Don't be such a child.
I like the Three Stooges, my wife doesn't like them.
But that doesn't bother me the way my not liking this guys schtick bothers you people.
We're not Democrats you know - we don't have to march in lockstep.
Grow up.
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Ford [mailto:ford@ftrain.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2004 1:16 PM
To: Tom Eaker
Subject: Re: The Passion "Blooper Reel" Question
Tom,
Wow, that's some response. I'm not surprised--my point in writing the piece was to highlight the difference between film and faith, and to hopefully make a few people laugh. This is why I used the names of the characters mixed with the names of the actors.
Careful readers will see that I'm pointedly NOT mocking Christ--by emphasizing the humanity of the actors as they interpret sacred material, I'm making fun of the unquestioning, uninformed, pietistic devotion many have shown this film--many, indeed, before they saw it. Anyone who sits down and re-reads the gospels, as I did after seeing The Passion of the Christ, will be reminded that they saw a movie BASED ON scripture, not the cinematic equivalent OF scripture.
Mixing humor and faith has always raised hackles. I've found that anything less than pure reverence with regards to Christian subjects will upset many (I was raised protestant and evangelical protestant, so I have some experience here). That said, I'm heartened that so many people got the joke and did not see it as an attack on Christianity. It wasn't intended to be one.
Thanks for clueing me in to this discussion!
Paul Ford
http://ftrain.com