Tag: jesus

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Gay Jesus Play Called Blasphemous, Xtra Security Needed For Performance

Security will be increased at Tarleton State University in Texas when a play in which Jesus is portrayed as gay will be presented on Saturday. The production called "Corpus Christi" is being directed by student John Jordan Otte, who says he wants to offer a play that portrays tolerance and unconditional love. Critics say the play is blasphemous. School police Chief Justin Williams says university officers will be assisted with security by police in Stephenville, a city of 17,000 located 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Tarleton President F. Dominic Dottavio has said the play will be allowed because the school is committed to protecting and preserving freedom of thought, speech and expression. The Terrence McNally play premiered in New York in 1998. A promotional clip is embedded below. News Release from Tarleton A scheduled student production that is part of an undergraduate theatre class at Tarleton State University will consist of four different one-act plays. All material is chosen, acted, produced and directed by students. It is a class assignment and not a university production. One of the plays, “Corpus Christi,” is set in modern times in Texas and depicts a gay man whose life the playwright parallels to that of Christ in an attempt to seek higher awareness of Christ’s difficulties and torments. According to theater critics and the playwright, the overall theme is about tolerance and acceptance. The university understands that the student’s selection of this particular material is offensive to some members of the Tarleton community. We value civility and always regret the use of words or actions that offend others. “Having lived in Stephenville for more than 20 years, I am very committed to this community and I take care when selecting productions,” said Mark Holtorf, associate professor of theatre at Tarleton. According to Holtorf, “The performance of “Corpus Christi” is being done in an advanced directing class. It is a class assignment, not a play intended for the general public. It is not part of our theatre season. The play was selected by a student, paid for by a student and will be performed by students as a part of that class. “As a faculty member, it is my role to help students consider the implications of their choices, and I have done that in this case. However, it is not my role to censor the students’ selections of material for an advanced class. I must hold that freedom of artistic expression as a cornerstone of education. The First Amendment of the Constitution grants that freedom to all. If we censor one, we censor all.” Public universities are expected to provide for students, faculty and staff the same constitutional freedoms afforded the general public, particularly in such areas as freedom of thought, speech and expression. Perhaps nowhere in our society are these freedoms more debated than in the fine arts. It is the case from time to time that a public university will be the site of a particular play, a specific speech, an art exhibit or reading of a piece of literature, poetry or prose that is viewed both within and without the university as offensive to some, as art by others. Tarleton has reviewed this matter with legal counsel and confirmed that free speech is protected on the campuses of Texas public universities. “The law clearly supports the students in the exercise of their rights granted under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution,” according to The Texas A&M University System Office of General Counsel. In addition to the students’ rights, there are important academic freedom rights of the faculty involved. Tarleton State University understands that some persons may be offended by a performance, speech or other form of expression on campus. At the same time, the university as a public institution of higher learning is committed to protecting and preserving the freedoms of thought, speech and expression. STORY FROM FOX FT WORTH

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Uproar in Texas Over Billboards

Christian Pro-Gay billboards are causing something of a major uproar in North Texas where a coalition of five local churches who are all part of the Worldwide Metropolitan Community Church have paid to spread a message of toleration. Their billboards include messages like “Jesus Said Some Are Born Gay”, and “Ruth Loved Naiomi More Than Adam Loved Eve.” The reaction among many people in North Texas is heavily negative with many demanding that the pastors of the five churches reread the Bible, of course demanding that they do so with the same exact interpretation that they are using. Of course, most of the people who are demanding this are likely using the King James Bible or later editions.

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One of the billboards states “Jesus Affirmed a Gay Couple”, and the citation for that is held in the Greek where the word ‘pais’ is the word used to indicate a same-sex partner. Greek culture, especially in ancient times, was very open to homosexuality with both historical figures like Socrates and Sappho as well as mythical figures like Apollo and Athena being linked heavily with same-sex lovers. Would Jesus Discriminate Website - CLICK HERE Video From CBS TV Channel 11 Dallas-Forth Worth

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Madonna to Wed Jesus

Madonna and her 21 year old lover Jesus (check out his hot photos here) are getting married in a Kabbalah ceremony, according to the model's father. Fresh out of her eight-year marriage to British film maker Guy Ritchie, Madonna, 50, plans to wed the 22-year-old in a Kabbalah ceremony in the near future, Britain's Daily Mail reports. The revelation came in an interview Jesus Luz's father, Luiz Heitor Pinto da Luz, gave to Brazilian magazine Quem. "My understanding is that this is just a consequence of what is happening," Mr Luz told the magazine.

"He is already living with her. I don't know if there will be an actual wedding. From what I have read there could be a sort of ritual, but I don't know Kabbalah... to know if it's valid and legal."

Mr Luz defended his son's girlfriend in an interview.

 "We've already spoken on the phone, in French because I don't speak English fluently, and she seemed like a normal person," he reportedly said.  "She is calm, feminine - I didn't feel any harshness. She was very polite."

The pair met on a magazine photo shoot in a Brazilian hotel room late last year.