Hideous, Stupid and Barbaric (Anti-Passion Alert!)

Toronto Sun ^ | 2/25/2004 | Michael Coren

[Pyro7480]

Last week, I wrote a preamble column about Mel Gibson's new movie, The Passion of the Christ. I said that I was extraordinarily optimistic. In fact, I have never before wanted to enjoy a movie so much.

But I was wrong. Oh, how wrong I was.

I love God and Jesus with all my heart, but for the life of me I cannot embrace this film.

Forgive me if I cause offence, but I have to be honest.

This is some pre-Vatican II Roman Catholic blood cult. It is populated with medieval-type caricatures, screaming out of context, laughing at suffering.

Everyone is gruesome and grotesque, apart from a handful of people such as the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and the apostle John. Mary, by the way, is hardly off of the screen, when in fact she is seldom mentioned in the Gospel accounts.

Herod is some cross-dressing lunatic, the Pharisee leaders, some of the brightest men of the age, are all obscene brutes and the Roman soldiers and the mob resemble crazed gargoyles.

No, no, no! The point has been completely missed. Hate me if you like, but please listen. The point is this:

We would have crucified Him. We would crucify Him. You, me, us. We'd smile, be tolerant and loving, do the right thing as we see it, and crucify Him. Then go home to hug our children and talk about how bad the world had become.

Evil seduces and beguiles. It is frequently attractive. If it was as ugly as director Gibson has portrayed, Jesus would not have had to die in agony. And agony is what it was.

Modern Christians have tended to play down the blood and gore of the Messiah's death. But Gibson compensates to such an extreme that he gives us a virtual fetish.

Indeed, the scene where a Roman soldier plunges his spear into Christ's side is, I am sorry, almost like something out of Monty Python. The soldier and those around him shower in the water and blood that cascades out of Yeshua's body.

I suppose we should not be surprised. Gibson made Braveheart and The Patriot, with all of their disembowelings, throat cuttings and, of course, massive historical absurdities. Somehow I thought he'd be more sophisticated with something this important.

The shame of it all is that we know more about what really happened 2000 years ago now than we have done since shortly after the events actually took place. We think in nuance and truth. Not Gibson. Nor does he appear to have read any of the books written in the past 50 years that make the Gospel story so believable, so fleshy and, thus, so convincing.

One example: Barabas. He was a Zealot leader, possibly a local aristocrat. We read our Hebrew and Greek, know about Essenes, Sadducees and Jewish life and culture. We understand. Yet here he is portrayed as a dribbling psychotic. As are most of the Jews in the movie.

So, is it anti-Semitic? Not really. Jews are generally shown as hideous, stupid and barbaric, but then so are the Romans.

Apart from Pontius Pilate, who is here compassion embodied. The thing is, he was a notorious killer who crucified thousands of people without a second thought.

Movie-making requires subtlety, and The Passion is relentlessly violent and nasty. There is no rhythm, no chance for light and purpose and meaning to shine through.

Yes, meaning. More than pain and suffering, so much more.

The flashbacks seem, with one touching exception depicting Jesus as a child, to be mere attempts to push Catholic eucharistic theology onto the audience.

There are vile moments, resembling outtakes from some remake of The Exorcist. A mob of Jewish children morph into tiny devils with murderous faces. Maggots eat away at a dead mule. Satan creeps around, worms crawling up his nose, carrying a perverse baby with hairy back and adult features. None of this is Scriptural, of course. It is also so, well, so anti-humanity.

I wanted majesty and pathos but was given clumsiness and thumping. Yet God's grace and His love still surround me.

If the movie works for you, I am happy. For me, it is prayer, Bible and a dwelling in a God-given imagination that this hyped Hollywood product can never rival.

Michael Coren is a Toronto-based writer and broadcaster. He can be emailed at info@michaelcoren.com and his web site is michaelcoren.com.

[Salvation]

A note to Michael Coren and the Toronto Sun: Get the facts, please!

Wounds of Christ -- 5,480

[sfRummygirl]

There is a need for some good Christian therapy there. I was thinking a call to NewLife Live, myself.

[Salvation]

Excellent post.

[DaiHuy]

Yes, we certainly don't want to understand what the crucifixion really was. After all it couldn't have been that violent or bloody, and why bother trying to grasp what Jesus suffered for us, when we can watch all those nice sanitized versions on TV.

[Salvation]

We can all thank Christ for dying for our sins. Notice I included myself there. OYR sins......

Check #121 for the number of wounds Christ actually suffered as revealed to St. Bridget in a vision.

What we saw in Gibson's movie was just a snapshot of what really happened. After all, he only had two hours........

Praying for you.

