I DETEST THIS FILM ..WITH A PASSION [Christopher Hitchens on the Passion of the Christ]

The Mirror ^ | February 27, 2004 | Christopher Hitchens

[AppyPappy]

I doubt most Jews in Jerusalem at that time had any idea who or what Jesus was about. The "crowd" was probably mostly religious leaders.

[conservonator]

I hear silence coming from mainstream Christianity, and it's every bit as deafening as the silence of Islam in the wake of terrorist attacks.

Then you're deaf. Where are the burning Synagogues? Where are the mobs of Christians screaming for the blood of the Jews? Where is the seething hatred spilling from the pulpits of churches? Where are the anti-Jew protests?

You insult all Christians with your hateful ignorant remarks. By unjustly comparing all Christians with Islamists you degrade your stature, not ours. What kind of anti-Christian pathology do you suffer from? How dare you inflict or transpose your bias on us. Just because you are unable to see the true meaning of the passion, weather in scripture or on the silver screen doesn't mean we aren't able to.

We know who killed Christ and we know why He died. If you need to be afraid of something, fear you own inadequacies.

[Matchett-PI]

"I am quite well aware that Christianity's track record in respecting human rights is downright spectacular compared to what arises in atheistic systems (such as Communism)."

You cannot legitimately claim to be an agnostic and speak of "human rights" in the same breath.

In other words, the rights granted to you by other men cannot be rights that are granted to you merely because you're a "human".

Holding opposite beliefs simultaneously results in the mental confusion called 'cognitive dissonance'.

Want to try again --- leaving out the cognitive dissonance?

You do realize that you didn't answer my last question, don't you?

[Matchett-PI]

"I am quite well aware that Christianity's track record in respecting human rights is downright spectacular compared to what arises in atheistic systems (such as Communism)."

You cannot legitimately claim to be an agnostic and speak of "human rights" in the same breath.

In other words, the rights granted to you by other men cannot be rights that are granted to you merely because you're a "human".

Holding opposite beliefs simultaneously results in the mental confusion called 'cognitive dissonance'.

Want to try again --- leaving out the cognitive dissonance?

You do realize that you didn't answer my question, don't you?

[68 grunt]

Damned atheists have their panties in as bad a know as the Jews. Bedfellows, huh? Hmmmmmm ...

[nobody_knows]

So Hitchens...."Have you ever seen a grown man nekid?.....Do you like to watch Gladiator movies?"

[Matchett-PI]

Sorry for the triplicate post. I lost my dial-up connection just as I clicked on 'post'. When I got the connection back, I guess I made two too many 'clicks' :)

[Clintons a commie]

Hitchens hated Mother Theresa, and ran hateful hit pieces about her in the early nineties. He's an anti-Catholic and anti-Christian bigot. He has had some worthy things to say about the Clinton impeachment and after 9/11, but this piece just goes to show he hasn't really changed his stripes.

Not liking the movie is one thing. Calling Gibson and the millions of people-mostly Conservative Catholics and Evangelicals-hateful names is another thing entirely.

This is probably Hitchens way of trying to get back in a little bit with the crowd who has dissed him since his Clinton and 9/11 opinions.

[Migjagger]

The Hollywood power brokers are very powerful. Hats off to Mel Gibson.

[Steve_Seattle]

I'm seeing the film tonight, and I have the sinking feeling that I'm going to end up agreeing with some of what Hitchens says. A film which focuses entirely on the beating and crucifixion of Jesus, without providing any lead-up or context, might very well fail from an artistic and dramatic point of view. Another thing: the film is supposed to be historically accurate, but stills from the movie depict Jesus carrying the entire cross, not just the crosspiece, and very few scholars think that's how it was. Also, an out-take shows the nails about to be driven through the palms of his hands, whereas most scholars believe they were driven through the wrists.

[the invisib1e hand]

reviews tell more about the reviewer than they do the movie.

[Dionysius]

He detests the film because, just as the atheist delights in casting doubts upon my faith, it casts doubts upon his atheism.

[dead]

Damn, I usually enjoy reading Hitchens, but this is just embarassing...

LOL! I thought it was a great read. He was foaming! Nothing’s more entertaining than a foaming angry Hitchens.

He really really really didn’t like this movie! Yowch!

