Posted on 02/28/2004 9:09:32 PM PST by Alouette
I agree that is was reprehensible to use an 85-year old man's statements to condemn Mel Gibson, and JFK was never held responsible for JoeKennedy's Nazi-loving views. But Hutton Gibson is a WACKO, no doubt about it. His views are historically ignorant, paranoid and just plain silly. But he's an old man, so I just laugh at it. Idiots like Abe Foxman and the NYT took the bait ad slammed him, leading to only increased publicity for "Passion".
Another alternative is that the cynicism isn't Mel's.
Hollywood cannot be successfully navigated if you don't have a cynical streak.
JFK in fact disavowed his father's views, in his writings (While England Slept) in his deeds, (going off to the war Joe Kennedy did not support) and in his words. In fact it could be argued JFK made his political bones by opposing his father's WWII isolationism. And nobody ever thought he loved his father any less.
I think it was absolutely fair game to expose the views of Hutton Gibson. Mel is a public person, from that flows all his power, and he had to know his father's views would come out. Under the circumstances his father's views are germaine. Nor did Gibson do much to muzzle his father, which in itself gives me pause. I have not seen the movie, so I can't say yea or nay on that matter, but I long ago made an educated guess about Mel Gibson, vis a vis anti-semitism.
Are you saying that w/o the controversy this film would not have filled the theaters? You are wrong.
The controversy may bring a few non-Christians to see what all the hubbub is about but Christians have been anxiously awaiting 'The Passion' since it was a gleam in Mel's eye.
I can't speak for other religions, but my Protestant religion, a major one, was always taught that the Jews were God's chosen people. Never was the idea that the Jews as a race, or the Italians (Romans) for that matter, were somehow responsible for Jesus' death.
In my understanding of the history of the day, the brutal scourging received by Jesus was enough alone to have killed most men and was extreme, even for the Romans. The scriptures also speak of Him drinking the cup of suffering....which, when you consider that that meant bearing the burden of paying for every sin that had been, or ever would be committed, by man, it is understandable. Also, when the time came that He had fulfilled His purpose on the cross, He is the one who determined that "it is finished." He had said that no man took His life, but that He gave it up willingly. That is evidenced by the fact that His legs didn't have to be broken to expedite His death, as was common practice.
I haven't seen the film yet....haven't been able to get tickets at a time I would be able to go. I hope to see it this coming week sometime.
Rather profound message when you think about it.
The more things change... Doesn't that sound like what we hear every day? What is truth? What is good? What is evil?
And, of course, who are you to say?
You are a sick person. I'll bet you like gawking at train wrecks too. Just kidding.
He may be getting old, but his views are long standing and public. His views are now in the national media, and he’s in demand as a speaker at the highest levels of the Holocaust denial community.
The ADL should spend more time condemning miscreants like Hutton rather than doing movie review.
Jews "concerned" about Mel Gibson's The Passion are either seriously deluded or are pursuing some other agenda, IMHO after having seen the movie.
Nowhere. If one group can be blamed for Jesus' death, then Christianity is short ciruited because it would make a lie of Jesus' words that "I lay down my life willingly and can take it up again." It would also mean that Jesus didn't suffer for the worlds' sins if Jesus was merely a good teacher who was killed by a more powerful rival religious group.
Anyone who says the Gospel teaches that the Jews are to be blamed will eventually claim that Jesus was just a good teacher, not the savior. Check it out, the two beliefs go together like hand-in-glove.
The Jewish prayer service does not include any anti-Christian curse.
The Passover Haggadah does contain these words:
"Pour our your wrath upon the nations that do not recognize you,
and upon those kingdoms that call not your name,
For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste the Temple.
It is Psalm 79, are the Psalms "anti-Christian"? Christians seem to like them well enough.
FEAR of YHVH: To hate ALL evil.
The Politics of Victimization.
I don't "get" this whole "The Passion is anti-Semitic" argument. Some Jews asked for Jesus to be crucified, and the Romans did it. But Jesus and all his followers were also Jewish.
If Jesus came back today I have no doubt the current Church hierarchy would regard him as a threat, and if he'd returned during the days of the Holy Roman Empire, the Vatican probably would have tried to kill him.
No kidding! I saw that, too, and kept on yelling at the "Christians" for saying such stupid things. They just didn't get it. Funny how the "Jewish guy" was the only one who understood the movie and had a grasp of history.
The closest thing to it was the dumb pastor in Colorado who put "The Jews killed Jesus" or something like that on the church sign. It was pretty quickly ripped down by local Christians and a number of Freepers (including me) e-mailed the church to take down the sign.Contrast that with the Dallas theater that I drove by twice yesterday that had "racist + evil" in fresh spray paint on the side facing LBJ Freeway of a movie theater showing The Passion. That will never get reported (but you heard it first here, folks!).
Abe Foxman does not speak for all Jews. I am glad this Rabbi has brought sanity to the debate.
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