Movie Called Corpus Christi Released in 2001That Featured a Gay Jesus-Fiction!

Movie Called Corpus Christi Released in 2001That Featured a Gay Jesus-Fiction!

Summary of the eRumor:
This email encourages people to add their names to the bottom of a list and circulate it sort of like a petition around the Internet. It's designed to protest a movie that is described as coming out in 2001 which says that Jesus and his disciples were gay. It says the movie has been successfully banned in some European countries.

Update 4/14/12 Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption - Documentary screening date released

Update 6/21/10 Growing concerns about a gay Jesus film in production called, "Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption"

Update 5/11/01: There is a new version of this eRumor circulating that says the name of the movie is going to be Corpus Christi, the same name as a play about a gay Jesus.

The Truth:
There was no 2001 movie release featuring a gay Jesus or gay disciples based on the stage play written by Terrence McNally called "Corpus Christi."

There is a production in the works called Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption, according to the spokesperson for the company that produces the stage play, 108 Productions. There will be a special screening of the documentary on April 29, 2012 in San Francisco, CA. The documentary is about the play Corpus Christi and its reception with comments from audience, supporters and protesters. In 2006 the play "resurrected," according to the 108 Productions web site and began touring again. In 2010 the stage play appeared mostly throughout California in North Hollywood, San Francisco, Berkeley, Ojai, and Orange County. There was recent performance in Dallas, Texas in early June, which lasted two days.

History of this eRumor

The 2001 eRumor appeared to be a new, Internet version of a older rumor we investigated in 1986 when an article in a magazine in the state of Illinois in the United States claimed such a film was being proposed. The movie project was authentic, but never got off the ground. A rumor about the movie was circulated far and wide, however, and multitudes of letters were received by an Illinois state agency which, for some reason, became the focus of the protest. The movie never had anything to do with Illinois but had merely been mentioned in a publication from Illinois. The rumor as it is appeared on the Net was very weak, lacking specific information as to who was producing the movie or where anyone could write to effectively protest it. to who was producing the movie or where anyone could write to effectively protest it.

Additionally, the encouragement to add a name to the list and forward the email is useless. Who is going to send the final version and to whom?

The stage play has created controversy wherever it was presented. It featured a lead character with the name Joshua, which is a variation of the name Jesus. In the play, Joshua is a young gay man who fled form his home town of Corpus Christi, Texas, because of persecution over being homosexual. He returns, assembles a group of disciples, with whom he has sex, faces violent opposition, is betrayed by his friend Judas, and is crucified.

According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) there was a film that was released in 1997 by the title of "Corpus Christi" but it was not based on the McNally stage play but it was, in fact, a French documentary on Jesus that featured interviews of scientists, theologians and archeologists. Click for IMDB report.

updated 4/14/12

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

Version 1 (2001)
MOVIE COMING OUT SAYING JESUS WAS GAY!
I can’t believe it. There is a movie that is coming out in 2001 saying Jesus and his disciples were gay! There is already a play that went on for a while, but never stopped! Maybe we can all do something! Please send this to ALL of your friends to sign to stop the movie from coming out. Already certain areas in Europe have started to ban it from coming to their country and we can stop it too! We just need a lot of signatures and you can help!
Please do not delete this! Deleting it will show your lack of faith and a lack of respect for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who died for us!
Please help!
SIGN AND SEND TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW! PLEASE. IF WE WORK TOGETHER WE CAN BAN THIS! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TYPE OUR NAME AT THE END OF THE OTHER NAMES LIST. THEN SEND THIS LETTER ON TO ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS AND CHURCH MEMBERS AND PASTORS, NEWSPAPERS, TV STATIONS ANDY INTERNET SITE WITH AN EMAIL ADDRESS SUCH AS CNN, NBC, CBS, ETC.
JUST SENDING TO PEOPLE AND FRIENDS YOU KNOW WILL NOT HELP.
SEND TO THE MEDIA ... THE PLACE WHERE MOST OF THWE WORLDS PROBLEMS START!
LYNNE
LET IT KNOWN THAT WE THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE ARE ADAMANTLY AGAINST ANY MOVIE OR MEDIA ATTEMPT TO PORTRAY OUR SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, OR ANY OF HIS DECIPLES AS GAY. WE HEREBY DEMAND THAT THIS MOVIE BE BANNED FROM OUR STATE AND FROM THIS COUNTRY AND HEREBY STATE THAT WE WILL BOYCOTT ANY THEATRES OR PRODUCTION COMPANIES WHO WOULD DARE SHOW SUCH A MOVIE AS VILE AND IRREVERANT AS THIS. WE WILL ALSO STATE HEREIN THAT WE WILL NEVER AGAIN VOTE FOR ANY POLITICIAN WHO WOULD SUPPORT SUCH A BLASPHEMOUS THING. BE YE WARNED OF OUR POSITION ON THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Version 2 (2009)
The movie Corpus Christi is due to be released this June to August.
I totally agree with the message below.

Let's stand for what we believe in and stop the mockery of Jesus Christ our Savior. Where do we stand as Christians?

At the risk of a bit of inconvenience, I'm forwarding this to all I think would appreciate it too. Please help us prevent
such offenses against our Lord. It will take you less than 2 minutes!

If you are not interested, and do not have the 2 Minutes it will take to do this, please don't complain when God does not have time for you, because He is far busier than we are. A disgusting film set to appear in America later this year depicts Jesus and his disciples as homosexuals! As a play, this has already been in theatres for a while. It's called Corpus Christi ' which means 'The Christ Body.' It's revolting mockery of our Lord. But we can make a difference. That's why I am sending this e-mail to you. If you do send this around, we will be able to prevent this film
from showing in America and South Africa.

Hey, it's worth a shot! Apparently, some regions in Europe have already banned the film. All we need is a lot of prayer and a lot of e-mails.

Remember, Jesus said 'Deny Me on earth and I'll deny you before my Father'.