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Your Feedback on The Passion of The Christ
We're getting a ton of responses about The Passion. Read some of the e-mail below; click here to send us your own. You can also read feedback on other films and stories.
Due to the volume of e-mail, we are unable to respond to every letter.
Good (Friday) News
posted 04/19/04
My wife and I and another couple waited until Good Friday to view The Passion. It was the Good Friday story, so how much more appropriate could it be. This undoubtedly is the most dynamic film I have ever seen. I truly believe that God used Mel Gibson to reach people who know not Jesus Christ.
Joe C. Bigony
No Greater Love
posted 04/19/04
The first thing I learned while watching this magnificent movie is that there truly is no greater love than the one our Father and Jesus have for us. I have experienced love on a different level and my faith has grown even more. I pray that either Mel Gibson or somebody else would make more movies about the whole New Testament. If movies like this are made, people would make the effort of watching these type of movies, which are just another way of Jesus reaching out to us and letting us know he is still around watching and waiting until such day where every knee shall bow and every mouth confess that "Jesus is our Lord."
Ana Nenadic
A Mel Trilogy?
posted 04/19/04
I think if Mel Gibson wants to do the ministry of Christ justice, he needs to do a "Trinity" of movies on Christ's life. The second movie needs to focus on the birth of Christ and all of the miracles leading up to it (and immediately after it, for that matter), maybe ending with Christ 12 years old and preaching to the rabbis. The third installment should be about the bulk of his ministry. I think it would help explain even more to those who have never even picked up the Book.
Jill Boothroyd
Honored by the Film
posted 04/19/04
I have watched it twice, and each time I have received more revelation and the Holy Spirit ministered to me in different ways. The first time, I was propelled to fulfill the will of God for my life at all costs. The second time, I was at a point where I felt dishonored as a woman, and then God showed me how much he honored me in giving up his life and what he went through to give me back the honor that was stolen, to redeem me back to my original state of glory. He reminded me that even in something intangible such as honor, he is my source.
Patty Francisco
Catechistic Cinema
posted 04/19/04
It's true that Mel Gibson looks upon Vatican II as a sell-out to the Protestants. But what many nominal Catholic theologians attack in The Passion is what the Catholic Church still teaches in The Catechism, and most Evangelicals believe as well: that the Gospels are a historical account of how God became man in order to die for our sins. And that's why it's Gibson's hand holding the nail in the scene where Christ is nailed to the cross. According to Section 598 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
"We must regard as guilty all those who continue to relapse into their sins. Since our sins made the Lord Christ suffer the torment of the cross, those who plunge themselves into disorders and crimes crucify the Son of God anew in their hearts (for he is in them) and hold him up to contempt. And it can be seen that our crime in this case is greater in us than in the Jews. As for them, according to the witness of the Apostle, 'None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.' [1 Corinthians 2:8] We, however, profess to know him. And when we deny him by our deeds, we in some way seem to lay violent hands on him."
Don Schenk
Reactions to Schaeffer
posted 04/19/04
More reader reactions to Frank Schaeffer's commentary, "Not This Easter, Mel":
As a missionary priest in the Middle East, I only wish Schaeffer had an idea of how God is using this film mightily. Nothing less than the hand of God could explain what is happening with this film even as I type this e-mail. It is being viewed by tens of thousands of Muslims in an unedited version with Arabic subtitles that are absolutely accurate. For someone who knows Church History, and who has "been around" in terms of different traditions within Christendom, it is regrettable how badly Schaeffer missed the boat this time.
name withheld
Frank Schaffer used his commentary to get in a bitter dig on his late father's ministry. He sarcastically states that his father remains a "guru" to millions of evangelicals. He calls his father a "fundamentalist preacher," which ignores his dad's apologetics ministry and in effect says he never really had one. He also labels his mother a fundamentalist. "Fundamentalist" is an honorable old title, but folks like Carl McIntire were fundamentalists; Francis and Edith Schaffer were not. The sad thing is, Frank Schaffer knows this too. In 1977 I attended Francis Schaffer's "How Should We Then Live?" seminar, where his son discussed his frustration with evangelicalism's shallowness in the arts. It is tragic that this frustration and legitimate desire for a more artistic expression of Christianity has led him to denigrate his parents' heritage.
