Morford: How To Gag On 'The Passion' (Gibson's brutal snuff film makes a mockery of true belief)

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | Friday, April 16, 2004 | Mark Morford (they finally found the other gerbil)

[presidio9]

Perhaps you, like so many across the planet, are more than a bit baffled by the runaway success of "The Passion of the Christ."

Perhaps you, furthermore, are more than slightly disturbed that millions have flocked to this bizarre ultraviolent blood-drenched revisionist flick and that so many actually believe its story to be absolutely true, and that it just surpassed "The Return of the King" in total box office and is the No. 8 most successful film of all time and it was No. 1 again across BushCo's flyover states during Easter weekend and has sold 650,000 books and 125,000 creepy pewter nail necklaces and you find it all just incredibly warped and disheartening and what the hell is the world coming to.

You are not alone.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Transgender perhaps? Hermaphrodite, transexual, or cross dresser?

Perhaps it is just the conservative traditionalist Catholicism of Mr. Gibson that he objects to rather than the liberal modernist Lavender-R-Us variety which the media seem to prefer.

[threat matrix]

Ms. Morford should not put anything involving 'gagging' in the headline-too easy!

[presidio9]

As any good director could tell you: Context is everything.

[AmishDude]

I think Morford is just angry that The Passion is not a proper snuff film. I'll bet he goes in for that stuff.

[clintonh8r]

I think we all know what Mark gags on....

[independentmind]

LOL!

Okay, I'll try again.

Was he born male or female?

What sex does he profess to be currently?

[presidio9]

I'm not going to argue with that. A lot of people think that statues of the Blessed Mother on the lawn are tacky. Differerent people have different ways of showing their devotion, and I respect that. I respect it a heck of a lot more than Morford.

[RobbyS]

She's clueless about Buddhism, too.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

I have heard reference to the "groin politics" of the Genital Left.

It may be the rise of The Anal Left which will prove the more amusing historically. Or...hysterically? Particularly if John Kerry wins.

[Aquinasfan]

It would seem there is a "double-standard" being applied to Mr. Gibson. Why?

Seriously?

[Aquinasfan]

Mark Morford is a woman?

You never know in San Francisco...

[Mr. K]

I don't understand why they feel the NEED to put down Mel's wonderful film.

If not just that they don't like the movie, or feel it was moade poorly, they must spew venom about it... why is that???

[Gritty]

"This is not Christianity" - Mark Morford

It's always instructive to be tutored by such an august Biblical scholar as Morford, who makes up entire columns out of bile, invective, sexual perversion and whole cloth.

Morford needs Jesus a lot more than Jesus needs Morford. Unfortunately, Jesus wants Morford an lot more than Morford wants Jesus.

Pray this tortured man sees the Light before it's too late and he learns the hard way where his fatal misconceptions lead!

[RBroadfoot]

There is a simple, two-fold explanation why most critics loathe "Passion" and heap praise on the likes of "Kill Bill" and "Pulp Fiction".

1) The portrayals in latter films are from the perspective of the person meting out the violence. The critic enjoys a vicarious satisfaction with the victor's conquest in the conflict. "Passion" focused on the victim of violence ... there's no pleasure for an unbeliever to identify with the Christ under those circumstances. Only a believer appreciates the vicarious atonement that was accomplished by Jesus in "Passion" and believes in the victory portrayed in its final scene.

It's really not a double standard. They like their graphic violence to be fun. If the violence is fun, the gorier the better. But the violence in "Passion" is not fun, so they diss it.

2) The critics plainly do not understand the Gospel, but wish to stop or pervert its message. Most of the scathing critics are utterly ignorant of the significance of the Scriptural account of Jesus' passion; those who have a modicum of knowledge despise the Gospel.

To criticize "Passion" as being "revisionist" is to announce one's profound ignorance of both Scripture and history.

Simple.

[redgolum]

I just what to know who supplies this guy with the stuff he is on.

If you bust a dealing with that kind of inventory, you will make a big impact on the war on drugs (not to mention improve Madam Monfords writing skills!)

Still, I wonder about the people that think like this. They truly believe that they are right, and many think that any means used to accomplish their goals is OK.

In short, frightening.

[hellinahandcart]

I'm touched. I feel like, upon her release from rehab, she wrote this article just for me.

Ha ha haaaa....a gift for her "#1 Fan"...don't try to tell me she doesn't lurk here!

[TheBattman]

Yep - you can tell when an editorial/story is written by a drug addicted homosexual athiest....

Where did they get "Revisionist"? The Passion was the closest depiction I have ever seen to what my Bible (KJV) says.

What part of history of the Bible was Gibson supposedly revising?