-criticises-paris-olympics-opening-
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/upset-bishops-mixed-reviews-paris-121927419.html
Luckily I didn't see this as I only managed to watch 20 seconds of the 'ceremony', but MrsF did and, understandably, thought it was absolutely ridiculous.
 
Artists will be brave, subversive, confronting and iconoclastic. (Towards anyone who won’t push back.)

maximus otter
Writing it is one thing ... having it performed is another.

There's been plenty of brave artists, writers, speakers, journalists and film-makers who have confronted Islam, sometimes at the cost of head or eye.
 
Yet the video of the opening ceremony has been deleted from the official Olympic YouTube site.

Perhaps Dionysus was offended.

maximus otter
I suspect that the producers knew how it would be interpreted, and were happy with the parallels and causing offence. It may have technically been Bacchus, but they knew many would see the Last Supper, and may well have deliberately blurred the two - both for artistry and plausible deniability.
 
Interesting.

Two pastors have publicly pushed back against claims from conservatives that a scene from the Paris Olympic opening ceremony depicted the "Last Supper," instead countering that it represented the Feast of Dionysus.

On Friday evening, the four-hour Olympic opening ceremony showcased a blend of modern and historic French culture, featuring diverse artistic expressions and a wide representation of sexuality, identity, fashion, music, and culture.


At one point, there appeared to be a scene that many say represented famed Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper," which depicts Jesus at a long table with the Twelve Apostles. The reenactment featured drag queens and dancers behind a shimmery blue naked body on a plate at the center of the table. ...

However, at least two Christian leaders are countering claims that depicted the "Last Supper," such as Atlanta Pastor Cassie Noland Rapko who wrote on Facebook on Saturday, "It was the Feast of Dionysus. Greek God of festivity and feasting and ritual and theater. The Olympics are from Greek culture and tradition. French culture is deeply rooted in feasting and festivity and performing arts." ...

Reverend Benjamin Cremer, who is also a pastor, shared Rapko's post on X in a thread suggesting that the scene was not the "Last Supper."

On Sunday morning, he wrote on X, "I just don't think we Christians realize how fragile we make our faith look when we act as though something like artistic expression represents an existential threat to us. We have allowed fear and suspicion to overtake our public witness rather than love and understanding." ...

https://www.newsweek.com/pastors-co...over-olympics-last-supper-performance-1931202
I must admit that I thought Bacchus when I watched it, and only saw the da Vinci Last Supper semblance after reading an article about the uproar.
 
I thought the bearded guy with the pale blue body paint was meant to be Neptune/Poseidon?

neptune.png

He appeared after the apparent Last Supper tableau.
Oh and my apologies to the obese woman with the halo at the centre of the table, who I erroneously referred to as a drag-queen above (easy mistake to make, given the prolific numbers of the latter).

BTW. was there any fuss when The Simpsons did something similar?

supper.png
 
I am deeply concerned about speculation that the UK government is planning to introduce a harshly punitive blasphemy law.
Slightly surprisingly, the Christian Concern website has also voiced their concern (see article below) and, amazingly, finds itself singing from the same hymn sheet (sorry about that!) as arch atheist Richard Dawkins!

In the wake of the recent riots, we've seen fast-tracked sentencing, averaging around 2 years in gaol, for people convicted of arson, looting, racism, violence against the police and general incitement to violence. Fair enough I say.
But when it comes to ridiculing religion, that should absolutely not be criminalised.
This is supposed to be the free speech loving UK, not Pakistan or Iran.

https://christianconcern.com/comment/banning-islamophobia-blasphemy-law-by-the-backdoor/
 
We need to be clear that the people holding a belief are to be respected but the beliefs themsleves don't have to be. It's beginning to look as if this simple fact is being overlooked.

This is all getting a bit scarey and out of hand. Taking a sledge hammer to crack a nut approach isn't going to solve anything.
Worrying :(
 
A 61 year old retired train driver was gaoled for 18 months, not for committing actual physical violence but for "threatening gestures" and for chanting during the protests.
From what I can gather, as well as shouting at the police "you c-s aren't English any more", what ensured him widespread notoriety in certain elements of the media was that he joined in with others singing the "rude" version of "Living Next Door to Alice" (aka "Who the F- is Alice?") but replaced Alice with the name of the islamic deity.
Had he not pleaded guilty to disorder, his sentence would likely have been longer.
Whether his admittedly boorish behaviour merits clogging up our already overcrowded gaols is debatable I guess.
I expect to see a lot more cases like his, particularly if the blasphemy laws are ramped up, as is being threatened.
 
