Five Reasons Not to Go See The Passion of Christ

The Banner of Truth: Biblical Christianity through Literature ^ | February 19, 2004 | Andrew J. Webb

[Weirdad]

Long article, but well said. The movie may be worth seeing and may help evangelize, but it is also worth thinking about carefully.

[walden]

Well, didn't he say that he was giving 5 reasons NOT to see it? Bad advice, in my opinion. See it, think about it, pray over it-- I think that would be a better course of action.

[JoJo Gunn]

I have a quibble with #5, and understand that I haven't seen the movie.

I was born in '56, and Jeffrey Hunter isn't burned in my brain as the face of Jesus.

[rbmillerjr]

No matter how we cut it, it's the same Passion of Christ.

I tried to see it tonight but the theater was sold out for all showings. My wife and I will go see it on Monday during work hours.

[Diplomat]

If but one person who does not know the Lord comes onto Him because of this movie, then it was worth making.

[Straight Vermonter]

Yes God forbid we should have Godless atheists turned in Catholics. Oh the horror!

[JLS]

Well I just got back from seeing The Passion of the Christ tonight. I really do not see any of those reasons as valid.

Now should you take it as a replacement for The Bible, I would not think any Christian would. Nobody that I know of has claimed it has been Cannonized yet.

[jospehm20]

Sounds like this guy has a real problem with Catholics.

[BibChr]

Is the fire really better than the frying pan, then?

[Malcolm]

I am probably an exception to most Christians, in that I do not want to see this film. Every time I see an excerpt, it makes me cringe. I am already a believer, plus one that believes and reads scripture, so its not like I would miss anything. I'm just glad that He paid this price so that I would not have to. That is the whole point anyway.....

[anncoulteriscool]

It logical to think that Gibson would make a movie based on catholic understanding of the cricifixion....and protestants and catholic disagree on certain details of this event....overall, I think its a movie worth seeing from what I've heard.

[rbmillerjr]

It's a shame that Christians are already attempting to divide the flock on this movie.

I'm sure God is so proud of us, yet again lol.

[narses]

The anti-Catholic rant of the century. Read it, weep and critique please.

[opbuzz]

So a Brit organization doesn't want anyone to see it, and the French can't find a distributor.

Where is the antisemitsm?

[CWW]

More anti-Catholic bigotry and ignorance.

Let me adk my Protestant brethern who have seen the movie this question -- Is Satan happy with this film?

[MindBender26]

Nothing against you personally, but this is an extremely foolish article writing. Christians battling Christians is exactly like some Conservatives refusing to vote for President Bush because he isn't conservative "enough."

Is God so foolish that He would not use a medium of motion pictures that he permits to exist to spread His word. Does "preaching" not work when it is transmitted on television? Does it lose all effect when the Preacher uses a PA system?

Complaints that Gibson did not use a short, fat man to play Jesus? The author needs a dose of reality.

Complaints that Gibson did not simply have the actors read the Bible as opposed to using a script? Which Bible should they have used? Which translation? There are at least 7 major translations of the Bible and 57 minor ones. Should they have made 64 movies... or made it about 140 hours long? To follow this logic, how can a preacher even say "have a good week" or "the church supper tonight will be fired chicken," because those phrases are not written in the Bible?

This is a small man trying to chop down a very good motion picture and the man who made it. This a picture that will cause many believers and nonbelievers alike to vastly increase their faith and the deeds that follow faith.

For that, it should be praised, not picked apart.

[vpintheak]

I am not buying these arguments. Any movie that is based on the Bible is worth seeing. I don't care if it isn't exactly perfect. We Christians can moan and complain and bicker about details till the cows come home and it doesn't matter. What matters is that Jesus went through hell to give us a chance at heaven. That is all that is really important, and all that really matters.

[MindBender26]

Remember the Swede, Max Von Sydow in "The Greatest Story Ever Told." There aren't too many short, dark, fat, Arameic speaking Swedes, are there? :~)

[DallasMike]

I'm a staunch Protestant and yet I didn't see "The Passion" as a "Catholic movie." I see it as the best screen rendition yet on the last hours of Christ. It was made by and stars two Godly Christian men, both of whom happen to be Catholic. I'm perfectly okay with that and look forward to meeting them both in Heaven.

It should be obvious by the number of Evangelicals enthusiatically going to see this movie that this reviewer represents the opinion of a very tiny minority. This article really isn't worth debating.