A roving band of Radical Devolutionaries for Christian Shia Rule used wooden crosses to attack movie-goers at a theater in Indiana, after discovering that the main feature was preceded by several cartoons focusing on Disney characters. It was difficult to decipher the exact problems they had with the cartoons or with Disney, because they spoke a special secret language they called "tongues" which sounded like passionate gibbering, unfortunately indecipherable to English speakers in attendance when the attack took place.

Of course that's not the real story, and the sign in the photo is doctored also (instead of "Stop Evolving Now" it said "Stop Abortion Now"). The fact that you may have believed the story above, for even a moment, is a bizarre statement about the current state of the States.

The true story is not much more bizarre. Some Neo-Christian Nationalists who live in Fort Wayne, Indiana and 21 members of the Indiana General Assembly filed a federal lawsuit to stop college-level performances of a play that portrays Christ as a drinker and a homosexual.

These real-life devolutionairies brand "Corpus Christi" by Terrence McNally "as a government-sponsored and sited production, [which] conveys a strong message of governmental disapproval of Christianity."

Despite their hopes, we predict that unless they are able to get their god to show up in court, the play will proceed as planned at the Perdue Indiana Theater at Indiana University-Perdue University Fort Wayne from Aug. 10-16. So go get your tickets.

The Neo-Christian Nationalists believe that Corpus Christi is "an unbridled, unmitigated attack on Christianity and its founder," according to their attorney, John Price, who says the play "basically takes the story of Jesus Christ -- every aspect of his divinity, his life, his miracles, and so forth -- and turns every one of them around and states they're not true.

"It portrays Christ as a liar, a blasphemer, a drunkard, a sexually active person -- both hetero- and homosexual," Price continued.

Performances of "Corpus Christi" have drawn protests by NCNs since it was performed in New York in 1998. As far as we have been able to discover, pressure has censored the performance of the play in a few locations, but no court has declared that it could not be performed.

According to CNS (aka Conservative News Service), Price filed a lawsuit on behalf of 11 residents of Fort Wayne and 21 state senators and representatives, including one Democrat and 20 Republicans.

In their reporting, CNS leans toward the case being about whether the government can sponsor speech that is "hostile to religion," which is also how Price is arguing the case, and not on academic freedom, as the Purdue Indiana Theater claims.

"We all know that tax funds can't be used by our government to promote a religion," Price said. "This case will decide if the government can use our tax funds to attack a religion, on public property."

Last week, Indiana Republican Congressman Mark Souder succeeding in getting an editorial published in a local paper supporting the Neo-Christian Nationalist point of view.

"Of course this play is taxpayer funded and supported," CNS quoted Souder. "But free speech does not include burning crosses on college campuses. Free speech does not include sexual harassment on college campuses. Free speech does not include the right to blaspheme God with taxpayer dollars on college campuses."

The Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) exists because taxpayers "are forced to contribute their hard-earned dollars to support the university," Souder said.

Souter's words should be considered a barely concealed threat which reaches beyond the verdict of the court. In other locations, universities, colleges and civic arts projects have had their sources of government funding not only threatened but actually cut, due to the efforts of christohet supremacists such as Souder over performances such as "Corpus Christi."

"IPFW's answer to those taxpayers has been to say, 'If you believe we have used your dollars to mock your God, then just don't come to the play. Nobody is forcing you to come.' But IPFW did force everyone to pay for this play," Souder added.

The university has no plans to halt production, a spokesman said.

According to Brian Zink, managing editor of the Perdue News Service, "It isn't our intent at this point to stand in the way of someone's academic freedom."

Anthony Benton, a lawyer for the university, said canceling the production would amount to "an infringement of First Amendment rights to free speech and academic freedom enjoyed by IPFW students and faculty connected with the production."