A Nigerian Cardinal is suggesting legal action against 'Da Vinci Code':
Cardinal Francis Arinze, a Nigerian who was considered a candidate for pope last year, made his strong comments in a documentary called "The Da Vinci Code-A Masterful Deception."
Arinze's appeal came some 10 days after another Vatican cardinal called for a boycott of the film. Both cardinals asserted that other religions would never stand for offences against their beliefs and that Christians should get tough.
"Christians must not just sit back and say it is enough for us to forgive and to forget," Arinze said in the documentary made by Rome film maker Mario Biasetti for Rome Reports, a Catholic film agency specializing in religious affairs.
"Sometimes it is our duty to do something practical. So it is not I who will tell all Christians what to do but some know legal means which can be taken in order to get the other person to respect the rights of others," Arinze said.
"This is one of the fundamental human rights: that we should be respected, our religious beliefs respected, and our founder Jesus Christ respected," he said, without elaborating on what legal means he had in mind.
Well, there would be plenty of money to target, I suspect, but good luck on that lawsuit. Arinze does make a good point, which has been discussed here before:
"Those who blaspheme Christ and get away with it are exploiting the Christian readiness to forgive and to love even those who insult us. There are some other religions which if you insult their founder they will not be just talking. They will make it painfully clear to you," Arinze said.
This appeared to be a reference to protests by Muslims around the world over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.
The wonderful thing is that the One on whom Christianity is founded is different. His kingdom is not of this world. And His followers must be different, too. I have no problem with the Catholic Church taking the 'Da Vinci' crowd to court, but our role is to correct the record in the face of those who would intentionally misrepresent it.
1 comment:
Arinze's last comment about defending Christianity sounded just a smidge like the Christians in the first century who wanted to fight in the physical world to make Christ king. He already was king, is king, and doesn't need our earthly help to sustain his position. I do agree that we as Christians need to clearly make the truth known in the face of the lies that continually re-emerge and circulate, but to reference radical Muslims as a model is hardly very Christ-like. I don't think "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" is a biblical doctrine.
Now that I think about it... I believe I got an email recently from Arinze, about how he was formerly an official in Nigeria and managed to salt away several million before being dismissed, and now needs my help in getting it to the United States...
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