The passion of the christ...
And the passions which follow the passion of the christ...
Where to begin on this issue...
Suddenly I'm getting calls at work, from Christians interested in having Jews come visit their churches/ youth groups/ fellowships... they want a Jew to tell them the movie is okay, so that they can say later... "Well we had a Jewish educator come to our church and SHE liked the movie!"
And I love to talk with these people. And I must admit that I WILL go see this movie, and I'll even admit that I'm excited to see it... for the same reasons you're probably excited to see it. Blood and guts and passion and history.
But just because I want to see it... doesn't make it a good thing. I want to eat a burger and fries for lunch too.
Burger and fries. Blood and guts. Either way, I'll be sweating my urge off later. On a treadmill of one kind or another.
The way I see it (and this is what I tell the people who call) there are four major "things to discuss" with young impressionable minds who've just seen the movie:
1. The function of Passion Plays in the long history of bloody pogroms, blood libel, etc.
2. Mel Gibson (as a Right-wing Christian AND as a filmmaker)
3. Recent Church History (Vatican II and the current Pope)
4. Mission (what is it?)
Now, I won't go into all of this here, as there are many many websites that offer better writing on the subject (than anything I'm capable of) but I will say this:
Passion Plays are mission. Mission is not something I like. Mission IS something Gibson likes alot, almost as much as he hates Vatican II, including the part of Vatican II in which the church apologized for anti-semitic doctrine (google "Nostre Aetate" if you're interested). And for those who believe in mission (the way Gibson believes in mission) any history of atrocities is acceptable if it saved a bunch of eternal souls. Which, if you make that leap-of-faith, it did!
In fact, the logic is totally sound if you make that leap of faith, if you believe in Christ, that he died to save our souls, and that the only way to the father is through him. ..
I can't fault Gibson for his passion or his logic, though I can question his methods.
But I DON'T make that leap, and hence I can't empathize, no matter how I can comprehend. Because I don't believe I'll burn in Hell after I die, so the logic doesn't work on me... but maybe it works on you?
Gibson's theorum goes like this:
1. Jesus died to save your soul.
2. There is no way to heaven but through Christ.
3. Nothing ON EARTH matters like eternal salvation.
4. The Catholic Chrurch has gotten too liberal.
5. Because the Church has gotten too liberal, everyone will go to Hell.
6. Good Christians should recognize that the Church has been led astray.
7. Good Christians should take matters into their own hands
8. People are often convinced best by blood and guts and passion.
9. Movies are a hugely successful medium, and a great place for blood and guts and passion
THEREFORE Mel Gibson should use his medium to redirect the Church and save many souls!
And if you buy Points 1-4... this really is true! If you truly believe in Hell and Salvation, I can't blame you. And I mean that sincerely. But lots of bad things have happened in the name of mission. Duh.
Now, none of this explains why he had to pick the bloodiest meanest most anti-semitic gospel. And none of this explains why he couldn't put in some stuff from the LIFE OF CHRIST, which teaches tolerance and peace. Or even something from the BIRTH or RESURRECTION, either of which would have been uplifting.
The theorum doesn't explain why he had to take the meanest gospel and make a movie entirely about the mortification of the body, at the hands of the Jews...
But hey, that's artistic license!
And I didn't like Braveheart either!
FREEDOM!!!!!
(Heavyhanded motherfucker!)
Where to begin on this issue...
Suddenly I'm getting calls at work, from Christians interested in having Jews come visit their churches/ youth groups/ fellowships... they want a Jew to tell them the movie is okay, so that they can say later... "Well we had a Jewish educator come to our church and SHE liked the movie!"
And I love to talk with these people. And I must admit that I WILL go see this movie, and I'll even admit that I'm excited to see it... for the same reasons you're probably excited to see it. Blood and guts and passion and history.
But just because I want to see it... doesn't make it a good thing. I want to eat a burger and fries for lunch too.
Burger and fries. Blood and guts. Either way, I'll be sweating my urge off later. On a treadmill of one kind or another.
The way I see it (and this is what I tell the people who call) there are four major "things to discuss" with young impressionable minds who've just seen the movie:
1. The function of Passion Plays in the long history of bloody pogroms, blood libel, etc.
2. Mel Gibson (as a Right-wing Christian AND as a filmmaker)
3. Recent Church History (Vatican II and the current Pope)
4. Mission (what is it?)
Now, I won't go into all of this here, as there are many many websites that offer better writing on the subject (than anything I'm capable of) but I will say this:
Passion Plays are mission. Mission is not something I like. Mission IS something Gibson likes alot, almost as much as he hates Vatican II, including the part of Vatican II in which the church apologized for anti-semitic doctrine (google "Nostre Aetate" if you're interested). And for those who believe in mission (the way Gibson believes in mission) any history of atrocities is acceptable if it saved a bunch of eternal souls. Which, if you make that leap-of-faith, it did!
In fact, the logic is totally sound if you make that leap of faith, if you believe in Christ, that he died to save our souls, and that the only way to the father is through him. ..
I can't fault Gibson for his passion or his logic, though I can question his methods.
But I DON'T make that leap, and hence I can't empathize, no matter how I can comprehend. Because I don't believe I'll burn in Hell after I die, so the logic doesn't work on me... but maybe it works on you?
Gibson's theorum goes like this:
1. Jesus died to save your soul.
2. There is no way to heaven but through Christ.
3. Nothing ON EARTH matters like eternal salvation.
4. The Catholic Chrurch has gotten too liberal.
5. Because the Church has gotten too liberal, everyone will go to Hell.
6. Good Christians should recognize that the Church has been led astray.
7. Good Christians should take matters into their own hands
8. People are often convinced best by blood and guts and passion.
9. Movies are a hugely successful medium, and a great place for blood and guts and passion
THEREFORE Mel Gibson should use his medium to redirect the Church and save many souls!
And if you buy Points 1-4... this really is true! If you truly believe in Hell and Salvation, I can't blame you. And I mean that sincerely. But lots of bad things have happened in the name of mission. Duh.
Now, none of this explains why he had to pick the bloodiest meanest most anti-semitic gospel. And none of this explains why he couldn't put in some stuff from the LIFE OF CHRIST, which teaches tolerance and peace. Or even something from the BIRTH or RESURRECTION, either of which would have been uplifting.
The theorum doesn't explain why he had to take the meanest gospel and make a movie entirely about the mortification of the body, at the hands of the Jews...
But hey, that's artistic license!
And I didn't like Braveheart either!
FREEDOM!!!!!
(Heavyhanded motherfucker!)
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