Blasphemy can be Fun

Recently I commented on the surprising case of singer-songwriter Javier Krahe, who has been involved in a surreal trial for “attacking the religious sentiment” of viewers who in 2004 watched a fragment of a short film filmed in the 70´s caled “How to cook a Christ” .

This is not the first time religious groups have tried to use Article 525 of the Penal Code to criminalize “attacks on religion.” In 2002, in Seville, the brotherhood of Christ’s Great Power filed a lawsuit against JCSS, the young author of a video game called “Killing Cofrade”, in which the player faced Catholic zombies who carried crosses and wore the habits of the easter Brotherhoods. Finally, the defendant apologized and was acquitted … Luckily, because he faced a potential penalty of one year in prison and nearly a fine of nearly eight thousand euros.

A even more explosive case was the situation that occurred at the Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid in 2004, when two religious extremists stopped a performance of the play “Me cago en dios” ( A spanish expression which literally means “I shit on god” but is used like “For fuck’s sake” ) and attacked the director and lead actor, but thankfully, did not defecate on him.

In May 2010 the Blasfemia Show was held in Barcelona. The traveling exhibition, collected many works of art which were potentially offensive to devoutly religious folks. The poster for the exhibition doesn´t beat around the burning bush: an image of Jesus Christ is superimposed on an M-shaped McDonalds logo (see photo) , to call attention to the extreme commercialization of today’s religion by associating it with a recognized consumer brand image.

There is no guarantee that the Blasfemia Show again be held in other cities ( especially now, with the danger of running afoul of Article 525), but the artists who have been part of the show often exhibit their works in various galleries in Barcelona … So if you dare to run the risk of offending the divine powers that be, just rent apartments in Barcelona and keep track of the blasphemers!

Tags: Blasphemy show, how to cook a christ, trial of javier krahe