A 61 year old retired train driver was gaoled for 18 months, not for committing actual physical violence but for "threatening gestures" and for chanting during the protests.
From what I can gather, as well as shouting at the police "you c-s aren't English any more", what ensured him widespread notoriety in certain elements of the media was that he joined in with others singing the "rude" version of "Living Next Door to Alice" (aka "Who the F- is Alice?") but replaced Alice with the name of the islamic deity.
Had he not pleaded guilty to disorder, his sentence would likely have been longer.
Whether his admittedly boorish behaviour merits clogging up our already overcrowded gaols is debatable I guess.
I expect to see a lot more cases like his, particularly if the blasphemy laws are ramped up, as is being threatened.

He wasn't imprisoned for the Allah chants though. As the judge stated:

"At that point you did that [shouting and swearing at police] you must have been well aware it was a particularly volatile situation and police were doing their best to keep order. Your actions showed a complete contempt for the police at that time," said the judge, adding: "What you were doing, could and, it appears, did encourage others to threaten the police and add to the disorder."

Giving his reasons for the jail sentence, Judge Kelleher added: "Violent protests can't be tolerated, and neither can violence towards police officers who do their duty to protect the public from disorder, and those who do can expect to receive severe sentences, to punish you and deter others from disorder."


https://uk.news.yahoo.com/retired-train-driver-jailed-jabbing-102831920.html

I doubt if the Mods will take kindly to the riots discussion being resurrected.

Please just leave it at that or we'll end up having this thread deleted as well.
 
He wasn't imprisoned for the Allah chants though. As the judge stated:

"At that point you did that [shouting and swearing at police] you must have been well aware it was a particularly volatile situation and police were doing their best to keep order. Your actions showed a complete contempt for the police at that time," said the judge, adding: "What you were doing, could and, it appears, did encourage others to threaten the police and add to the disorder."

Giving his reasons for the jail sentence, Judge Kelleher added: "Violent protests can't be tolerated, and neither can violence towards police officers who do their duty to protect the public from disorder, and those who do can expect to receive severe sentences, to punish you and deter others from disorder."


https://uk.news.yahoo.com/retired-train-driver-jailed-jabbing-102831920.html

I doubt if the Mods will take kindly to the riots discussion being resurrected.

Please just leave it at that or we'll end up having this thread deleted as well.
I'm fully aware of that Ramon and I did phrase my post very carefully not just to avoid any sanction by the mods, but also, given the way legislation appears to be heading in the UK, so as not to get my collar felt by the blasphemy police!
The very fact that one even has to think twice before discussing blasphemy on a thread dedicated to the subject concerns me greatly.
 
I'm fully aware of that Ramon and I did phrase my post very carefully not just to avoid any sanction by the mods, but also, given the way legislation appears to be heading in the UK, so as not to get my collar felt by the blasphemy police!lasphemy on a thread unfrt
The very fact that one even has to think twice before discussing blasphemy on a thread dedicated to the subject concerns me greatly.

Speculation about some future law is just that, speculation. You don't have to think twice about discussing blasphemy on a thread, neither the Mods or the CPS will come after you for that.

The retired train driver wasn't jailed for blasphemy, from the judge's statement it was clearly due to his behaviour towards the police. The Mods might come after you for raising the riots again.
 
It's a tricky line to walk, and inevitably there will be messiness, when it comes to society and law deciding exactly how to regulate speech/expression.

I think it sensible to have some restrictions regarding planning/inciting criminal activities, negligent behaviour, libel, copyright etc. And I'm also generally in favour of protected characteristics and hate-speech regulation. But I'm not in favour of censorship or blasphemy laws and so on. Tricky.
 
Even as a Catholic I'm in favour of brave, critical blasphemy like Pussy Riot in Russia.

But most anti-Christian blasphemy is lazy and I'm often tempted to think: "now do that for Islam or Judaism".

Speculation: I think it's more difficult to blaspheme Judaism, because most westerners know too little about it, to know where the sensitivities lie (myself included). Who for example knows about the very respected Rabbi Akiva or the less respected Sabbatai Zevi or the even more controversial Jacob Frank.
 
Can't resist putting this legend here:

This was not the only occasion on which Akiva was made to feel the truth of his favourite maxim ("Whatever God does, He does for the best"). Once, being unable to find any sleeping accommodation in a certain city, he was compelled to pass the night outside its walls. Without a murmur he resigned himself to this hardship; and even when a lion devoured his donkey, and a cat killed the rooster whose crowing was to herald the dawn to him, and the wind extinguished his candle, the only remark he made was, "All that God does is for the good." When morning dawned he learned how true his words were. A band of robbers had fallen upon the city and carried its inhabitants into captivity, but he had escaped because his abiding place had not been noticed in the darkness, and neither beast nor fowl had betrayed him.[4][95]
 
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