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Mel Gibson's 'The Passion' Most Offensive Film
WorldNetDaily.com ^ | August 27, 2003 | Elizabeth Farah

Posted on 08/27/2003 6:18:43 PM PDT by joesnuffy

Mel Gibson's 'The Passion': Most offensive film ever made

Posted: August 27, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

Have you heard of the controversy and heated debate swirling around Mel Gibson's yet to be released film, "The Passion"? Just to be clear, I will summarize: Detractors, supposedly leaders of Jewish groups, as well as Catholics and Protestants, are concerned that this documentation of the final hours of Jesus Christ's life and His resurrection "will fuel hatred, bigotry and anti-Semitism." Since this portrayal is arguably one of the most accurate of all movies ever made about any aspect of Christ's life, we should be asking what these concerned "leaders" are saying about the Gospel of Christ.

Are they saying that the Gospels fuel hatred? If they are, they hit the nail right on its head. The Gospels have always fueled hatred against Christians as Jesus Christ very clearly forewarned they would. One would think Jesus' message and mission of truth, love and mercy would inspire all men to a perpetual state of warm and fuzzy mutual affection. But if you actually read Jesus' words, He will disabuse you of that notion in an instant.

And He went out from thence, and came into His own country; and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath day was come, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "From whence hath this man these things and what wisdom is this which is given unto Him, that even such mighty works are wrought by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" And they were offended at him.

– Mark 6:1-3

Yes, Jesus was offensive to all who were unwilling or not yet ready to believe his message. His message was so offensive that mobs attempted to stone Him or throw Him off a cliff because of His teaching and healing. Yes, as Jesus was healing the dying, the lame and the blind, there were men and women desiring His death. What kind of message could elicit this great condemnation?

It was and is still very simple: Jesus is the Son of God. God chose to sacrifice His Son in order to pay for the sins of all mankind. The only cost to the sinner is the putting aside of our foolish pride in order to accept this free gift. God categorically declares that no man can earn this salvation with good deeds. We are universally and individually altogether too sinful to pay the price. We have to accept that Christ is the Son of God and died for our sins.

So what is the big deal? Free gift. Only have to accept the gift. No biggie, right?

Not so fast. The problem is this: Today's American can't even see they need salvation! "What have I done? I haven't murdered anyone, have I?" This message of redemption is really, really offensive to a whole bunch of people.

So, as it was in His day, the story is just as offensive now as it was then. Millions of Christians over the centuries since Christ have paid for their unswerving declaration of Christ's Gospel with horrifying persecution.

And what did Christ say we Christians should feel when persecuted? Prepare yourself for the most ridiculously politically incorrect characterization of unjust suffering ever offered:

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in Heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

– Matthew 5:11-12

When Jesus says "blessed are ye," how would that be translated into modern English? Blessed" means "happy"! Yes! Believing Christians are told to be happy about their persecution because it is for Christ and truth.

Now Mr. Gibson will not likely pay the greatest price of all (thank goodness!), as so many Christians before him, but he will – as will other Christians – be persecuted for this kind of boldness.

Any movie telling an accurate account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ will and must elicit a stinging rebuke from the world.

Accordingly, I declare Mel Gibson's "The Passion" as the "single most offensive movie ever made." It is also the finest and greatest tribute to Christ I have ever seen in film.

You might be wondering why some movies about Christ do not offend as well as this one does. There are a few reasons. For starters, in past efforts, Christ's scourging and torture is left unrealistically brief and inconsequential. "The Passion" is the only movie ever made to show the horrifying brutality of the pre-crucifixion price paid by Christ.

The Old Testament prophetically describes the results of Christ's beating as rendering Him unrecognizable by His own people. Gibson and producer Steve McEveety address this modern omission head-on with the single-most graphic depiction of a true-life torture ever filmed. No, the Gospel is not for the faint-of-heart. This violence was not gratuitous, but appropriate.

What other things bother today's critic? To be blunt, unbelief. Jesus is clearly shown as the Son of God. And, importantly, unlike many movies that end with Jesus' death on the cross, "The Passion," in the last brief scene, shows Christ in His tomb resurrected in the promised victory over death.

