Posted on 03/08/2004 8:00:28 PM PST by Bob J
The controversy surrounding Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of the Christ, has created quite a stir in our liberal media. Now, generally, I don’t like to comment on these sorts of things, since Washington politicians do a great deal more damage to society than anything the media could do, but for this I’ll make an exception.
Gibson’s film, released Ash Wednesday, has grossed nearly $120 million dollars since opening and has created a firestorm of religious fervor from both the secular left and devout right. This firestorm has revealed the true position of America’s media conglomerates.
For example, a recent ABC News Report cited that the main reason for the success of The Passion was its “controversial tones”, not its message of faith and devotion. Instead of focusing on the historical and biblical tones of the film, the media (primarily the major alphabet networks) have found it necessary to deem the film a fluke based on the draw of curiosity. “People just wanted to know what all the fuss was all about”, is a common response. Well, I’m here to tell you that this wasn’t the case.
Church groups, from all denominations, bought out theaters in droves weeks before the movie opened. In the Midwest, tickets were selling a full month before the film was even released. This wasn’t because of controversy—it was minimal at that time. It was due to the overwhelming excitement from mainstream America that a movie was finally released that actually reflects their values and ideas. Instead of acknowledging this, the alphabet networks pass off the film’s success as controversy and its creator as a Nazi, anti-Semite.
The media doesn’t want you to know that mainstream America is religious. They don’t want you to realize that most Americans are Christians. In the name of diversity and religious sensitivity, they would rather you believe these people are the minority. Most in the media elite are too afraid of offending Muslims and Atheists to stop and pay homage to our Judeo-Christian roots.
Am I saying that we should shove Christianity down the throats of our religious minorities? Of course not, but perhaps we should celebrate the fabric of our nation a bit more often then we currently do. This can be said for society at large, as well.
By changing the Christmas Break to “Winter Holiday”, what are we accomplishing? We aren’t creating religious tolerance. Those who have bigoted ideas will still have them. We aren’t creating non-religious school systems. Islam and other minority religions are still taught in the name of diversity. No, we are simply denying our national origin. The Founding Fathers had a clear perspective of religion in America—and based our national identity on this Christian example. So why not celebrate it?
There is another reason that the media wants you to believe Christians are the minority in America, and it is simple to understand. By having you believe this, it makes it easier for them to force the garbage produced in Hollywood on you. They’ll have you believe that Christian morals and values don’t really apply in America because a minority of Americans holds those beliefs. This makes it OK for you to take your kids to see a movie laden with sex and violence and fattens their wallets at the same time.
Critics may say that this movie is an example of Hollywood filth—that it is nothing more than a gratuitous torture scene from beginning to end. This argument doesn’t hold water. Yes, the movie was brutally violent. Yes, it depicted extreme, bloody torture and painfully authentic scenes of cruelty—to the point of bringing many members of the audience to tears. But it wasn’t violence for the sake of violence or entertainment—as is produced in many Hollywood films. The violence in Gibson’s film had a point. It wasn’t enjoyable or entertaining to watch, but it conveyed an enlightening and powerful message.
Instead of celebrating the film for its historical accuracies, the media plays it off as anti-Semitic. Many in the media have come almost to the point of calling Gibson a Nazi. They completely ignore the context of the film. Jesus was a Jew! It was the Jews who cried in sympathy while Christ carried the cross through the streets. A Jew brought Him water; a Jew helped Him carry His burden. Just because the Jewish hierarchy is depicted as cruel and corrupt doesn’t make the film or Gibson anti-Semitic. These are just the facts of the situation.
Regardless of your beliefs on Christianity, or religion as a whole, this film has gone a long way in revealing the leanings of our supposedly impartial American media—for better or worse.
Andy Obermann is a 21-year-old senior at a small private college in Central Missouri. He is majoring in both History and Secondary Education at Missouri Valley College.
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/7006/psychopolitics.html"
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/7006/psychopolitics.html"
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