Mel Gets Hell On His ‘Passion’

jewish week ^ | (07/04/2003) | Eric J. Greenberg

[thinktwice]

Don't mess with Mother Church.

[JesseHousman]

...interfaith scholars...

A group of weasely, liberals who believe that Jesus wears Nikes.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

OUCH! Truth hurts.

[Ronin]

I don't see Mel backing down now, and he would be crazy if he did.

All the ADL controversy is doing is making sure that this is the most popular movie Mel has ever made.

[VOA]

bump

[TomB]

I'm just wondering how accurate this "stolen script" really is.

Wouldn't it be hilarious if they were criticizing a completely different movie than the one released.

[rmgatto]

Let's see the movie and decide for ourselves. Prior restraint is not the American way. Where did the "nine interfaith scholars" get the draft manuscript, anyway? And where is their indignation at all the artistic and real-world perversions of scripture permeating western civilization? What a load of craap these pious psuedo-intellectuals are pushing.

[Petronski]

Well, if the script was obtained with permission, proof of that permission would be an absolute defense.

[Johnbalaya]

The film has been made and it looks like Mel has decided on what the final cut will look like since he's been testing it out to larger and larger audiences. All the ADL can do now is protest and create controversy.

[dennisw]

So Mel should hire the ADL to do his press? To create a good pre-opening buzz?

[steve50]

If the ADL doesn't like this flim they should make their own version, or just shut up. I'm getting a little tired of the whining myself.

Tell it like it was written Mel, we don't need a PC sanitized version.

[bobsatwork]

replete with objectionable elements Cite one, please. What the heck is this anyway? The guy is making a movie, not writing history. And I'm willing to bet it will be far less offensive to Jews than the Last Temptation of Christ was to Christians.

[gaspar]

Can't we have a Jewish film on Samuel? Really, with the exception of King David its been all downhill for Jews since his time. We could get experts together to critique the film, and fight over nuance and translation and anti-Semitism and pro-Zionism, and what God told Samuel, and blasphemy, etc., etc.

[PeterPrinciple]

“The charge that we stole [the script] is absurd and insulting,” said the June 25 letter signed by Mary Boys of Union Theological Seminary, Philip Cunningham of Boston University, the Rev. John Pawlikowski of the Chicago Theological Union and the Rev. Lawrence Frizzell of Seton Hall University.

Notice the words used................they didn't deny it.

[wimpycat]

So Mel should hire the ADL to do his press? To create a good pre-opening buzz?

Now there's a thought... If the ADL et al really wanted to scuttle this movie, they'd be singing its praises from the rooftops. Because churchgoing Christians generally don't go by the word of biblical "scholars" and theologians. I can't speak for the Catholics, but the Baptists (2nd largest Christian group in the U.S.) don't trust the word of those who play fast and loose with the Bible, aka "Word of God", and would stay home in droves.

[ozzymandus]

I would suspect the ADL considers the entire New Testament to be "anti-semitic". Don't they have anything better to do than attack Christians?

[Skooz]

the scholars “unanimously agreed that the screenplay ... was replete with objectionable elements that would promote anti-Semitism.”

Don't see this movie! Don't see this movie!

[ex-Texan]

If you have not see the film's trailer yet:

"The Passion"

[wideawake]

The essential point is ignored: how did they obtain the script? They won't say.

If my neighbor "borrows" a saw from my garage to use without asking my permission, I may not make a big deal of it. But if he borrows it in order to cut down my shade trees, I might be inclined to make a criminal case out of it.

Similarly, if the "scholars" had used the script for legitimate study instead of using it to publicly berate Mel Gibson as an anti-Semite, Mr. Gibson might have overlooked their theft.