Free Republic

Am I the only who thinks it's miraculous that we could all watch the workings of one of the world's oldest religions, live on worldwide TV? Seeing Pope Benedict XVI's appearance before the throng at St. Peter's Square, I thought about the continuity of the Roman Catholic Church, reaching back almost 2000 years -- and how the new Pope's debut was, in effect, an open-air mass, a religious rite available to any and all global villagers. Of course, those electronic villagers could cheer, or jeer, the former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger according to their wont. For his part, when the just-elected...

“The Passion of the Christ”--Directed by Mel Gibson “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” – Jesus of Nazareth It is one of the chief ironies of history that the person who taught us to turn the other cheek and to return good for evil has been one of the most divisive characters we have ever seen. That he remains so to this day is clearly shown by many of the reactions to Mel Gibson’s controversial portrait of his suffering and death, “The Passion of the Christ,” recently released on DVD. Apart from the polarizing impact of...

Most perplexing of the criticisms of Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of The Christ" is that he is profiteering off of Christ's suffering. After all, when it was first announced he was filming a Passion story in dead languages, most presumed he would lose his shirt. Yes, he has *gasp* marketed his film... any artist wants to ensure that his audience can see his work. But when God offered Solomon fortune and wisdom, and Solomon chose Wisdom, Solomon received both wisdom and fortune. Mel's movie looks poised to make $100 million in its first weekend, and maybe even $300 million...