You see, Christians only see this bodily resurrection as an accurate representation of the life of Christ – unbelievers have to reconcile the claims of the Gospels with their belief systems. Many people today feel particularly offended by Jesus' claim to be "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" and that "no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Anybody can make a film about a great guy named Jesus, an itinerate carpenter-teacher humbly dispensing words of wisdom just like Buddha, Confucius and the Dalai Lama – nobody gets offended, everybody's happy. However, no other recognized spiritual leader in history has claimed deity, nor have they been killed and brought back to life. Jesus drew a line in the sand between Himself and all past and future "spiritual leaders."

Jesus said His message would put His followers on one side of a line and all other humanity on the other. This would extend even to believer's families:

Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in Heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in Heaven.

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of Me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it."

– Matthew 10:32-39

A third reason this film must be reviled is its lack of condemnation for those who were responsible for Christ's death. Critics, disingenuous or ill-informed, believe that because the Gospel's account of the events leading to Jesus' crucifixion, portray Jewish religious leaders and Jewish mobs as actively involved in Jesus' sentencing and execution, is, anti-Semitic!

Let's see how silly this gets with a little illumination. Jesus, the condemned victim of torture and injustice is ... Jewish. His mom, the virgin, the blessed among women, is ... Jewish. Peter ... is Jewish. Simon, the man who sacrificially and with utterly inspiring abandon, carries the cross for Christ at the expense of pain and suffering, is ... Jewish. Jesus' brother James, the "Marys" who discover Jesus' empty tomb and Joseph of Aramathia – the rich man who offered his pristine sepulcher as Jesus' burial tomb – were all ... Jewish! The religious leaders who argued in opposition to the Jewish religious leaders instigating for Christ's execution were ... Jewish! Matthew, Mark, John, and Paul were all ... Jewish. Could I go on? Of course! Almost endlessly.

By the way, most Christians agree that Jews are God's chosen people and they consider the father of the Jewish race, Abraham, the father of all Christians as well! And here we are come full circle. The Gospel of Christ – a Jew – is characterized as "anti-Semitic," and therefore its portrayal in film is as well. Most wonderful of all, Jesus, hanging from the cross, prays to His Father and asks forgiveness for His persecutors as they "know not what they do."

Lastly, a particularly bizarre charge is made that Gibson's film inaccurately portrays the Jewish religious leadership and the mob as orchestrating the illegal execution of Jesus. Maybe some of the films detractors haven't read the New Testament Gospels yet. I suggest they do.

Yes! Corrupt Jewish religious leaders whipped up the primarily Jewish mob, to demand Jesus' death. The execution was illegally conducted, Jewish law was broken. The story is therefore not a condemnation of the Jewish faith and its law, but of sin and corruption. All times, all institutions have experienced corruption at the hands of greedy, power-hungry men. Nothing new here – and certainly nothing anti-Semitic.

Everyone should see this movie. Not only is it "the greatest story ever told," it is a cinematic tour de force. I predict this movie will become a classic: millions will see it, millions more will buy it in DVD. It will be shown in millions of homes every Easter. It will be seen around the world. And best of all, many viewers, once "offended" will be transformed.

Elizabeth Farah is co-founder of WorldNetDaily and serves as senior vice president of marketing.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: adl; antisemetism; bigotry; christianpersecution; christians; godtheson; hatred; jews; melgibson; passion; resurrection
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To: Young Rhino
It ranks right up there with the clymer who started this by stating that jews couldn't be saved unless they believed in christ.

Actually it was started by the poster that asked how a Jew could be saved if he didn't believe in Christ. How is a Christian supposed to respond to that question?

61 posted on 08/28/2003 4:33:20 AM PDT by Cacophonous
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To: Cacophonous
How is a Christian supposed to respond to that question?

By not presuming to know the answer, i.e. "I don't know."

62 posted on 08/28/2003 4:40:14 AM PDT by Young Rhino (Does God wear a tinfoil hat? Is He a member of the CFR and Trilateral Commission?)
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To: freedumb2003
Your posts on this thread prove out not only Farah's contentions in the piece, but Jesus' statements as well.