John Hale
Good for Mr. Schaeffer. I have not seen nor will I see Mel Gibson's movie about my Lord Jesus Christ. It's an invasion of the sacredness of my relationship with my Savior. He can never portrayed as I see him.
Mary Kirk
I agree with Frank Schaeffer. God's Holy Word is ever true and everlasting. Get in God's Word, and let the Holy Sprit show you who Jesus is and what he came to do. Let Mel Gibson or any other man show you and you'll find yourself deceived. I could not go and watch someone impersonate my Savior, my Jesus, my Lord.
Ray Huff
Frank Schaeffer and The Passion
posted 04/02/04
We've received a bunch of e-mail about Frank Schaeffer's article, "Not This Easter, Mel," regarding his decision to skip not only The Passion of The Christ, but all Jesus movies. Here are some of those replies:
Certainly a man who doesn't want to see The Passion doesn't have to, but his reasoning for not doing so is pretty faulty. If all "icons" are to be removed, then the cross is the first to go, and as a member of the Greek Orthodox Church whose religion is flooded with iconography, the author definitely shouldn't mind another personal interpretation of Christ. He seems to think that his "icons" are fine because they are stylized and not "realistic." So using that reasoning, he'd like to stick with Bible stories and pictures for three-yearolds because those things would never get too "real" for him. Jesus died and was beaten to death for our sins. And because those sins were and are such serious business, the crucifixion deserves to be treated seriously and graphically as well, not wrapped up in bunnies, flowers, and happy songs for the easily offended.
Cindy Carter
As a "Schaeffer-ite," I am sorry you have given such publicity to Francis' and Edith's confused son's phobia. God is not what we imagine or conjure about him. We rightly proclaim his gospel in many ways, including film. Thank God for Mel Gibson's Passion.
Rev. Bill Sharp
Schaeffer writes, "The person I meet when I pray is not subject to negotiation or interpretation by a movie director. I want Jesus as he reveals himself to me when I pray, not Mel Gibson's casting choice." It is quite obvious to me that Mr. Schaeffer is so impressionable that he thinks when he prays he will have some film image in his mind, instead of our Lord in his heart. How sad for him.
Shirley P. Brown
Though I do not follow Schaeffer's Orthodoxy, I tend to agree with his view of Jesus movies. However, I applaud the work of the Jesus Film Project that offers a story about Jesus to those who may have never given him much thought. I'm not sure how to reconcile these two viewpoints.
Kevin Pound
Frank Schaeffer has personally adopted a version of Christianity that values icons. His attempt to differentiate the use of icons from the graven image in celluloid is as thin as the film itself. Give us a break, Schaeffer, you can't have it both ways.
Cliff Stewart
Thank you Frank Schaeffer! My sentiments exactly. I am very happy to see this point of view expressed, especially in light of Christianity Today's relentless promotion of this movie. (Thanks, then, are due CT as well, for publishing this alternative view.)
Doug Hill
It's a shame that one of Francis Schaeffer's children would be against the greatest evangelical tool of our century. This movie has caused unity between the denominations, promotion and conversation of the gospel, and focuses on the central reason of Christ's coming. It's a shame that Frank Schaeffer would be against this unity, evangelization, and centering.