Salvation

[Salvation]

**That's about the only part I agree with. Gibson's catholic background is evident in the film, especially in the huge amount of screen time Mary gets as compared to her very limited role in the gospels.**

Limited role???

How about major role???

There would be no Jesus Christ if Mary had not agreed to be the handmaid of the Lord.

[Salvation]

** Seriously, people are trying to talk their way out of receiving the Holy Spirit.**

This is true. But we need to pray for those who are struggling with the truth as revealed through the Holy Spirit.

[sfRummygirl]

We are doing that.

[Salvation]

Plus, it proved that Old Testament prophecy that none of His bones would be broken. And that He would be pierced.

[Salvation]

That ONCE were displayed? Are you here in the U.S. or another country? 'Cause the stations are still here... in all the Churches..... In fact, Friday Stations of the cross is part of the Worship Liturgy during Lenten Season. If there are some new modern churches w/o stations, I'd be interested in knowing about them. Thanks

A major part of my Lenten worship too!

[Salvation]

**There is no mention of any Mary being seen along the route to Golgotha.**

Maybe you should check your Bible again.

Christ on the Cross (John) gives His Mother to John and John to His Mother.

Oor did you skip over that?

[little jeremiah]

In order to fully experience one's relationship with God (which relationship transcends sectarian names) a person needs to truly live in the identity of eternal soul, beyond the body. God doesn't care which type of body anyone currently lives in, whether male or female.

Traditional roles that differ according to the male and female body can never restrict or hamper the joyful embrace of love between God and the soul.

Just like men and women have different strengths and weaknesses - but this reality doesn't make men "better" or women "worse" or vice versa. Saintly women of the past (and present) don't make a fuss about differing roles played by men and women, because the roles and the seeming limitations (and men have their limitations too, - remember, Jesus' mother was a woman!) are of this world, not the eternal realm.

[geopyg]

I agree that Mary is on-screen a lot, perhaps due to the whole Catholic thing. Having Mary throughout also brings in a very personal touch that the audience can relate to as a mourner. She also provides a vehicle for many/most of the flashbacks. The flashbacks were what made me cry the most.

It is also not too farfetched that Mary wouldn't be around the whole time. It seems logical that John or one of the disiples at least would run back to the "home base" (where ever they were staying) to alert the others. Some may have run away, while others would have gone to see Jesus, perhaps especially the women who wouldn't be deemed a threat - even if they were followers of Jesus.

As a parent, I know that I would probably have been much like Mary. Although I would hope that I would have stuck up for my son publicly. However, perhaps Mary as a woman knew she wouldn't be able to sway anyone. Or perhaps she knew that Jesus could just work a miracle and get out of his "predicament".

As they are taking Jesus down off the cross, I wonder how Mary must have thought seeing her son, and Saviour, dead. No miracle, no answer - just dead.

And I don't think she understood that he would be rescurrected, due to the preperations for "re-burial" on Sunday and the women's surprise at the empty tomb.

In the movie, and every Easter, it is a Joy to see the empty tomb. I can only imagine Mary's (and the others, but especially Mary's) JOY when they finally understand that Jesus is Risen.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Seriously, people are trying to talk their way out of receiving the Holy Spirit. You gotta laugh, you know?

Weep too. The only unforgivable sin is in refusing to accept the Spirit through which forgiveness comes.

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

There is a need for some good Christian therapy there. I was thinking a call to NewLife Live, myself.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks that there is something just not quite "right" there. On the internet of all places!

Yes, actually accepting Jesus rather than obsessing on some Catholic heirarchy "persecution" would really make a difference. Hopefully taking a break from here will help too.

[Dionysius]

I will not "hate you if I like". I will abide by the message of the film and simply pity you.

[Pyro7480]

I'm not the one who wrote this article. Thanks for your comments though.

[Dionysius]

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. The post was directed solely at the confused individual who wrote the article.

[cyncooper]

Herod is some cross-dressing lunatic,

I haven't seen the movie yet, due to scheduling--I can't wait to--but why does this person complain about Herod's portrayal? Herod is always portrayed as depraved. With cause: He had just presented John the Baptist's head on a platter to his wife.

Talk about gore. But I suppose we can imagine the head was tastefully drained of blood before presented to Herodius...Wouldn't do to think there were barbarian goings on back then...

[cyncooper]

Some other notes: The writer complains about the depiction of Pharisees, claiming they were in fact the "brightest" of the age. On what does he base this assertion?

He complains about Mary's constant presence in the movie, despite, he claims, her name hardly being mentioned in Gospel accounts, yet he waxes on about Barrabas and his aristocratic roots (?!) when that is certainly not part of the Gospel account.

All in all, this is a very conflicting report, perhaps reflecting an inner turmoil being experienced by the author.