Basis of Christianity is bloodily sodden with hatred of the Jews (Leading Belfast journo on Passion)

The Belfast Telegraph ^ | 04 March 2004 | Eamonn McCann

[Joblie]

MEL GIBSON says that his film, The Passion of the Christ, is a faithful representation of the biblical story of Jesus' trial and execution. He also says the movie isn't anti-Semitic. He cannot be right on both counts.

The New Testament is, among other things, an anti-Semitic tract. It is the source of the anti-Semitism which has characterised Christianity for two millennia.

If the film isn't anti-Semitic, it's out of line with the Gospel. In face of complaints from US Jewish leaders, Gibson removed from the film's sub-titles - although not from the Aramaic sound-track - the response of the Jews to Pilate's hand-washing disavowal of blame for sending Jesus to be crucified: "His blood be upon us and our children."

But why? The quote is there in Matthew 27:25. Its meaning is clear and has been fulfilled in unspeakable ways down the ages.

Luke 23:28-29 gives the same point a more vicious twist, depicting Jesus telling weeping women he encounters on the Way of the Cross: "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me but for yourselves and your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!'"

Better for Jews that they'd never been born, then.

There's been no shortage of Christians ever since to ram this murderous message home to Jewish neighbours.

John's Gospel (8:44) has Jesus telling the Jews they are descended neither from God nor from Abraham but are children of the Devil.

The early Fathers of the Church took inspiration from the Bible as they preached hatred of the Jews.

In the works of Tertullian, Justin, John Chrysostom, etc., Jews are relentlessly libelled... the obscene Jew, the Satanic Jew, the murderer-of-God Jew, the whoremonger Jew, etc.

And so it continued. Pope after Pope, Council after Council, confirmed and codified the subhuman status of the Jews.

Every century is pock-marked by examples. (Council of Toledo, 694: Jews living in Spain declared slaves, possessions confiscated, all children removed from them at seven and prepared for marriage to Christians.)

Hitler didn't suck the idea of Jews wearing yellow badges out of his thumb. He took it from the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215.

The Nazi persecution can be seen as a practical expression of traditional Christian attitudes to Jews.

"From the beginning until the end of Hitler's rule, the bishops never tired of admonishing the faithful to accept his government," Guenter Lewy recalled in "The Catholic Church and Nazi Germany."

Individual Catholic clerics who opposed the Nazis' anti-Semitism were a tiny minority, totally unrepresentative.

Catholic apologists concede now that the Vatican and the German bishops should have given stronger, more courageous leadership.

But this is dodging the issue. One of the reasons they didn't is that, by and large, they agreed with the Nazis.

From its beginning, Protestantism was as bad. The editor of the Nazi hate-sheet "Der Sturmer," Julius Streich, cited Martin Luther, reasonably, in a plea of justification at Nuremberg.

In his disgusting treatise "On the Jews and their Lies" in 1543, Luther had called for the fire-bombing of synagogues, the demolition of Jewish homes, the silencing of rabbis, the banning of Jews from public places, the confiscation of Jewish property and the enslavement of "all strong young Jews and Jewesses."

Christian hymns provided the theme music for the Holocaust.

Even after the gates were flung open on the horrors of Auschwitz, Christian teachers, in Ireland as elsewhere, continued to instruct infants that the scattering of the Jews and the persecutions they endured were punishment for the killing of the Christ.

Argument over Gibson's blockbuster gore-fest diverts attention from what's important.

If the film fuels anti-Semitism, it's to be condemned, irrespective of its merits as a movie.

But let's not allow a satisfying controversy obscure the fact that the founding text of Christianity is bloodily sodden with hatred of Jews.

[GunRunner]

Mccann takes misrepresentation of the Gospels to an extreme. It fits in the with the agenda of worldwide Socialists and Marxists to banish all religion; religion of course being the enemy of statists and communists. His article is a microcosm of what the left wants to do to its number 1 enemy: Christians.

Its also ironic that he is blaming Christians for anti-semitism when his friends in France, Berkley, and the United Nations are shilling for the Palestinians every day and preaching the destruction of Israel.

[sharktrager]

You're quoted in the gospels?

[CARepubGal]

Let me see if I understand you correctly. The existence of a sad and sorry bunch of inbred crackers (Klan and skinheads) who prefer to attack random passing Dark Skinned aka "Naturally Tan" folks is ALL ABOUT Hating THE JEWS? I guess the Filipino (most likely Catholic) man who was jumped by a group of cowardly skinheads out here (note; skinheads run in packs of stupid and do not atack anyone that could kick the cr*p out of them) was REALLY a Jew? The punker killed by skinheads was REALLY a Jew, not a guy with a mohawk walking alone who some cowardly skinheads beat up? How does that work? Could someone please explain this logic to me? And IIRC, the Nation of ISLAM is Muslim. So I fail to see the connection you are trying so hard to make.