Ken Clifton
A Bad Docu-drama
posted 04/01/04
Regarding The Passion: The Bible is no longer sufficient for the cause of Christ? Now, we must embellish the Gospel accounts to make the Word of God a more effective tool for Christ? This movie clearly transcends the Biblical account, and I would suggest presents us with a "Jesus" who is NOT the Jesus of the Gospels. My wife and I are advising anybody who plans to see The Passion to first read all the Gospel accounts so they will know instantly what has been added to the Bible from the "visions" of Mel Gibson's favorite mystic nun. The movie is from the "visions" of Anne Emmerich, and not the Bible. It uses enough of the biblical text to fool or confuse people who are not well read in the Bible, but it deviates from Scripture so far that I actually watched it like I would a fiction movie, and not a biblical narrative. It was a bad docudrama. Sadly, many Christian ministries think this film can be used as a great tool. If the "Holy Spirit" directed this as Mel and many of his evangelical friends claim, it is the first time I have seen the Holy Spirit concoct a lie to use as a great tool for evangelism.
Jim Qualls
Reviving Easter
posted 04/01/04
I guess Frank Schaeffer is entitled to his own views about Mel Gibson's masterpiece. We all have our views and we, hopefully, respect each other's views. We all know it is only a movie but a movie that reminds us, in a very graphic way, what price Christ had to pay for the salvation of mankind. The world has seen the price of sin and I believe that a lot of people have paid attention to the story of Easter for the first time. This Easter means a lot to more people because they have seen that Christ did not just die for our sins. He really suffered pain and humiliation beyond human comprehension.
Raymond Mills-Tetteh
No "Easy" Jesus
posted 04/01/04
Many have said by making the movie so graphically violent, Mel Gibson has indulged in cinematic sadism that mocks who Jesus really was. But Gibson made very clear in his statements about the film that it would deal with the last 12 hours in Jesus' life and that it would do so in a manner meant to shake the viewer. So why so many objections? I believe it's because the Jesus of The Passion is not an easy Jesus—the one we give Sunday school children and the one that appeals to people of nearly all philosophies and religions. The easy Jesus serves the 21st century ideal very well. He spurned being with the right people and sought out sinners, he challenged authority, he defied religious convention and he spoke of universal love for both friend and enemies. We can feel we are following this easy Jesus if we never point out our own or someone else's sins; if we protest war, nuke plants, abortion clinics, the church, the State; if we go our own way in worship and faith, embracing any spiritual quest that leads to self fulfillment; if we have a vague sentiment for all men and all creatures. Compared to this safe, tame Jesus, the Jesus of The Passion just does not measure up. He does the unthinkable: He confronts us with our sins; he becomes the victim without embracing the culture of victimhood; he does not try to make the chief priests, Pilate or Herod comfortable by claiming he has just one version of many truths; he holds back his power and willingly submits to both political forces and to the will of God.
The Passion also dares to say not all truths are equal. It does not cloak the truth in terms that multi cultural, multi spiritual society finds acceptable. This is God becoming man to die for our sins. Take it or leave it, but you cannot make it anything else. In a world steeped in the philosophy of moral relativism and utilitarian ethics, to assert that a matter of faith is such because it is Truth is a radical departure from accepted norms. Gibson challenges in ways that not only confront us with what Christ did for us, but with who we are. The Passion does many things, but it does not let us hide from ourselves. And I thank God for that.
Paula Loughlin
Spiritual Inventory
posted 04/01/04
A friend asked me if The Passion made me feel bad toward Jewish or Roman people. My reply was absolutely NOT. We all put Jesus on that cross. The physical and spiritual and mental suffering that my Lord went through is almost too much to watch, but it truly made me take an inventory of my life and also know that I must tell others about Jesus. This movie is graphic, but oh how much I love him even more for what he endured for me because I feel I was there.
Leigh Williamson
Wake-Up Call
posted 04/01/04
This movie was a good wakeup call to all believers in Christ. I don't care if you are Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, Non-Denominational, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist. The point is that we walk closely with Christ, that we confess our sins and accept him as our Lord and Savior; we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Also, the movie is not anti-Semitic. Some Jewish people do not understand it because they only believe the Old Testament and not the New Testament. But Jesus is their Messiah and ours.
