Brother Auric->``Jesus'' loses defamation suit against churches
MUNICH, Germany, May 24 (Reuters) - Three theologians representing Jesus Christ sued the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches for bringing his name into disrepute -- and lost in a German courtroom on Wednesday.
The theologians, calling themselves ``brothers in spirit'' of Christ, sued under a law that lets people defend their dead relatives' reputations. They argued that the churches' role in wars had disqualified them from calling themselves ``Christian.''
``In view of their bloody history, it's a fraud,'' one told the court in the staunchly Catholic Bavarian city of Munich.
The judge threw out the case on the grounds that the German constitution guaranteed religious freedom -- but not before he pointed out that, since Christians believe Christ rose from the dead, his ``brothers'' had no right to bring a case on his behalf.
12:56 05-24-00
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