[mvpel]

It seems the only people who are talking non-stop about antisemitism in the film are the so-called "Jewish leaders" who most certainly don't speak for this Jew.

[duckln]

The Jews are condemned --- historically and by some Christians today --- for not converting

Can't agree with you there. IMO, some Christians today fault them for attacking and bashing Christians. Hollywood and the media have been bashing the basic tenets of the Ten Commandments and demonizing nuns and priest at every turn. With partial birth abortion, condoms, same sex marriage its gotten quite sickening. The 'Passion...' is clearing the air and 'checking' the NYT, Disney etc.

[Huck]

What do you make of all this? I thought it was( and much of it probably is) knee jerkism on the part of liberals. But is Gibson's dad a holocaust denier? And is Gibson following the text of someone who held strange notions about Jews and Passover? Is there any there there? I must say, Hitchens makes me wonder. I thought it was cut and dried...a brutal but faithful to the bible depiction. I thought the left was just being hysterical. What gives?

[Tribune7]

the very last person who would stop to render meaningful help to a low-life sinner like him, would be the very, very religious.

I suspect a Mother Teresa would be the first. She did have a good track record there. :-)

[philosofy123]

Before you start dumping on the Christians, and throw around the anti-Semitic label, you must stop and reflect on the status of Jews, Moslems, and Christians on this planet.

First, I must recognize the fact that Jews were killed by the Nazis simply because of their religion. Since that time, you can’t hardly find a case anywhere in the world where Jews were selectively killed because of their religion.

Second, there is Palestinian Moslem Arab hostility to ISRAEL, the Jewish state. This hostility has created cycle of violence and terrorism that has both political and religious roots. During the past fifty years, the Christians were solidly behind the Jewish state and the Jewish people with moral, financial, diplomatic, and military supports. For a Jew to be so arrogant to blame the Christian people for anti-Semitism in today’s world, it is simply the heights of hysteria and irresponsibility.

Third, Moslems throughout their history have targeted and killed Christians, simply for religion reason. Historically, there were cases where Christians under the crusaders leadership counter-attacked the Moslems, but that was several hundred years ago. However, in recent history (past fifty years) there has never been Christians killing Moslems or Jews, just for their religion. Granted, there was hostility in Bosnia, and Kosovo between Moslems, and Christians, but the Christians of the West sided with the Moslems.

Now back to the paranoia of some of the Jewish people regarding the Passion of the Christ; the label of anti-Semitism is dispensed so freely and undeservingly to otherwise good Christian people, who for some reason or another "some" Jewish fanatics don't like their attitude. If you can reflect on how many times you have heard the label of anti-Semitism thrown against some American or European people, and show me the number of Jews killed by these Christian people. The facts are ZERO killing. If Pat Buchanan criticized Israel policies, he is labeled Anti-Semitic. Pat, or Mel Gibson, or even Mel Gibson's father, as far as I know did not kill one single Jew, and fully supports Israel rights.

In today paper: 48 Christian people were killed in Nigeria as they ran to seek refuge in their church by militant Moslems. In the past ten years there was, and still is a systematic holocaust of Christians by Moslems in the Sudan. Millions have been killed. Millions! How do we compare the systematic killing of Christians by the fanatic Moslems throughout the world, with killing of Jews anywhere around the world – recently? I have to submit that the cases where Jews are killed because they are Jews are practically non-existing any more, while the cases of Christians slaughtering are going on every day; hundreds in some countries, thousands in other countries, and MILLIONS in the Sudan.

Christians and Jews should thank God for having the commonsense to live peacefully together. Jews must abandon the hysteria of Anti-Semitism, and work together with the Christians to highlight the agony of the Christian minorities throughout the world under the barbaric Moslem oppressions. Christians and Jews are the target of Moslem terrorism, and should never lose focus.

[HairOfTheDog]

It seems the only people who are talking non-stop about antisemitism in the film are the so-called "Jewish leaders" who most certainly don't speak for this Jew.

I think you are right that they spoke too soon, and too much. It is good that the discussion took place surrounding the film, but the best contribution to the discussion did not come from "Jewish leaders" who seem to be the only ones still thinking in Holocaust mentality. I think most Christians are pretty insulted at the insinuation, which is really the best news.