The Passion Of The Christ, Who's going?

Bad monkey, bad!

Okay, I had to think a minute on that one.

Who watched the interview Diane Sawyer did with Mel Gibson last night on television?? I thought he explained his movie quite well when she asked him about his reasons for making it...

I wish there was a transcript of the interview somewhere, I think I'll go looking about now...

Not being Jewish I cannot know what a Jew perceives as being anti-Semitic, but I do know that Christ?s death cannot be blamed on a group or an individual, unless you want to blame God, and therefore Jesus himself : In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (The Gospel according to John chapter1 verse1 KJV) His death was preordained from the beginning of time and prophesied by many long before his birth. When John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching he said: Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (The Gospel according to John chapter1 verse29 KJV) Some cynics would probably then say that Jesus committed suicide, but that is as wrong as saying the Jews killed him. Does the Soldier who throws his body on a grenade to save his friends and comrades commit suicide? Jesus said: This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends . Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. (The Gospel according to John chapter15 verses12-14 KJV) Jesus threw himself on a grenade called sin and I think that is what Mel Gibson is trying to show with his film.

I applaud Mel for having the fortitude in making this movie. There is great ill will towards anything Christian all over the world while gladly trumpeting any other belief. I will see this movie, both in a historical as well as faith-based context. And I wish him great success. Maybe this will embolden other Christians.

Well said MacEoghainn, I applaud your statement. As Mel Gibson noted, "we all are responsible", isn't every Christian a Jew ?

My Christ was a Jew.

I watched the interview last night. Mel seems so sincere when it comes to his faith in God. Real gutsy of him to get in front of so many people and claim Jesus as his Saviour. If I'm not mistaken he used his own money to make this film. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

It is rated R, because of the violence. When Christ was scourged and nailed to the cross, that was nothing but violent.

maggiemahone1

MaggieI heard tonight on one of the entertainment channels that Mel used 30 million dollars of his own money to make this film. I, unfortunately, fell asleep on the couch and missed the whole interview!

Well said... Christ's death was the one thing that could make right mankind's original terrible decision to sin. No matter what race or nation he was born into, the ultimate purpose of his life would have been the same, I truly believe that.

It astonishs me that we were created by so awesome a God that He decided to condescend to become a man, live amongst mankind for awhile and see up close what its all about, love us anyway, and willingly take the ultimate punishment that we all really deserved.

well, my religious education cries out at the title though.. when you talk about the passion of christ you don't say "The Christ". Because there was only one. I was always taught that...

about the Movie.. I look with scepticism to Mel Gibsons films. He's got a thing for turning facts and history....

Well, Mel did a lot of research for this movie. Not only took the story from the Bible itself, but sought Biblical scholars. Still, I will base my opinion after I see the movie!

well.. he could do that and still do what he wants after that.. I'm more than sceptical about his films
I might watch it once it comes on telly but definitly not before that...

Although I have no interest in seeing the film - the following was sent to me by a colleague in Glasgow (a staunch RC), who was sent it by a friend in the USA....

PS I have no idea WHO Paul Harvey may be!


QUOTE

Subject: Paul Harvey comment on "The Passion" by Mel Gibson

Paul Harvey comment on "The Passion" by Mel Gibson

Dear Friends:

Below are Paul Harvey's stirring comments concerning

Mel Gibson's new movie, "The Passion of the Christ," due to be released on February 25, 2004. Note that Harvey says the movie is "a kind of art that is a rarity in life."

I really did not know what to expect. I was thrilled to have been invited to a private viewing of Mel Gibson's film "The Passion," but I had also read all the cautious articles and spin.

I grew up in a Jewish town and owe much of my own faith journey to this influence. I have a life long, deeply held aversion to anything that might even indirectly encourage any form of anti-Semitic thought, language or actions.

I arrived at the private viewing for "The Passion", held in Washington, DC and greeted some familiar faces. The environment was typically Washingtonian, with people greeting you with a smile but seeming to look beyond you, having an agenda beyond the words.

The film was very briefly introduced, without fanfare,and then the room darkened. From the gripping opening scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the very human and tender portrayal of the earthly ministry of Jesus, through the betrayal, the arrest, the scourging, the way of the cross, the encounter with the thieves, the surrender on the Cross, until the final scene in the empty tomb, this was not simply a movie; it was an encounter, unlike anything I have ever experienced.

In addition to being a masterpiece of film-making and an artistic triumph, "The Passion" evoked more deep reflection, sorrow and emotional reaction within me than anything since my wedding, my ordination or the birth of my children. Frankly, I will never be the same.


