July 16, 2001
Ind. Lawmakers Join Suit Against
'Corpus Christi'
By Terry Phillips, correspondent
Twenty-one Indiana lawmakers have joined in a lawsuit
against
the Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort
Wayne over an
offensive play.
At issue is a scheduled campus production of a play,
titled
"Corpus Christi," that casts Jesus as homosexual, a
drunkard, a
liar and a sexual predator. To say it's offensive is
an
understatement, but that's what the playwright,
Terrence McNally,
apparently intended.
"At the end, he says, 'If we've offended you, so be
it,' " said
Indianapolis attorney John Price, who is among the
offended.
"This play, 'Corpus Christi,' is not only a poorly
written, trashy play,
it's (a) complete unmitigated assault on Jesus
Christ. It stands
everything we know about Jesus on its head,
purposely, for shock
value."
Price is representing the plaintiffs in the suit,
which include no
less than seven state senators, 14 state
representatives, and 11
prominent Hoosier Christians. Rep. Jim Buck said they
are trying
to block "Corpus Christi" from being performed on
campus in
early August.
"Even though there are some that are saying this
violates their
freedom of speech, we feel that this violates what
the Supreme
Court has already stated � that you cannot use public
funds or
facilities to mock religion," Buck said.
The suit is a reminder that at a publicly funded
university,
separation of church and state cuts two ways.
"It's basically government-initiated speech," Price
said. "Just as
the courts have held that government-initiated speech
can't
promote religion, the government can't show hostility
or denigrate
religion.
A decision in the court case is expected shortly.
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