Mel Gibson: $5 Mil to Fringe Church (FOX attacks "antiquated Catholic ideology")

FOX ^ | Friday, February 20, 2004 | By Roger Friedman

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Mel Gibson's put his money where his mouth is. By now everyone in the world knows he's spent $25 million to make "The Passion of the Christ" and promised nearly $25M more to market it.

But what you may not know is that Gibson has also put up $5.1 million so far to run his own personal church near Malibu.

Last year Christopher Noxon wrote in The New York Times that Gibson had donated $2.3 million to make Holy Family Catholic Church in Agoura Hills, California a reality. Holy Family rejects the universally accepted teachings of the Second Vatican Conference and chooses to stick with antiquated Catholic ideology.

Bu it turns out that Gibson has donated a little more than twice that amount to Holy Family since 1999, according to federal tax filings. And that's not counting 2003, since the most recent report has not yet been filed.

Gibson and his wife Robyn are listed in federal tax records as directors of the Holy Family Catholic Church. The church is run out of Gibson's Icon Production company offices, with an Icon employee responsible for keeping the church's books.

The Gibsons' tax-free donations to Holy Family are made possible by a charity they established called the AP Reilly Foundation, which is named for Mel's late mother. The foundation was created on October 29, 1999 for the sole purpose of creating the church.

The church, by the way, has an unlisted phone number, keeps its address a secret and has asked those who have the information not to release it.

Gibson is no stranger to controversy when it comes to voicing his opinion about his religious beliefs. In a 1992 interview with the Spanish magazine El Pais, his comments about homosexuals — which cannot be printed here — caused an international stir.

In the same interview Gibson talked about the fact that his brand of Traditionalist Catholics did not subscribe to the Second Vatican Council's 1965 rulings on various subjects including who was responsible for the death of Jesus Christ.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

When did calling someone's religion "antiquated" and "fringe" become "fair and balanced"?

This Roger Friedman has got to go.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

ping

[Blood of Tyrants]

To the liberals, any church that insists on using the bible is "antiquated" and "fringe".

[Brian Mosely]

Apparently, he's quite the liar too... Amazing that one movie about Christ among all the vile garbage that Hollywood and the networks produce can cause some folks to lose it.

[ClearCase_guy]

Holy Family rejects the universally accepted teachings

Perhaps "widely accepted" would have been a better phrase.

And when will Islam or wahhabism be spoken of with such disdain? "This primitive, backward, and bloodthirsty variant of Islam is quite popular among the leaders of our so-called ally Saudi Arabia." You don't see it often put like that. But I guess its OK to badmouth Christian tradition.

[Guillermo]

Faux Skews.

[HitmanLV]

You are right he has to go, but there are better reasons than his use of 'antiquated' and 'fringe,' which I think apply in this case, though the word use is more prejudicial than insightful. Nope, the author is a pretty poor writer...

Holy Family rejects the universally accepted teachings of the Second Vatican Conference and chooses to stick with antiquated Catholic ideology.

How could the teachings of Vatican 2 be 'universally accepted' if in the same sentence he says that this church in particular rejects some of those teachings? It can't be 'universally accepted' if one group doesn't accept them. This reads like a sentence in a first draft of a high school newspaper article, which a smart faculty supervisor or senior class editor would fix.

I think the quality in writing on balance in the major media outlets has really plummeted in the last 20 years or so. On the other hand, the writers are the best and brightest ever - they have told me so. ;-)

[sinkspur]

When did calling someone's religion "antiquated" and "fringe" become "fair and balanced"?

Technically, Gibson's church is "fringe," since it is not in union with the Los Angeles archdiocese and is outside the Catholic mainstream.

[sinkspur]

How could the teachings of Vatican 2 be 'universally accepted' if in the same sentence he says that this church in particular rejects some of those teachings? It can't be 'universally accepted' if one group doesn't accept them.

They ARE universally accepted within the Catholic Church.

Gibson's chapel is not in union with the Catholic Church and Rome.

[af_vet_1981]

Mel Gibson is a public figure on his personal crusade to make a monumental religious movie. His life is open to scrutiny. He is a movie star, a director, and now a prominent religious figure.

[steplock]

write the slut-fest promoters at fox:

foxlife@foxnews.com

...fringe church...
...his own personal church near Malibu...
...antiquated Catholic ideology...

I am not one of those religious "nuts" but I am truly believing that the Book of Revelations is in the final process

[HitmanLV]

I am aware of that, but it's still unfair to say the teachings are 'universally accepted.' This guy is trying to hot dog it and a good editor would have changed the wording, at least if I was his editor! :-)

[laconic]

I don't know about Gibson's church but his rendition of the crucifixion and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ is bound to be criticized as "antiquated". After all, it happened 2,000 years ago.

[OldFriend]

Never mind the Holy Family is a wonderful tax shelter too.

Of course Gibson is free to believe whatever it is that he chooses, despite the teachings of the Pope.

Never mind that his father only days ago referred to this Pope as an a$$.........

Flame away because it's clear that those who revere Gibson are keepers of the only true thoughts about the matter.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Mel Gibson is a public figure on his personal crusade to make a monumental religious movie. His life is open to scrutiny.

It's one thing to attack Gibson's behavior. It's another to cast aspersions on a religion.

I believe that less than five percent of Americans are Jewish. Is that a "fringe" religion too, now? How about Buddists? Or the Mennonites? Or the Mormons? Are the "antiquated" religions?

Scrutinize Gibson for shady business dealings or intemperate statements (if they, in fact, exist). But don't single out a religion for attack.

[philosofy123]

They hate Christians, specially the ones that are not Christian in name only. If you take your Christianity seriously, you become a target, especially in a godless town like Hollywood.

[keats5]

I'm not Catholic, but my roots are Irish Cathloic, as are my husband's. During family get togethers, my Catholic relations frequently express anger over the Vatican II changes. I have to think this must be a common opinion among mainline Catholics.

[leprechaun9]

Is ABORTION "universally rejected" by members of the Catholic Church?

[stylin_geek]

It would be interesting to find out how well attended this church is, and if it is considered a "Conservative Catholic" church. (whatever that might be) I mention this, because a few years ago, all churches that had a much more conservative, read "traditional" approach to services were seeing a marked increase in membership, whereas the more liberal churches were losing membership.

[Just mythoughts]

This has now gone beyond absurd. Liberals commonly uses churches to hold political fundraisers which is illegal.

What evil the media has become to suggest Mel's money is funding evil.

The media ignores liberals taking "red Chinese" money to fund their campaigns.

I am not Catholic, however, this assault upon Mel's freedom of religion should show what Christians are up against.
Liberals and their mouth pieces have gone "MAD" no big deal about in your face law breaking among the perverts of the world selling fake papers in San Francisco.