You obviously have no Faith, therefore you can rationalize away the Faith of those who do. That is unfortunate for your soul.

May you some day come to find your salvation.

God Bless you.

63 posted on 08/28/2003 4:46:22 AM PDT by Abundy
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To: Young Rhino
By not presuming to know the answer, i.e. "I don't know."

If you are saying that you do not know, then let me enlighten you: Christ clearly states that the path - the ONLY path - to salvation is through faith in Him. Pretty unambiguous.

If on the other hand, you are saying that you think that I don't know, the implication is that you do. So I would ask again how you would respond. If your answer is again that you don't know, then see the previous paragraph.

64 posted on 08/28/2003 4:56:44 AM PDT by Cacophonous
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To: Young Rhino
My post #63 applies to you as well.

How is a Christian supposed to respond to that question?

By not presuming to know the answer, i.e. "I don't know."

Then the person answering the question would not be a Christian, would they? Christ teaches them that the He is the Way and the Light...you are saying that a Christian, when asked your question, should deny their Faith.

You also prove the entire point of Farah's article.

Regards.

65 posted on 08/28/2003 4:58:10 AM PDT by Abundy
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To: Deb
What about this?

"STUDIOS DEVELOP A 'PASSION' (For The Passion)
New York Post ^ | 8/26/03 | Lou Lumenic
August 26, 2003 -- AT least four American distributors are said to be interested in acquiring "The Passion," the controversial Mel Gibson-directed drama about the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus Christ, portrayed by Jim Caviezel. Paramount Classics, Sony Pictures Classics, Lions Gate and Newmarket are reported by Variety to be on a short list of studios whose acquisition executives will see the movie - which was shot in Aramic and Latin - sometime after Labor Day.
Several Jewish groups have expressed concerns that the film will spark anti-Semitism.
Whoever buys the film will likely have to change the title: Miramax has registered "The Passion" for an adaptation of Jeanette Winterson's novel about the Napoleonic wars, set to star Gwyneth Paltrow and Juliet Binoche.

66 posted on 08/28/2003 4:59:20 AM PDT by Varda
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To: Deb
I think they will find a distributor. The lack of one could fuel certain rumors about blacklists around the country that tickles the ears of some.
67 posted on 08/28/2003 5:01:34 AM PDT by AppyPappy (If You're Not A Part Of The Solution, There's Good Money To Be Made In Prolonging The Problem.)
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To: joesnuffy
It is sometimes difficult for me to believe that God exists, although I do believe that.

Oddly enough the one thing which makes it easier to know that God is real is to see the vast minions of the Devil spew their venom and hatred towards Christians. If there were no God, I could see these people disagreeing but the pure evil of these anti-Christians can be explained most accurately only by the fact that Satan is alive and active, even on FR.

68 posted on 08/28/2003 5:16:41 AM PDT by yarddog
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To: Mean Daddy
If Jews don't believe in Christ, how can they be saved?

"His blood be upon us and upon our children!"

"Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do."

God is far, far wiser than any of us. In His time; in His way.

69 posted on 08/28/2003 5:27:44 AM PDT by Kevin Curry
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"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."

That Christendom has been splintered into a thousand contending factions is further proof that the enemy has been hard at work these past 2000 years. But ecumenicism isn't the answer, for the enemy employs that device to wreak further destruction. The enemy's time is rapidly running out. That explains the rage and the desperate measures.

70 posted on 08/28/2003 5:44:28 AM PDT by Kevin Curry
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To: Cacophonous
So what's the point, then, of believing anything?

I believe in God but I don't believe in religions. I also believe that God does not care how your praise Him... just that you do.

71 posted on 08/28/2003 6:02:09 AM PDT by KKing
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To: Mean Daddy
God placed one contract between Himself and the Jewish people. This contract is described in full in the Old Testament. There is another contract between Christ and all of mankind and it is recorded in the New Testament.

The Jews broke their contract with God, God did not and has not broken any contract, as far as He is concerned that contract between Himself and the Jews is still in effect but not being honored by the majority, this is why we have Orthodox Jews and all others. Jesus said, "I come not to change the law, (the old testament contract), but to fulfill it.

