Mel Gibson says his wife could be going to hell

MSNBC ^ | 02/10/04 | Jeannette Walls

[evets]

Gibson was interviewed by the Herald Sun in Australia, and the reporter asked the star if Protestants are denied eternal salvation. “There is no salvation for those outside the Church,” Gibson replied. “I believe it.” He elaborated: “Put it this way. My wife is a saint. She’s a much better person than I am. Honestly. She’s, like, Episcopalian, Church of England. She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it’s just not fair if she doesn’t make it, she’s better than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it.”

[evets]

"Whoever believes that Christ rose from the dead, and confesses that He is Lord, will be saved." - The Bible

[Petronski]

Oh, this thread is going to be interesting.

[VaBthang4]

LOL...PMS just cant stand it!!!

[expatguy]

Well, I guess there is not gonna be another Lethal Weapon sequel now.

[txzman]

It is obvious that Gibson has no understanding of Hebrew, Greek or the Bible.

Likely he would be shocked - shocked! if he understood the Bible as it was written, never mind the 'Catholic' version. (BTW I grew up Catholic and remain a christian)

[NotQuiteCricket]

Well, Mel is Catholic - this whole "Non-Catholics go to hell" thing is Catholic dogma, and one of the reasons Luther broke away. What is interesting is that Mel's father is a very angry Catholic, and has broken from the pope (from what I understand) - so an even better question is "Is your father going to go to hell because he has renounced the pope?" That is my opinion anyway.

[Lord_Baltar]

hehehehe Yeap!

[evolved_rage]

Bad joke or irrevocable implosion???

[chance33_98]

[Future Snake Eater]

This is my problem with Catholicism in a nutshell. Too many people listening to what a man says rather than what the Bible says. That'll get you into a world of trouble every time.

Sorry, Mel, I think you're a great guy, but you are DEAD wrong about this one.

[King Black Robe]

What did MSNBC think he believed? Hahahahah! So Mel thinks I am going to hell? I am supposed to be bothered by this? I love the guy! Good for him. Fortunately for me, he is not the guy deciding who goes to hell and who does not. But I do not take offense to that at all. Of course he thinks that. He is not calling me a bad person. We are all sinners. His point is about the process of redemption, that is, how mankind actually receives salvation. On all the important things we agree -- God, sin, Christ, etc... Whether he thinks I have to be a Caltholic or not is no big deal.

But nice try at dividing to conquer, MSNBC. Won't work.

[Keyes2000mt]

Let him believe what he wants. I honestly don't care. There are a lot of Protestants who believe he's not going, either. My salvation does not depend on the opinion of Mel Gibson, my salvation depends on the grace of God and on that I'll stand firm.

This is just a media attempt to hurt the film and I ask everyone to avert their eyes from this sorry scene.

[Ciexyz]

Broken pot - huh?

[Sidebar Moderator]

Mel Gibson says non-Catholics can go to hell

Please do not alter titles.

[EllaMinnow]

I am a lifelong Catholic and spent 9 years in Catholic school, and I was never taught that you must be Catholic to be saved. Never.

[sarasota]

I don't mean to be contrary, but "men" wrote the Bible. Jesus' teaching were in the oral tradition and written up long after.

[chance33_98]

cracked :)

[AppyPappy]

Joke time!!!!


A Methodist dies and goes to Heaven (naturally) and he is escorted to the elevator by St Peter. St Peter tells him "The Methodists are on the 44th floor. But you must keep quiet as we go by the 1st floor". "Why is that?" the Methodist asks. "Because that is the Catholic floor and they think they are the only ones here" replied Peter

[Petronski]

I am a lifelong Catholic and spent 9 years in Catholic school, and I was never taught that you must be Catholic to be saved. Never.

I don't remember any such teaching either.

[Rightly Biased]

rut row

[ibheath]

While I don't agree with him on this doctrinal point, God has always used imperfect people to accomplish things here on Earth. That is one of the things that keeps me going, knowing God is greater than my failings. Mel has done a great work for the Lord with this film. I think this film will reach more non-believers than the Jesus film has.