When the film concluded, this "invitation only" gathering of "movers and shakers" in Washington, DC were shaking indeed, but this time from sobbing. I am not sure there was a dry eye in the place. The crowd that had been glad-handing before the film was now eerily silent.

No one could speak because words were woefully inadequate. We had experienced a kind of art that is a rarity in life, the kind that makes heaven touch earth.

One scene in the film has now been forever etched in my mind. A brutalized, wounded Jesus was soon to fall againunder the weight of the cross. His mother had made her way along the Via Dolorosa. As she ran to him, she flashed back to a memory of Jesus as a child, falling in the dirt road outside of their home. Just as she reached to protect him from the fall, she was now reaching to touch his wounded adult face.

Jesus looked at her with intensely probing and passionately loving eyes (and at all of us through the screen) and said "Behold I make all things new." These are words taken from the last Book of the New Testament,the Book of Revelations. Suddenly, the purpose of the pain was so clear and the wounds, that earlier in the film had been so difficult to see in His face, His back, indeed all over His body, became intensely beautiful! . They had been borne voluntarily for love.

At the end of the film, after we had all had a chance to recover, a question and answer period ensued. The unanimous praise for the film, from a rather diverse crowd, was as astounding as the compliments were effusive. The questions included the one question that seems to follow this film,even though it has not yet even been released. "Why is this film considered by some to be "anti-Semitic?" Frankly, having now experienced (you do not "view" this film)"The Passion" it is a question that is possible to answer.

A law professor whom I admire sat in front of me. He raised his hand and responded "After watching this film, I do not understand how anyone can insinuate that it even remotely presents that the Jews killed Jesus. It doesn't." He continued "It made me realize that my sins killed Jesus." I agree.
There is not a scintilla of anti-Semitism to be found anywhere in this powerful film. If there were, I would be among the first to decry it. It faithfully tells the Gospel story in a dramatically beautiful, sensitive and profoundly engaging way.

Those who are alleging otherwise have either not seen the film or have another agenda behind their protestations. This is not a "Christian" film, in the sense that it will appeal only to those who identify themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. It is a deeply human, beautiful story that will deeply touch all men and women.

It is a profound work of art. Yes, its producer is a Catholic Christian and thankfully has remained faithful to the Gospel text; if that is no longer acceptable behavior than we are all in trouble. History demands that we remain faithful to the story and Christians have a right to tell it. After all, we believe that it is the "Greatest Story Ever Told" and that its message is for all men and women. The greatest right is the right to hear the truth.

We would all be well advised to remember that the Gospel narratives to which "The Passion" is so faithful were written by Jewish men who followed a Jewish Rabbi whose life and teaching have forever changed the history of the world. The problem is not the message but those who have distorted it and used it for hate rather than love.

The solution is not to censor the message, but rather to promote the kind of gift of love that is Mel Gibson's filmmaking masterpiece,
"The Passion." It should be seen by as many people as possible. I intend to do everything I can to make sure that is the case. I am passionate about "The Passion" You will be as well. Don't miss it!

(Please copy this and send it on to all your friends to let them
know about this most powerful film.)"UNQUOTE

Paul Harvey used to be a commentator on tv; he would have a bit weekly where he talked about social issues or events. He has a good reputation for being fair and unbiased & has a good wit about him.

My pastor and his wife were able to see the movie at a conference just a few weeks ago and their comments were similiar to Mr. Harvey's...

Catriona,

Your member profile doesn't list your current location, but does say you were "born and bred a scot" and I therefore assume you are still living in Scotland. So, for you and everybody else who doesn't know who Paul Harvey is, I'll do my best to describe him.

First here is a webpage with some biographical information on Mr. Harvey: http://www.ambassadoragency.com/full_speak...&OVMTC=standard

Paul Harvey is a North American Radio and TV commentator and has been doing the news and commentary for as long as I can remember (and I'm steadily pushing on toward 50 years on this planet). The broadcasts he is most famous for is called "The rest of the story". He will take a news item, old or new, and fill in the rest of the information about the event or person that the press never bothers to give you, or what transpired after the event had faded from the headlines. Most of the storys are always positive and promote good morals.

He has a voice and cadence to his speech one can never forget after having heard him. He ends each of his segments with the phrase "Good Day!"(if he was a Aussie I assume he would say "G' Day" instead) with an interesting emphasis on both words that one would have to hear so as to do him justice.

MacEoghainn

This post has been edited by MacEoghainn on 23-Feb-2004, 03:55 PM