Gibson's passion film 'too Catholic'

Belfast Telegraph ^ | 19 March 2004 | Alf McCreary

[presidio9]

THE controversial Mel Gibson film 'The Passion of the Christ' has been dismissed by the Evangelical Protestant Society as a 'Catholic' interpretation of events which "does not present the Gospel".

Wallace Thompson, secretary of the Evangelical Protestant Society, said the film displayed "an un-Biblical fixation on Mary, the mother of Jesus. None of this should surprise us, for both Mel Gibson and Jim Caviezel, who plays the part of Christ, are enthusiastic devotees of the traditional teachings of the Church of Rome."

He further claims that Mel Gibson "belongs to an ultra-conservative Catholic group which does not recognise the reforms of Vatican II, and celebrates Mass in Latin".

Mr Thompson says that "this malign influence of Rome ought to cause all evangelical Protestants to reject The Passion of the Christ" and refuse to be swayed by the subtleties of the alleged arguments in favour of it.

Sadly, however, it will be welcomed and praised by many who ought to know better."

Mr Thompson also says that the film is "extremely violent", and that "anyone who watches it will be shaken and possibly terrified by its graphic and bloody scenes."

[Bob Eimiller]

How many Catholics pray, or have prayed the following: "Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women & Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, now and at the time time of our Death. Amen." If this is not praying to Mary, what is? Mary WAS a great woman! But she is NOT God and she is dead. It is blasphemous to pray to anyone but Jesus!

________________________________________________________

Just wanted to explain the HAIL MARY... It's 2 part prayer...the first part..in the BOLD are the words of the angel Gabriel when he announced that Mary was to be the mother of JESUS......Hmmm reciting a Bible Verse..blasphemous?? Probably not, unless you know something I don't about reading the Bible..

The second half is a petition to MARY to pray for us sinners NOW and at the hour of our death hmmm I can't think of a better saint to pray for me at my death..especially if I'm not in any condition to pray...(for example) maybe hitting a tree at 40 miles per hour...I will be stone dead in 7/10 of a second! Not much time to pray I suspect.

Another problem with fundamentalism...and I'm sure our Lord loves you just as much as he does any Catholic or ANY Human for that matter... Everything you believe is based on TIME...Remember time doesn't exist in eternity...does it...? hmmm think about that.. and when Jesus died on the cross..IN ETERNITY which is where GOD is right now..isn't he?... God is seeing his SON die RIGHT NOW ..remember HE sees the beginning from the end... so...as HIS SON dies for our sins, he sees us..(Humanity) all die at the exact same time... all he sees is JESUS dying for our sins..

Guess what..he also sees ALL of HUMANITY rising at the exact same time... hmmm quite profound..but also quite CATHOLIC because people who die before us are prayed for because we...IN GOD"S "TIME" are all dying together... Unless you think HE is looking at HIS Rolex.

[NYer]

Too many Catholics like to forget that Luther was Catholic, and he was a reformer, not an abolisher.

"I never approved of a schism, nor will I approve of it for all eternity. . . . That the Roman Church is more honored by God than all others is not to be doubted. St, Peter and St. Paul, forty-six Popes, some hundreds of thousands of martyrs, have laid down their lives in its communion, having overcome Hell and the world; so that the eyes of God rest on the Roman church with special favor. Though nowadays everything is in a wretched state, it is no ground for separating from the Church. On the contrary, the worse things are going, the more should we hold close to her, for it is not by separating from the Church that we can make her better. We must not separate from God on account of any work of the devil, nor cease to have fellowship with the children of God who are still abiding in the pale of Rome on account of the multitude of the ungodly. There is no sin, no amount of evil, which should be permitted to dissolve the bond of charity or break the bond of unity of the body. For love can do all things, and nothing is difficult to those who are united."

Martin Luther to Pope Leo X, January 6, 1519
more than a year after the Ninety-Five Theses
quoted in The Facts about Luther, 356

[Desdemona]

I am surprised to find that Catholics do not subscribe to the doctrine of the dual-nature of Christ.

We do believe in the two natures of Christ - as wholy God and wholy man.

[AMDG&BVMH]

"people who die before us are prayed for because we...IN GOD"S "TIME" are all dying together... Unless you think HE is looking at HIS Rolex."

You just invigorated my intentions to pray for the poor souls; right, right you are . . . .

[Praxeus]

"I'm trying to find the verse where the servant who touched the Ark dropped dead."

6 And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.
7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. - (2 Samuel 6 KJV)

"It could be that High Priests were able to touch it directly or indirectly."

The only ones that we KNOW could touch the ark were the Kohathites, and then only the staves.

[NYer]

How then can Mary obtain what only the individual can bring about for themselves - recieving the gift directly from Christ by believing and confessing.

Next time you have a problem, DO NOT ask anyone to say a prayer for you. "We can't do it. We're not God; it's impossible. It would be a blasphemous fairy tale", were we to say a prayer for you.

[Praxeus]

Then we are in the same canoe paddling in different directions.

[iconoclast]

I ask the Blessed Mother to pray for your Uncle Blake.

Thank you, and for me too, if you will.

[Praxeus]

Reminds me of an old song we used to sing in church:

Somebody prayed for me.
They got me on their mind.
They sacificed their time.
They had no doubt.
That God would bring me out.
They got down on their knees and prayed for me.
I'm so glad somebody prayed for me.

:)

[Desdemona]

Isn't amazing how wrong we've been for 2000 years? My ancestors are all doomed and here I thought I'd finally meet them after purgatory.

[iconoclast]

Your are well named my friend ... I'm surprised you did not choose Screwtape. ;0)

[Desdemona]

I'm waiting for one of these guys to interpret the Bible as saying the sky is green. Oh, man! I think I'll stay indoors THAT day!

Living smack dab in the middle of tornado alley, me too.

[Havoc]

Still waiting for that link..

There is no "link" that I'm aware of. I told you earlier that it is excerpted from a debate. If it was web posted, I'd be happy to provide one. The debators for 2.5 hours were Gerald Matatics and Dave Hunt. The tape may be available on the web; but, I haven't found a transcript web posted or I'd have it.

[Havoc]

I didn't lie. And when you get done retracting your false accusation, you can finish retracting your false inferrance from earlier that the pope didn't pray for salvation from Mary. He did. I know the game of "don't believe your lying eyes." That you can lie so boldly and brazenly is incredible when people here can read it plainly for themselves - your own correction even. You posted it yourself and still lie about it and call me a liar in the doing. The Lord rebuke you.