POSING as a penitent, Australia’s John Safran – infamous for his radical attempts at religious satire – talked villagers in the Phillippines into nailing him to a cross on Good Friday.
Safran on the cross
After discovering that the comedian was in fact an atheist carrying out a stunt for a satirical TV show, devout Christians in the rural Philippines village of Kapitangan were devastated, according to this report.
Student Jhoan Caparas, 18, who saw Safran’s crucifixion, said his actions had been disrespectful and immoral.
Why does he want to come here and laugh at us? We don’t laugh at his culture and his beliefs. So he should respect ours.
Buboy Dionisio – nailed to the cross along with Safran who was sporting a Monty Python-style wig – said he could not understand why the comedian and his producers had falsely claimed to be making a serious TV show.
John Safran gave us a false name. He said he was John Michael and he never told us he wanted to make a show that would say funny things about our religion.
The comedian and his crew – believed to be filming for an ABC TV series to be screened this year, John Safran’s Race Relations – were threatened with deportation and forced to sign an affidavit pledging not to use footage mocking crucifixion rituals.
In an earlier stunt, Safran ran nude through Jerusalem’s streets asking forgiveness from a priest for masturbating in his bed.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrmBKaPkf8o[/youtube]
HAT TIP: Michael Cohen
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
April 17th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
How dare he mock the perfectly healthy and sensible tradition of nailing people to a large piece of wood to re-enact an event that in all probability never happened in the first place.
April 17th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
John Safran is a legend
Go onto youtube and look for his “door to door atheism” which is one of the many highlights of his “John Safran vs God” series
April 17th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Now there’s a man who really believes in what he doesn’t believe in!
April 18th, 2009 at 7:36 am
If you don’t want people to laugh at your beiefs, don’t have funny beliefs.
April 18th, 2009 at 8:41 am
It’s absolutely disgusting how people mock another persons belief in this way.
You should all pray for forgiveness.
April 18th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Talitha, dear heart, if we believed that prayer was effective, we would not mock belief. Indeed, this blog wouldn’t even exist!
April 18th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Talitha. And it is sad that a sweet person such as yourself should be taken in by all this religious giberish. “Prayer is like asking an omniscient being to change its mind.”
You will find more kindness, charity and loyality outside the churches than you will find in them.
April 18th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
How is it Safran’s fault that some people will drive nails through your hands and parade you on a model execution device if somebody nicely asks them to?
At least those who believe Jesus had nails through the hands rather than wrists as academics believe (and made a fuss last Easter when a British programme showed the latter), will find a silver lining.
April 18th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Isn’t Talitha just taking the piss again, er sorry, being satirical?
Their link is to the landover baptist church after all…
April 18th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
I hadn’t noticed the link but I had noticed the piss taking way back. I think Barry may even have mentioned it at one point too.