Jesus was the only human who fulfilled completely and totally the Old Testament contract between God and the Jews without ever breaking one jot or tittle of it.

His detractors hated him for that, spies and informers followed him around to pounce on him the second he broke one tenent of the Old Testament contract. When Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, they pounced and accused him of breaking the law regarding doing no work on the Sabbath Day. Christ reminded them that it is allowed to pull your Ox out of a ditch (or save one of your animals in peril or save a person in distress) on the Sabbath.

Human beings, alive, or dead and waiting for the judgement, fall into about four catagories, those under the Old Testament contract, those who accept Christ, those who are a "law unto themselves", and those who will perish.
72 posted on 08/28/2003 6:18:35 AM PDT by MissAmericanPie
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To: Cacophonous
So what's the point, then, of believing anything?

That's the wrong question. The question is: What's the point in not believing? Have the answer for that one ready before you ask others the opposite. I don't go around asking people such questions, so I don't need the answer to either one. I'm not a Christian because I want to know how Jews can be saved, or because I shopped around to find something that "suited" me or validated my own notions of how the world should work. But, in response to your exchange with another poster, I don't buy in to the notion that Christianity is not the only truth, because I do think it is. Jesus didn't say "I am A truth, A way, A life", he said, "I am THE truth, THE way, THE life". How that truth is reconciled with Jews, Moslems, Buddhists, etc. is beyond my comprehension. I don't need to know how that will play out. But Jesus did say that in His Father's house are many mansions. No one really knows what that means...we can only guess, but the answer you're looking for might be there. Jesus spoke the truth largely in parables, God did not give Job a straight, direct answer, but asked him if he was there when He created the world, Christians are told we see through a glass darkly. As the Catholics say, this is the mystery of faith.

But if that's not good enough for you, then I refer your questions and all similar questions to C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity".

73 posted on 08/28/2003 6:25:44 AM PDT by wimpycat (Down with Kooks and Kookery!)
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To: Cacophonous
If on the other hand, you are saying that you think that I don't know, the implication is that you do. So I would ask again how you would respond.

Judge not, lest ye be judged. Matthew 7:1

74 posted on 08/28/2003 7:07:11 AM PDT by Young Rhino (Does God wear a tinfoil hat? Is He a member of the CFR and Trilateral Commission?)
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To: Abundy
You also prove the entire point of Farah's article.

Judge not, lest ye be judged. Matthew 7:1

75 posted on 08/28/2003 7:08:13 AM PDT by Young Rhino (Does God wear a tinfoil hat? Is He a member of the CFR and Trilateral Commission?)
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To: Young Rhino
Judge not, lest ye be judged. Matthew 7:1

Haven't you pretty much violated that with each post?

I'm not judging you, I'm evaluating the nature of your posts and what you are demanding of Christians so that you might feel comfortable with your world-view.

I'm also extending Christian Love to you in the hopes that you might benefit from it...I'm called to do no less.

Regards.

76 posted on 08/28/2003 7:16:02 AM PDT by Abundy
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To: MissAmericanPie
"Human beings, alive, or dead and waiting for the judgement, fall into about four catagories, those under the Old Testament contract, those who accept Christ, those who are a "law unto themselves", and those who will perish."

Wow. I think I agree with you. It's always seemed like pure arrogance to me the way so many Christians judge everyone not on their "team" (in their church), and condemn them to hell. All of us deserve hell.

Luke 18:26-27
26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

77 posted on 08/28/2003 8:48:07 AM PDT by the-ironically-named-proverbs2
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To: walden
The single best defense of this movie (and of Christianity) I have read in quite awhile.


78 posted on 08/28/2003 9:04:45 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: cake_crumb
but of sin and corruption

It is a stumbling block for those who refuse to admit that they are sinful. Because if they admit that, they then admit that God has full authority and will judge them accordingly.

79 posted on 08/28/2003 9:10:36 AM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife ("Life isn't fair. It's fairer than death, is all.")
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To: joesnuffy
If the leftists hate this movie, I may like it :o)
80 posted on 08/28/2003 9:13:17 AM PDT by tame (If I must be the victim of a criminal, please let it be Catwoman! Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!)
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