Krauthammer: "Gibson's Blood Libel"

Washington Post ^ | Mar. 5, 04 | Charles Krauthammer

[churchillbuff]

Gibson's Blood Libel

By Charles Krauthammer Friday, March 5, 2004; Page A23

Every people has its story. Every people has the right to its story. And every people has a responsibility for its story. ...[snip]

Christians have their story too: the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Why is this story different from other stories? Because it is not a family affair of coreligionists. If it were, few people outside the circle of believers would be concerned about it. This particular story involves other people. With the notable exception of a few Romans, these people are Jews. And in the story, they come off rather badly.

Because of that peculiarity, the crucifixion is not just a story; it is a story with its own story -- a history of centuries of relentless, and at times savage, persecution of Jews in Christian lands. This history is what moved Vatican II, in a noble act of theological reflection, to decree in 1965 that the Passion of Christ should henceforth be understood with great care so as to unteach the lesson that had been taught for almost two millennia: that the Jews were Christ killers.

[SoCar]

OTOH is that no one who rejects Christianity after having been persuaded in conscience of its truthfulness can be saved -- not because God is spiteful but because he's faithful to his own creation of us as images of him poses sing freedom to choose between life and death. God being the ultimate truth, whoever knowingly rejects the truth rejects God and his gifts.

So what you are saying is that Christianity, what you believe, is the "truth" and that no one who does not believe as you do, for instance Jews like myself, can ever be saved. What you are saying is that all non Christians are going to hell for not accepting Christ as their Lord and Savior, right?? No matter how good a person they might be?? What you are saying is that I am "wrong" and am doomed, as are all Jews, and if we do not accept Christ we will burn in Hell. Right??

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Don't look now, but we're being compared with Muslims.

Personally, I can't remember the last time a Christian blew himself up in a coffee house to kill a few Jewish people.

(But then, what's a little anti-Christian hysteria among FRiends?)

[sfRummygirl]

You just summed the whole thing up. Wow.

[sfRummygirl]

I love the 'really concerned we are all victims of the movies' stance now. This is a good one. Keep going. Tell me how Mel is going to come over and seduce me out of my house now.

[sfRummygirl]

This is the second 'no reply' from these jokers. Notice that?

[Texasforever]

Look the only people that can "blame the Jews" are those that do not believe that Jesus was the Son of God sent for the very purpose of sacrifice. You cannot blame anyone if you truly believe that both the Romans and Jews that actually took part were only a means to an end. I can understand Jew's unease because they look at Jesus as a "very popular human" not as the Messiah so they logically fear that someone will blame them for murder. To a Christian there was no murder there was a resurrection. The modern western anti-Semitism is not religious at all how could it be? The hot bed of modern anti-Semitism is most prevalent in Europe, which has become almost completely secular and VERY anti-Israel.

[sfRummygirl]

Ah,...here's the 'let me tell you about your theology' try. This is so fun....

[sfRummygirl]

No, you have hit your head on the coffetable.

[Torie]

I understand your point. A believer believes it was all a drama in which God was the director, and each played their assigned role, in accordance with His will. All of this is giving me a headache, particularly since my knowledge of religion, and the Christian religion, is not my strong suit. I feel more confident chatting about free trade, and school vouchers, and micro and macro economics, and psephology. Here I am just chatting among friends, almost none of whom agree with my perspective, and that is fine.

[TigersEye]

The two women did make a big point of their deep fear of what it can set loose directly and indirectly even today throughout the world, since they know how much hate has been wrought over the centuries by the line.

So naturally their fear led them to write a book about it so that anyone who doesn't understand Aramaic will know what was said thereby neutralizing the danger. ???

[sfRummygirl]

The third 'no reply' about seeing the movie from the Christaphobia crowd.
Our work is done here.

[ultima ratio]

"Probably the movie has helped foster private piety. But the public fallout in some applications such as ecumenism has been damaging."

Christ said he has not come to bring peace but a sword. He brings division. What this film does is drop an atomic bomb in the midst of the culture war. It stiffens the spines of lax Christians and will confirm faith all around the globe.
It is to our world what the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was to nineteenth century America. Lincoln said it started the Civil War--and destroyed slavery in the end. This film will have a similar effect--breaking the hegemony of secular decadence.

As for ecumenism--it was based on mutual delusions. Jews, for instance, now feel betrayed, thinking ecumenicism had meant the Gospels themselves might be countermanded and history rewritten, focusing blame on the Romans; Christians imagined Jews understood there could be no possibility of denying the actual historicity of the Gospels; they are shocked by angry Jewish reactions, especially by the linkage of Christianity to the Holocaust.

[shhrubbery!]

Christians came here from Europe (as did many Jews) to get away from Europe. What religious persecution was (and is) done in Europe is not and never has been done here in America.

Sure, there are a few anti-Semitic nuts in America, but they are not Christian, no matter what they call themselves.

I saw The Passion today. There is nothing anti-Semitic in it, ZERO -- unless something evil was slipped in Aramaic. And that I would very strongly doubt.

[Texasforever]

Well you said it earlier. Much of any religion requires great leaps of faith but, that is true of many human endeavors.

[sfRummygirl]

You don't want love, mercy. You LIKE being beaten up. Right? Play the victim and all that?

[jonathonandjennifer]

So I'll just say, strike one, and you get more than one. Congressman Billybob

Yes, I agree with all you said.

[nutmeg]

find later bump

[Wormwood]

Christ said he has not come to bring peace but a sword. He brings division. What this film does is drop an atomic bomb in the midst of the culture war. It stiffens the spines of lax Christians and will confirm faith all around the globe.

I'd like to attest to this.

In fact, I did just last week. It's nice to be back.

[ultima ratio]

I see it differently. We are playing out the Passion all over again. Gibson is being crucified and rejected. Rome is washing its hands. There's not a roman collar in sight willing to comment on the movie on a cable channel--like the disciples running for cover. But the word is going out to all nations just the same...

[sfRummygirl]

I'm glad you don't want to be converted, but just curious...have you ever spoken out to support us in the current climate that is very anti-Christian? Just wondering if you care about the prejudice against us.