[Sans-Culotte]

It does not bother me if Mel, or other Catholics have that view. Believing in "pronouncements from the chair" is one of the differences between Catholics and Protestants, I suppose. I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

[fish hawk]

Does it matter what Mel believes? It is for each to look to his own soul. This statement by Mel just shows me that he is not lost, just confused and lacks Bible Doctrine. Has nothing to do with his salvation, that is, that he believes I am lost.

[Future Snake Eater]

Obviously, the pages of the Bible didn't just appear from nowhere, however it was a Divinely inspired book. That's why you can take what it says to the bank.

The Bible was NOT simply thought up and written by men, though, and that's the big difference. Papal policies and edicts come from a man, who, when it all boils down, is just as fallible as the rest of us.

[VaBthang4]

"This is my problem with Catholicism in a nutshell. Too many people listening to what a man says rather than what the Bible says."

Around here we call that a cult.

[Semper Paratus]

It's open season on religious beleifs but if you have none or believe in the secular sacraments of homosexuality and political correctness it's hateful to disagree.

[Ciexyz]

In Mel's movie "We Were Soldiers" he's sitting with his little girl at bedtime saying prayers, and she balks at saying the Catholic prayer, she says, "I want to pray like Mommy." And Mel's character says, "That's okay, Mommy is a Methodist, you can pray like Mommy if you want" (words to that effect).

[lady lawyer]

I'm not Catholic, but I thought the current Catholic view of "the Church" had been broadened to include most Christian denominations -- at least those that trace their genealogy back to the Roman Catholic church at some point in time. Maybe they even include the Eastern Orthodox churches now, I don't know. I say that because I'm sure I read that the Catholic Church now recognizes baptisms done by many other Christian denominations as being valid.

[CJ Wolf]

Was Jesus a Catholic? ut oh.

[sarasota]

Better get ahold of Mel and set him straight.

[af_vet_1981]

Gibson also said in the interview that he was nearly suicidal before he made his controversial film. “I got to a very desperate place. Very desperate. Kind of jump-out-of-a-window kind of desperate,” he said in the interview. “And I didn’t want to hang around here, but I didn’t want to check out. The other side was kind of scary. And I don’t like heights, anyway. But when you get to that point where you don’t want to live, and you don’t want to die, it’s a desperate, horrible place to be. And I just hit my knees. And I had to use ‘The Passion of the Christ’ to heal my wounds.”

This is just a media attempt to hurt the film and I ask everyone to avert their eyes from this sorry scene.

This is Mel Gibson, in his own words, talking about his film just before it debuts. If it hurts the film it is because of what he says about what he believes. This is who he is, warts and all. Some people are uncomfortable with what he believes and understandably so.

[ladylib]

Well I was raised a Catholic and my grandmother (Catholic) who married a Protestant was under the impression that her husband would not go to heaven. I found that very sad.

She had to get that idea somewhere. It was taught to me when I was a kid by the nuns in Sunday school. I never believed it though and consequently, I never believed much the Catholic Church had to say about anything.

Not a way to win the hearts and minds of young people.

[Capriole]

Mel is a wonderful and rightly blessed man, but not a theologian. This is not what the Scripture says, OR the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

[StolarStorm]

Amazing that an attack on Mel designed to hurt the film's attendence is now being used to attack the Catholic church. You're playing into their hands my friends.

[Bosco]

As a former Roman Catholic, now disciple of Jesus, I understand where Mel is coming from but don't agree with him.

His belief or the RC church's dogma does not rescind Jesus's payment for my (or anyone else's) sin.

From my perspective, I liken the RC's strictness to the issues that Paul had with churches that struggled with a serious problem: Whether or not it was OK to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols. Paul's answer: it's OK to eat the meat because it has no power over you but the real issue was whether or not the eating of the meat would violate the other believer's conscience and cause them to stumble. He said not to use your freedom as a pretext to stumble another believer.

In the same way, I will not pick a fight with RC's on this issue because it doesn't harm my salvation in any way.