[Miss Marple]

This country is open to all, regardless of their religion, as long as they adhere to the Constitution and swear loyalty to the United States of America.

I find your attitude abhorrent.

[freebilly]

especially the ones "attacking" every individual, no matter how sincere, who dislikes their precious Mel Gibson offering--ought to show a bit more humility.

"...their precious Mel Gibson offering."

Not only Christians need to show a bit more humility....

[DentsRun]

It is only a matter of degree from what they're doing to Gibson, to demanding that any public recitation of the Gospels be prohibited, and then - that the New Testament be banned as "hate speech".

The agitation for that has already started. The academic Daniel Goldhagen ("Hitler's Willing Executioners") demands in his new book that the Catholic Church remove what he considers numerous anti-Semitic references from the New Testament. Furthermore, as we've seen from the controversy over Gibson's movie, a lot of biblical scholars completely agree--"there's always a danger of anti-Semitism when you read the Gospels literally" said the ad hoc committee of scholars who eviscerated Gibson's screenplay.

[cyncooper]

The author is a liar and clearly a Catholic/Christian hater.

What was your purpose in posting it? To illustrate blind Christian bashing, or because you agree with him?

[freebilly]

There wasn't a decent Gentile in the whole movie.

At least one centurion was transformed at the foot of the cross....

[CARepubGal]

I figured he was a Gerry Sands Marxist and is not Catholic. My condolences to his mum and to the RC FRiends I have. ;-)

[kittymyrib]

Don't you recognize a troll when you see one? His comments were to put Protestant Christians in a bad light. The proper response to such trolls is, "Get thee behind me, Satan."

[cyncooper]

I am now convinced that they are trying to make Christianity socially unacceptable.

It appears that is the intent.

[CARepubGal]

:-) Note that there were good and evil Jews and Gentiles portrayed. And the Passion is not a Kid friendly movie. I agree that little children should NOT see the movie (I think it is a bit violent for them). My Catholic friends ADORED the film and cried the whole time. So did their teenagers.

[DentsRun]

I've seen no evidence that the movie has caused anger toward Jews. I am, however, hearing a lot of anger about the accusations of anti-semitism. People aren't going to burn synagogues but I'm betting some will close the doors to their country clubs and their dinner parties to people who attack their religion.

The New York Times quoted Hollywood producers Katzenberg and Geffen as saying they'd never work with Gibson again. Well more than one can play that game. I won't see any movies that those two produce and I won't ever read Krauthammer again.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Yes some of the bad guys were Jews. So were *all* of the good guys. There wasn't a decent Gentile in the whole movie.

I have to wonder, what kind of flipping out there would be over a movie about King David and Bathsheba? In that one a Gentile, who had loyally served his Jewish king, was the victim of a kingly plot to murder him because the king wanted his wife.

[missyme]

Well then I think Rabbi Heir should hop on a plane and start educating the Europeans about the disease of Anti Semitism..He forgets this is the USA...All he can do is bring up Europe, I would like to see his case for the United States?? but he doesn't have one...case closed...

[rdb3]

It ain't worth it.

[missyme]

SO what's the answer??
Should Christians forget about there faith? Should Christians deny Jesus Christ is the Son of the one and only true living G-d? Should Christians hide there faith in the closet???Should we not do what we feel compelled to do by G-d as in the Gospels?

Persecution happens and will continue to happen because there are EVIL people in the world....

It appears that some people cannot get out of the past..my suggestion is to look to the future, because it does not look good, in fact things are about to get alot worse...there will be a time of calm before all Hell brakes loose, and Christians know this by what is in Biblical Prophecy. We await for the 2nd coming of Our Lord, The Messiah of the world..Jesus Christ, Y'SHUA his hebrew name..

[Miss Marple]

Yes, I do recognize a troll. However, lurkers may not, which is why I posted my comment. I like yours better, however! :-)

[DentsRun]

Two years ago just before Passover I was driving home late one night listening to a tape-recorded radio interview with a rabbi. He seemed a large-hearted soul and his message was simply this. Those Jews who focus on the Holocaust or Jewish victimization through the ages do their children a grave disservice in that they make it seem as if the history of Judaism is nothing but one long tale of pain and suffering, ending in a death march to the crematoria. Not only does such a straitened worldview do a grave injustice to the beauty of Judaism, he said, it igores the historic fact that for "long stretches" of the last 2000 years most Jews lived in peace and harmony with their neighbors while also enjoying a higher standard of living too.

[AMDG&BVMH]

"There wasn't a decent Gentile in the whole movie."

"At least one centurion was transformed at the foot of the cross...."


Don't forget Pilate's wife