One of those people was , they kept Joe Farah's WorldNetDaily. Even after the box was discredited, WND wouldn't let it go. When they couldn't defend the box, they tried to keep it in the news by going after the Canadian museum holding it- apparently they switched from BC to BCE without getting Farah's approval.
Ok, so WND likes their fake archeology. Fine.
Only there's been a change.
James Cameron has produced a funky little documentary working under the semi-strange hypothesis that he found Jesus' bones- along with his entire family Ok, a little wonky, but no odder than WND's bone box.
Only one thing- to find Jesus' bones would mean he was actually a human dude. And didn't ascend to heaven.
Uh-oh.
James Cameron is producing "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," claiming the discovery of 10 stone coffins in a Jerusalem suburb in 1980 is actually the family crypt of Jesus of Nazareth.
The 90-minute film will be shown on the Discovery Channel at a later date.
The film makes the case that Jesus had a son named Judah with Mary Magdalene. ProminentJerusalem archaeologist Amos Kloner is disputing the claims, saying, "It makes a great story for a TV film. But it's impossible. It's nonsense."
..."This is archaeology," [Cameron] claims. "We've got the casket. We've got the bones. I think we can say, in all probability, Jesus had this son, Judah, presumably through Mary Magdalene."
...The coffins reportedly carried the names of Jesua, son of Joseph, Mary, Mary, Mathew, Jofa and Judah, son of Jesua. Some archaeologists who studied the find point out those were common names in Israel 2,000 years ago.
Cameron and his director, Simcha Jacobovici, claim also to have DNA evidence to back their story.
Jacobovici is trying not to alienate the faithful, by suggesting the ascension into heaven by Jesus could still have occurred spiritually if not physically.
"People who believe in a physical ascension – that he took his body to heaven – those people will say, 'Wait a minute,'" warns the director.
Now, anyone who's followed Jacobovici's career knows that he's hardly considered to be an authoritative archaeologist- Exodus Decoded, anyone? But WND still considers this to be a major threat- and you know what that means- it must be a deliberate anti-Christian attack!
Robert Knight, director of the Media Research Center's Culture and Media Institute, told WND that the film, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," is just the 2007 version of an annual attack on Christianity right around the time of Easter, the time at which the Christian church remembers Jesus' Resurrection.
"It always seems to happen just before Easter," he said. "It's as if there's a script going around, and everyone gets a turn at it – to call into doubt the central theme of Christianity, which is that Jesus is God Incarnate and rose from the dead."
Hey jackass, get over yourself. Exodus Decoded wasn't anti-Semitic, and this isn't anti-Christian. It's loony, which is another matter entirely.
"The Discovery Channel bills itself as the 'number one non-fiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion people in over 170 countries.' But this bigoted documentary is pure fiction. Numerous leading scholars, including the Israeli archaeologist who first studied the site, have already rejected the notion that Jesus of Nazareth's bones were found in the Talpiot tomb," Knight said.Note how Bozell is conveniently forgetting it was his allies on the Christian right who defended the box against would-be liberal defamers with their evil science and methods. In fact, apparently Jacobovici and Cameron are claiming that the James Ossuary is the supposed "missing link" between their weird-ass theories and whatever WND was hoping the box would prove.
L. Brent Bozell III, the president of the MRC, said the program should be cancelled. If it isn't, he said, the Discovery Channel "will have to explain why it is intentionally misleading the public."
"They should be embarrassed by this plunge into sensational speculation masquerading as 'science.' To slander Christianity at the start of the Lenten season is unconscionable," he said.
Bozell noted it was five years ago when the channel launched its promotion of the "James Ossuary," alleged to be the bone box of James, Jesus' half-brother, a relic later proven to be a forgery.
"Now it's the 'tomb' of Jesus," Bozell said. "What they're really doing is attacking Christianity. The title of the documentary ought to be 'Discovery Channel Says Christianity Is a Fraud' – but they don't have the guts to say it."
[Knigh] noted that the "leap" of logic the film forces viewers to make is beyond belief. "All they can tell us is that two of the caskets in the crypt held remains that were unrelated maternally, then they take the giant leap of logic that these two people were married and they were Jesus and Mary Magdalene."
By contrast, he said, the Bible is "the most well-documented piece of antiquity out there by far." He said there exist portions of the New Testament that date to within 100 years of the actual events.
"The Discovery Channel, out of respect for the one billion Christians worldwide, should yank this program. It's irresponsible. It's incendiary, and it's always aimed at Christianity," he said.
Hey man, take a cue from what happened with the Jews and The Passion- not everything is always about you.
Jerry Johnson, president of Criswell College in Texas, said Cameron's claims are unscientific and heretical, and an apology is due.
"Cameron's claims are founded on the desire to make good TV instead of forensic DNA evidence," said Johnson. "Ironically, each Easter we see a story like this pop up in the media. … I'm asking Cameron to consider apologizing to the Christian community world-wide…"
Rev. Rob Schenck, the president of the National Clergy Council, and it's just another Hollywood attack on Christianity, and the production is no more than "a modern day circus sideshow."
Apology my ass. Grow some skin and then a brain. It's a freaking faux-documentary and should have zero effect on your religion if you're smart enough to ignore it, which you obviously aren't. Just like with Da Vinci Code. Don't you guys pay attention to your own scorecards?
Bottom line, these guys like fake science when it agrees with their position, and condemn it when it doesn't. Tough shit, crybabies. Cry all you want, but don't start looking for anti-Christian plots. If there's any "plot" here, it's against people's brains and common-sense- both of which the Discovery and History channels have long since relinquished.
Schenck said the whole publicity stunt may backfire on Cameron, and encourage people to dig deeper into the reasons they believe the way they do. "In the end ... the truth will be told," he said.
I'm sure it will, Rob. But you'd really all be a lot better off, if, like the Conservative Jews, you actually admitted that your religion is important and has value REGARDLESS of what happened to Jesus. Of course, making Christianity and faith attractive, compelling and relevant to your audience requires a lot more work and energy than bitching about a stupid movie. Funny, I don't see Jesus as being a huge fan of taking the easy way out. But then I'm just a Christian-hating, anal-sex-loving, Hollywood and bank-controlling Jew, so what do I know anyway.
Incidentally, I like how WND's White House correspondent got shot down by Tony Snow for asking inane questions about this.
Les Kinsolving, WND's correspondent at the White House, had asked spokesman Tony Snow: "The president is well-known to be a devout Christian, so I presume he will not evade the question – how does he feel about the Titanic director's claim of rediscovering the allegedly permanent burial site of the Gospel-reported resurrected Christ, together with alleged Jesus, wife and son?"
"I hope that you will not consider this un-Christian of me, Les, but I am sure that he probably has not spent a moment thinking about that," Snow said.
Score. Morons. Incidentally, this is the second time in as many weeks that Kinsolving has been told to shove it by Snow. At least all your time at Fox was good for something, Tony.
Kinsolving continued with his line of questioning. "Does the president believe that Mississippi's state flag needs to be changed because it has the Confederate battle flag and that the 15-star replica of the Star Spangled Banner, now flying at Fort McHenry, should be removed because it was the flag of a slave nation?"
"It hasn't come up," Snow said. "Believe it or not, I don't have an answer for you on that."
"The name of George Washington – President Lincoln in 1842 said that, 'The name of George Washington is the mightiest name on earth – long since the mightiest in the cause of civil liberty; still the mightiest in moral reformation…' Does the president believe President Lincoln was wrong in saying this because President Washington owned slaves?"
"Oh my goodness," Snow said.
Maybe WND should start looking for a slightly more, what's the word- un-senile?- correspondent. Or new management.
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