The Passion: Jews and Christians are watching different films

Townhall ^ | 10/28/03 | Dennis Prager

[ecomcon]

Bump.

[Tabi Katz]

Excellent points.

[visualops]

Imagine what Jews would think of a Jew who hated Egyptians after watching "The Ten Commandments," and you get an idea of how most Christians would regard a Christian who hated Jews after watching "The Passion."

Unfortunately many people can't follow that logic, it seems.

[esopman]

Thank you very much for posting this!

Mr. Prager is correct. The internal bias of the observer precludes any even quasi-objective assessment of the film. I have not seen Gibson's piece, but from the sound of all the criticism, mostly negative, and the sources of such criticism (largely the secular Left, or 'cultural' Jewish community), I will make it a point to watch the film carefully.

The historical facts are pretty plain: Not just Jesus, but His followers of 'The Way,' first called Christians in Antioch, were hounded and violently opposed by the religious Jews of the day. Even Shaul, later 'Paul' was one of these until a trip to Damascus. The efforts to murder him are found in the book of Acts. We in the West cannot really understand the religious mania of the Middle East very well. The Islamonazis are just the latest outburst of this murderous demonic craziness.

There is a group called the Center for Judaic Christian Studies in Dayton OH founded by a friend of mine which does a fine job explicating the background to all of this. The last two millennia are sad, incriminating histories for both Christians and Jews. The former do not understand their Jewish roots and the latter reject their Messiah.

None of this will be resolved by any human effort. Only the (second) advent of Messiah will work. Until then, Christians can work, pray and be loving, faithful witnesses. Several things are on the horizon - great deception (Clinton, hideous liar that he is, was but a pale shadow of the one coming), tyranny, war...and ultimately genuine Messianic deliverance.

(Hey, its the Sunday sabbath, and we can talk like this. Right?)

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

This Jew misses the mark in his analysis of what Christians are seeing. Christians see all of mankind as responsible for Jesus being crucified. It was a Christian disciple, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus and got him arrested and another, Peter, who denied three times on the same night, he even KNEW Jesus.

All of those responsible for the physical death of Jesus did mankind an eternal favor by creating a sacrifice sufficient to atone for all man's sins through their acceptance in faith of the risen Son of God - Savior of the world.

[Valin]

If I may,
Unfortunately many people can't follow that logic, it seems.

[Reborn]

Excellent!!!!!!!!

[Valin]

Center for Judaic Christian Studies

What are the odds of me getting a link?

[prairiebreeze]

bump for later read

[farmer18th]

A very reasonable analysis to which I would have added that the opposition of some Jewish groups to the distribution of the film might provide more fuel for anti-semitism than the film itself ever could.

[Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh]

Imagine what Jews would think of a Jew who hated Egyptians after watching "The Ten Commandments,"

And imagine how hard people would have laughed if the Egyptians whined, protested and put all their collective efforts into stopping the release of a movie called "Exodus."

[Cacique]

ding

[DoWhatsRight]

Right on!

[Right to be Wrong]

Matthew 7.2
2 "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and (1) by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

[BlackElk]

In the eighth paragraph of the posted article, Rabbi Prager specifically stated that Christians see all of mankind as responsible for the crucifixion. As a Catholic, I agree with Rabbi Prager on this. Don't you agree with him too?

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

I incorrectly stated my view. I should have said, "The analysis of Christ's death by concerned Jews misses the mark." Sorry. Prager's analysis is correct.

[Zionist Conspirator]

In the eighth paragraph of the posted article, Rabbi Prager specifically stated that Christians see all of mankind as responsible for the crucifixion. As a Catholic, I agree with Rabbi Prager on this. Don't you agree with him too?

Dennis Prager is not a rabbi. In fact, he is not even an Orthodox Jew, though his prominence in the conservative movement probably causes this impression.

Unfortunately, Mr. Prager rejects the Oral Torah and the authority of the Rabbinate (similar to an "orthodox Catholic" who rejected sacred tradition and the authority of the popes and councils). He is also a "higher critic" of Judaism and has "taught" the Torah verse-by-verse at "The University of Judaism," an institution of "Conservative" (not Orthodox) Judaism.

I appreciate Mr. Prager's political conservatism, but reject utterly his extremely non-traditional religious presuppositions. Despite his professed friendship for "fundamentalist chr*stians" he doubtlessly thinks they are (and that I am) stupid for believing the universe was created in six days 5764 years ago.

[Beck_isright]

And the last thing we need is for the radical left to stifle this film and prevent it from being distributed.

[Alouette]

Dennis Prager is not a rabbi. I think you may have him confused with Rabbi Daniel Lapin.