Passion is being re-released

[AServantofGod]

Richardols,

I’m not really clear what the back & forth posts are here regarding your original comments. My understanding is that you chose not to watch the Passion of the Christ, and you gave your reasons why. I also understood you to say that you are in no way criticizing those of the faithful who watched the movie and were moved by it.

What I am curious about is your references to Jesus’ passages in scripture. I don’t know if you are suggesting that Jesus went through a lot less than Mel Gibson depicted on screen or that since the Bible does not paint a graphic picture that we shouldn’t either.

Help me understand your opinion.

An aside here: I was one of those who went to see the film and felt moved by our Lord’s sufferings for us especially, being God, that He could have stopped the suffering at any moment but didn’t for love of us. It was humbling to have that realization solidified.

 

[Richardols]

AServantofGod:

My understanding is that you chose not to watch the Passion of the Christ, and you gave your reasons why. I also understood you to say that you are in no way criticizing those of the faithful who watched the movie and were moved by it.

Yes, precisely.

What I am curious about is your references to Jesus’ passages in scripture. I don’t know if you are suggesting that Jesus went through a lot less than Mel Gibson depicted on screen or that since the Bible does not paint a graphic picture that we shouldn’t either.

More to the latter. Graphic violence can be acceptable, but I believe that Gibson went over the top in his depiction. It simply wasn’t necessary to show violence so graphically that it appeared to be simple sadism. IMO, of course. E.g., one could have seen the whip being raised and then coming down, and then just heard a series of lashings. I think that would have gotten the point across without the gore.

An aside here: I was one of those who went to see the film and felt moved by our Lord’s sufferings for us especially, being God, that He could have stopped the suffering at any moment but didn’t for love of us. It was humbling to have that realization solidified.

Wonderful!

 

[SearchForTruth]

For my two cents worth, I believe that the original release of the film was a masterpiece, and almost certainly inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit Himself. I have seen this film twice in the theater, and three times on DVD and each viewing showed me something that I missed in previous viewings.

Each time I saw the film, I was moved to tears, and cried all the way through it, more in humble appreciation of the incredible love that Jesus had for me than because of the terrible physical pain and suffering that Mel Gibson depicted in his movie. In fact, I have always believed that Jesus suffered more in the garden of Gethsemene the night before His Passion than He did on the cross itself, and I believe that Mel’s movie shows this brilliantly. I believe that the emotional pain Jesus endured by contemplating taking all the sins of the world upon His sinless, Holy shoulders, and being separated from the Father had to have been almost more than He could bear. After all, He prayed three times for the cup to pass from Him, but not His will, but the will of the Father be done. He prayed no such prayer during the actual physical Passion. He could have stopped the beatings or the crucifixion any time he chose to, and blasted the lot of the revellers into oblivion, but He didn’t. Instead He gave up His life for you and me. The soldiers didn’t kill Him, they didn’t have the power to do that! He gave up His life out of His incredible love for us, willingly, and without hesitation. Mel’s movie showed all of this brilliantly and honestly.

I think that Mel Gibson made his masterpiece the first time around, and that it is a shame to have cut it to make it more tolerable to the general public. Jesus’ scouraging and crucifixion were incredibly violent events that took place because He wanted to redeem us, and we should see them just as closely as possible to the way they actually were in order to honor Him and what He did for us.

I, for one, will watch the original DVD version of the film every year on Good Friday, praying before and after watching it to thank Him for the incredible gift that He gave us on that horrible Roman cross, and I don’t need to have it cut in an attempt to minimize and belittle the most incredible gift ever given.

 

[jdnation]

**Tuesday, March 15, 2005 9:36 p.m. EST **

ADL Angry with Mel Gibson’s Re-release

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is still angry with Mel Gibson for his movie “The Passion of the Christ” and issued a press release Tuesday blasting the actor for re-releasing the film.

In the recut of his film “The Passion of the Christ,” now in theaters, Mel Gibson removed six minutes of violence.

But the ADL says Gibson “chose to leave untouched the anti-Jewish elements of the original, including scenes where Jews are portrayed as villains and responsible for the death of Jesus.”

The ADL said it “expressed concern that the newly released film, ‘The Passion Recut,’ will now become the definitive version of the Passion story for the holy season.”

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director, charged that “it is troubling that Mel Gibson made changes to ‘The Passion of the Christ’ to de-emphasize the violence, yet made no effort to mitigate or remove the film’s anti-Jewish elements.”

“In a world where anti-Semitism is on the rise and the classical canard that ‘the Jews killed Jesus’” is being promulgated, Mr. Gibson has unfortunately become a contributor," Foxman said. The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/3/15/214145.shtml

 

[Kevin_Walker]

**Tuesday, March 15, 2005 9:36 p.m. EST **

ADL Angry with Mel Gibson’s Re-release

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is still angry with Mel Gibson for his movie “The Passion of the Christ” and issued a press release Tuesday blasting the actor for re-releasing the film.

In the recut of his film “The Passion of the Christ,” now in theaters, Mel Gibson removed six minutes of violence.

But the ADL says Gibson “chose to leave untouched the anti-Jewish elements of the original, including scenes where Jews are portrayed as villains and responsible for the death of Jesus.”

The ADL said it “expressed concern that the newly released film, ‘The Passion Recut,’ will now become the definitive version of the Passion story for the holy season.”

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director, charged that “it is troubling that Mel Gibson made changes to ‘The Passion of the Christ’ to de-emphasize the violence, yet made no effort to mitigate or remove the film’s anti-Jewish elements.”

“In a world where anti-Semitism is on the rise and the classical canard that ‘the Jews killed Jesus’” is being promulgated, Mr. Gibson has unfortunately become a contributor," Foxman said. The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/3/15/214145.shtml

What anti-Jewish elements are contained in THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST? Are Jews above criticism? The Jews didn’t kill Christ! We learned here in Boston a long time ago not to listen or believe the politically correct rants and polemics of the biased Anti-Defamation League.

What has the Anti-Defamation League got to say about the defaming anti-Catholic aspects of the book: THE DAVINCI CODE?