So, I'll ignore Mel's pronouncements, concentrate on the positive of the "Passion" and look for things in common with the RC's instead of the differences.

[EllaMinnow]

I've never heard of Catholic Sunday school, either. Where was that?

[mabelkitty]

Mabelkitty reads paragraph, reads first post, rolls eyes, turns around and walks out.

[RipSawyer]

"I don't mean to be contrary, but "men" wrote the Bible. Jesus' teaching were in the oral tradition and written up long after."

A point I have attempted to explain a few times but have given up on, most people who call themselves Christian cannot comprehend this simple fact.

[missyme]

This article taken out of context......Just another article to Ruffles People's feathers!!!

[af_vet_1981]

I am a lifelong Catholic and spent 9 years in Catholic school, and I was never taught that you must be Catholic to be saved. Never.

What does Hutton Gibson believe ? It is relevant because Mel said “My dad taught me my faith and I believe what he taught me. The man never lied to me in his life,” he said, when asked about Hutton’s comments.

[Trailerpark Badass]

Well, this "my religion is better than your religion" thing works both ways I guess. I was taught that salvation comes from God, and that faith is the fundamental requirement for salvation. I didn't know that, as a Catholic, I was not going to heaven until a SBC brother of a co-worker told me so.

[EggsAckley]

Hehehehe. I just got it. Very cute!

[Future Snake Eater]

Around here we call that a cult.

No, no, I do NOT believe that Catholics are on par with cult members. They are Christians, they are practicing Christianity, the oldest form of it, too. However, while their faith in the Bible and its teachings is not misplaced at all, its faith in men is far too strong and must be closely reexamined.

[swampfox98]

(BTW I grew up Catholic and remain a christian)

Good for you. Mel should quit while he is ahead.

[Cicero]

For what it's worth, Catholic teaching is that there is no salvation except through Jesus Christ, and no salvation except through His Church.

HOWEVER. God gives grace to whom He will. Thus virtuous pagans, Jews, and Protestants may well, according to Catholic belief, be extended this grace.

Catholics believe that grace is largely channeled through the Sacraments, as established by Jesus in the Bible. But there is extra-sacramental grace as well. Thus Catholics pray for Christians, Jews, theists, believers, and all people to be saved. It's easier in the Church, but it's possible outside of--yet channeled through--the Church.

[NotQuiteCricket]

http://www.catholic.com/library/Salvation_Outside_the_Church.asp

However, for those who knowingly and deliberately (that is, not out of innocent ignorance) commit the sins of heresy (rejecting divinely revealed doctrine) or schism (separating from the Catholic Church and/or joining a schismatic church), no salvation would be possible until they repented and returned to live in Catholic unity.

[ReaganRevolution]

I am a lifelong Catholic and spent 9 years in Catholic school, and I was never taught that you must be Catholic to be saved. Never.

I spent 11 years in Catholic school, and was never taught that other Christians or Jews weren't going to heaven. Now those who don't believe are another story.

I attended a class in which we studied other religious denominations and what they believed, again was never taught they were going to hell.

Now on the other hand I've been told plenty of times I'm going to hell merely for being catholic.

[epluribus_2]

This is so weird. The official RCC position (2004, not medieval) is the only mainstream denomination that says anyone - even nonchristians - can go to heaven. Even Buddhists. Read JPII's books. Says so.

[missyme]

IN FACT I DON'T BELIEVE THIS ARTICLE..MEL HAS STATED HIS WHOLE FAMILY ATTENDS MASS AND HIS WIFE IS A DEVOUT CATHOLIC... WHEN DID SHE CHANGE?

[af_vet_1981]

This article taken out of context......

No, it was not taken out of context. Mel was asked a difficult question and he answered it forthrightly. It is what he was taught, presumably by his father, and it is what he believes to this day (unless you think he is just hamming it up in the interviews to drum up controversy for the film).

"Gibson was interviewed by the Herald Sun in Australia, and the reporter asked the star if Protestants are denied eternal salvation."