[presidio9]

I'm touched. I feel like, upon her release from rehab, she wrote this article just for me.

[Democratshavenobrains]

You catch glimpses of this revolting cartoonishness through barely parted fingers and you think, goddammit, there goes half an hour of my vital life force that I will require much sex and vodka and Buddhism to recover.

Isn't one of the central beliefs of Buddhism NOT to insult what other people believe? Some Buddhist.

[.38sw]

Morford's back? Oh, goody. Such a treat.

[Slings and Arrows]

"Crystal Meth: Helping Mark Morford write columns since 2000."

[This message brought to you by the Crystal Meth Dealers of America.]

[cyborg]

heh... the effete one is out of the looney bin I see

[Argus]

Mel's deliberate provocation of the pseuds and phonies who like to dismiss Christianity as a mildly pathetic, daisy-shaped fridge magnet of a religion scores another bullseye.

[jcb8199]

Ugh. That's all I can say...

I wonder how she would feel if I wailed on homosexuals, abortion, gun-control, taxes, and John Kerry...bet she would come out fighting about "tolerance" and "acceptance" and trying to understand and respect other people's opinions and choices...

[My2Cents]

I love how he has the gall to speak on behalf of Jesus Christ at the end of his article. If this guy has the "mind of Christ," we're all lost.

[Army Air Corps]

What a heartless, scurrilous a**-clown. If the author does not share Mel's faith, sobeit; it does not excuse the mocking and disrespecftul tone of this groteque polemic. In short - FEH!

[Not A Snowbird]

Nope, sorry, not baffled at all.

Anything that distresses Mr./Ms. Morford must be good!

[pogo101]

... How To Gag On 'The Passion' ...

I should think that Miss Morford would be more competent at advising on how to suppress the gag reflex.

Seriously, she's deliberately punning with that headline.

[B Knotts]

I see Miss Morford is back from the institution. Is Lemmiwinks OK?

[Blood of Tyrants]

Interesting that a non-believer is trying believers what the think or believe about Jesus.

[per loin]

Someone should notify the Morford that the sound track from "The Passion" has gone gold. That will make his day.

[Leroy S. Mort]

Morford cracks me up. I keep wanting to hand him a napkin to wipe his chin with.

[Loyalist]

If it wasn't for the loyal readership at Free Republic, SFGate could not justify keeping Mark Morford on. He should get down on his knees and....well, let's just say he should be grateful we pay enough attention to mock him.

[mhking]

From my site (http://mhking.blogspot.com/ this afternoon:

---

SF columnist wears his hatred for Christians on his sleeve

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Mark Morford vomits forth his own brand of hatred against The Passion of The Christ, now the 8th largest grossing motion picture of all time. Mind you, the film just opened in some nations (Austrailia most notably) this past weekend.

Perhaps you, furthermore, are more than slightly disturbed that millions have flocked to this bizarre ultraviolent blood-drenched revisionist flick and that so many actually believe its story to be absolutely true, and that it just surpassed "The Return of the King" in total box office and is the No. 8 most successful film of all time and it was No. 1 again across BushCo's flyover states during Easter weekend and has sold 650,000 books and 125,000 creepy pewter nail necklaces and you find it all just incredibly warped and disheartening and what the hell is the world coming to.

You are not alone.

I have seen the movie. I have endured the spectacle so you don't have to. Here, then, are some counterthoughts. Nine random points of spiritual contention and pointy perspective check, a small pile of juicy karmic stones to toss at the next utterly depressing screening of 'The Passion' and perhaps at Mel Gibson's very sad and deeply tormented ego.

Why? Because he deserves it. Why? Because this is not a movie. It is a sad phenomenon. It is a gross spiritual emetic. It is, clearly, a cry for help.

Morford's hatred of the president shows even in a piece about a religious motion picture.

In his disjointed screed, Morford waxes poetic about the amount of violence in the picture (this coming from the liberal press who glorifies the violence in, say Kill Bill -- insisting that there was no way that Christ, the man could have withstood such punishment (of course ignoring Christ, the Son of God); worrying about the children who were there with their parents, forced to "endure" the brutal violence of the flick; the nails through the hands of Jesus, accusing director Mel Gibson of fetishism (never mind that the Bible, explicitly discusses that point); or in short, anything to belittle the Christians and anyone else who feel the sheer power and magnitude of the experience of this film.

This is not Christianity. This is not a message anyone needs. This is the exact opposite of spiritual progress or insight or gentle divine heat and if Jesus came back right this minute and was made to sit through this film, he would sigh gently, shake his short, shaggy hair (long hair was forbidden by Jewish law -- wrong again, Mel), and, you know, hold a nice seminar or something.

Morford joins Andy Rooney as a distinct part of the national press corps who would rather entertain his personal hatred than to acknowledge that a significant part of American culture has been profoundly affected by this motion picture.

Bottom line: Gibson could be wrong about some of the details. He certainly took some cinematic license in areas where the Biblical text is unclear. But for Morford or any other columnist to belittle Gibson or the remainder of mainstream Christianity to assuage their own political agenda is offensive at best.

At worst, it makes one wonder whether he is in league with more sinister forces who do not want our Lord's Message out there.

---

Just damn.

If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[bethelgrad]

This person does not understand the Jesus of the New Testament.

[Johnny Gage]

I see the fudge-packer got a weekend pass from the HIV Hospice.

Hmm.. Getting now where I can't even read the first 2 sentences.

LSD - enabling losers like Morford think their relevant.

[presidio9]

You are not stupid. You have read The Da Vinci Code. You know damn well that the truth about Mary Magdalene

Um, the Da Vinci Code is a novel Einstein.

BTW Mark,
You and I both know you read these threads. As orally-fixated ego-centric, you can't help yourself. You told me once.

I just wanted you to know that I never find your writing to be particularly immaginative. But I was especially unimpressed with this column. You went away for a month to rehab (or wherever it is you claim you were), and the best you can do is to combine the thoughts of two of your last four columns? Surely you can do better than that. Didn't they let you see a paper in the clinic? A lot has happened in the world since you went away.

[comitatus]

I had a spare minute, and took the opportunity to send the following to Mr. Morford, I hope he enjoys it:

Mr. Morford,

I was thrilled to read your sneering rant about the Passion. I particularly liked the statement "You are not stupid, you read the Da Vinci Code." I eventually stopped laughing at that oxymoron, with which you certainly established your scholarly credentials and the extent of your biblical expertise. The Hollywood elite is choking right now on a cocktail of bile and envy over the success of the Passion, and although you can't count yourself in the elite class, I am pleased to see you sucking down the same bitter brew. I have derived enormous pleasure from the self-righteous indignation of the pseudo-intellectual class, and fervently hope Mel uses his hundreds of millions to whip up more of the same, for the sheet joy of watching the effects on those of your ilk.

The more ignorant, anti-religious bigots like you find yourself spewing such swill, the more obvious the power of the message.

Fides et Ratio

-glr