"Not peace but a sword" (Safire slams The Passion)

New York Times ^ | Mar 1 04 | William Safire

[churchillbuff]

The gospel isn't why the holocaust took place

Thank you. NEVER FORGET: THE GOSPEL WAS WHY THE HOLOCAUST WAS DEFEATED. The graves at Normandy are mostly marked by CROSSES. The allied armies were mostly made up of Christians - - - and Churchill said, rightly, that they were fighting for "Christian civilization" against a "barbaric" enemy.

[jwfiv]

How erudite of Mr. Safire...as he often does, in his dotage, once again he misses the mark by a mile.

I bet he was quite impressed by "The Man From Hope" 12 years ago.

Whatta maroon.

[DestroytheDemocrats]

For 2000 years scripture as written has been suffcient to convey the passion of the Christ. Now all of a sudden scripture is not enough and everybody has to flock to a sensational movie. Makes no sense.

[John Locke]

Lest we forget. The American cemetery at Arromanches-les-Bains, Omaha Beach.

[McGavin999]

We knew these people were empty, but it's almost embarrassing to witness just how empty they are. Don't they know how they are exposing themselves?

[Lion in Winter]

ABSOLUTELY!!! Well said!

I have seen those Crosses... I have walked among those Crosses... Looking for a cousin's grave.... he was a fine upstanding Christian man.

Safire is serving an evil master. He has done it before, no doubt.

[TheMole]

Herod; wasn't he a Jew?

Although he held the title of King of the Jews, he was in fact an Edomite from the town of Idumea. He married into a Jewish family, but himself had no Jewish ancestry.

Herod - Friend to Israel

[Salvation]

Safire needs to get himself educated.

[Salvation]

for Safire's education:

Wounds of Christ -- 5,480

[HiTech RedNeck]

I don't think the count of His wounds is the issue with Mr. Safire. It's his utter cluelessness as to why His wounds.

[onyx]

Another commentator who is really attacking the Gospels (in the guise of attacking Gibson) and putting christians on notice that they are not supposed to take their beliefs to the public square --- or they'll be ridiculed, denounced and, if the bigots can pull it off, financially ruined.

Saffire gets a 2-fer. Attacks the gospels and my Church simultaneously. It feels so good to some folks to bash Catholicism. Saffire is one of those folks.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Forget the church and the gospels... Safire is facing off with Christ. A time is coming, perhaps very shortly, where all such guff will get mowed down for good. Take courage: He has overcome the world.

[ApplegateRanch]

Not just posted here, but emailed to Mr Safire as well:

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." Matthew 10:34

Absolutely correct. And if you read other passages I'm too lazy to go look up for citation purposes, you will find His tongue is the "two edged sword of Truth". Truth rarely brings peace, though it may be the starting point thereto.

I feel sorry for people with so little regard for the minds of 'lesser men' that they cannot credit them with understanding that what took place 2,000 years ago was not done by anyone alive today.
If that were the case, I would hate the good people of Missouri & Illinois, who slaughtered and persecuted some of my Mormon ancestors.
I would hate the English, who enslaved, tortured, killed, raped, and otherwise persecuted my Welsh & Cornish ancestors.
I would hate those who drove my Huguenot ancestors to the New World.

I give people more credit than that.
Those that will find in it reason to hate, need no reason; they are already zealots and fanatics, raised to an ethic of ingrained hatred. They will find reason to hate the objects of their hatred where none exists.
The rest of us find understanding; else, why study history?

I will not comment upon the film itself, not having seen it. Yet.

[Commie Basher]

Safire is a McCain supporter. Nuff said.

That is so irrelevent. Please, this film and its message is too important to drag in such trivilities as transitory electoral politics. Seriously.

I saw The Passion last night with a friend, and we were both deeply moved. By contrast, whether Bush or Kerry wins in November is of infinitesimal importance. Christ has nothing to do with Bush or McCain or Kerry.

[onyx]

Safire is facing off with Christ.

You are right.

A time is coming, perhaps very shortly, where all such guff will get mowed down for good. Take courage: He has overcome the world.

You are right again.

[ApplegateRanch]

>>The gospel isn't why the holocaust took place.

With more than a tiny bit of help from the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.

[thatcher]

We knew these people were empty, but it's almost embarrassing to witness just how empty they are. Don't they know how they are exposing themselves?

It is almost as if all these people have indeed sold their souls to the devil to for their success. How else, given their extreme ignorance, bias, hypocrisy, and stupidity could they have done so well?

Read this for some real insight:

'Protesting Gibson 's Passion Lacks Moral Legitimacy'

http://www.towardtradition.org/article_Mel_Gibson.htm

By Rabbi Daniel Lapin

[Commie Basher]

The Passion of the Christ movie will pass $200 Million by next Sunday

The Passion is a hit. It remains to be seen if it's that rare mega-hit that tops $300 million, such as the Star Wars films and Titanic.

All the top mega-hits have one thing in common: repeat business. They attract diehard fans that see the film several times, maybe every week, maybe several times a week.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Megahit? This will be the one that defines the term Gigahit.

[dennisw]

Another commentator who is really attacking the Gospels (in the guise of attacking Gibson) and putting christians on notice that they are not supposed to take their beliefs to the public square..........

Actually attacking Emmerich's/Gibson's version of the Passion. Gospels come in second as a source. I applaud Safire for being willing to stand against the general sentiment