Leonor Vera
Answered Prayer
posted 04/01/04
The movie was the answer to my prayers. I had asked the Lord what the book of Isaiah means by "his visage was marred more than any man, and his form marred more than the sons of men." As many times as I've read that, I could not imagine the horror that Christ endured.
Matt Edgar
Shame on the Jealous
posted 04/01/04
To all of you [see various letters below] who are bent out of shape about the money Mr. Gibson will make from the movie: How ignorant to say he is making money off of Christ's death. First of all, Mr. Gibson started out by not caring about money and proved this when he could find no supporters, then put 30 million dollars of his own on the line. So, why weren't you shouting foul then? No one thought this movie would make it in the beginning. How easily we forget. Read your Bible: What does God do when you invest money in his kingdom? He multiplies it, and is powerful enough to multiply it in huge ways, and that is what He has done for Mr. Gibson. Shame on anyone who is jealous of what or whom God chooses to bless.
Brenda Matyis
A Roman Circus
posted 04/01/04
The movie reminded me of a Roman circus where Christians were thrown to the lions as crowds looked on. In this film, Jesus was thrown to the Roman soldiers to be beaten, scourged, and mutilated for two hours before crowds of moviegoers all over the nation. There was no foreground as to who he was or why he was being punished, no foreground of his teachings on love, no showing of his great mercy or compassion, nothing - just cold-blooded scourging and torture without reason. I was appalled. Crowds today like brutality and sensation, and I felt this movie fed their insatiable appetites for that kind of entertainment. My spirit was vexed for hours afterward. I am angry at this movie. It may be one thing for Christians to revisit Christ's passion for our sins; yet, quite another for unbelievers or those with no knowledge of who Jesus was. For them it was a sensational, bloody thriller.
Sharon Miros-Schafle
Mary's Role
posted 04/01/04
One recent letter writer criticized Gibson for giving Mary such a prominent role in the movie, despite the fact that her presence was highly realistic. Why wouldn't she be constantly present during her son's suffering? I wouldn't abandon my child at a time like that. Regarding Mary's role in Catholic theology: the Church does NOT teach she is to be worshiped but only given great honor; she is NOT divine; she DID need Christ's redemption, just like the rest of humanity; and she is co-redeemer only in the sense of the role she played in bringing Jesus into the world and raising him to adulthood. And even this role she had came about only because of God's power and work in her life, not from anything she did independent of him. All the glory goes to God. All Mary does is point us to God.
Cheri Blomquist
No Hubris Here
posted 04/01/04
Some voices among the cacophony of reaction to The Passion, like e-mail respondent Phillip Brock [March 18; see below] dismiss the historical accuracy of the Gospels. But Brock loses sight of the fact that the Gospel accounts comprise the earliest and best history we have of Jesus' earthly career. The ancient church was convinced each of the four evangelists were either eyewitnesses or had access to trustworthy eyewitness reports. It is peculiar for Brock to imply the Gospels are discredited because they were written an "indeterminate number of years" after the events described. What does that mean? What most "biblical scholars know" is that the first Gospel was written down within a generation of Jesus' death and resurrection, probably during the great persecution in Rome of A.D. 64. Stick to Scripture, Brock suggests, and you're guilty of hubris. But portray Jesus as a mere human, consumed by self-doubt (as does Scorcese), or married to Mary Magdalene, or a homosexual, and you're okay. Talk about hubris! The Passion moved me profoundly, and I'm convinced it's a great work on the spiritual as well as artistic level. It should be around for a long time. May the Lord be pleased to use it to bring renewal.
Randal Working
Confused and Disappointed
posted 04/01/04
I have just been channel surfing and came upon one of Mel Gibson's movies, What Women Want. I must say that I was disappointed at what I saw, in just that few moments. There was Mr. Gibson in a nude scene. This man who professes to be a Christian and made such an awesome film about my precious Lord. How could he dishonor him in such a way as to make these kinds of pictures and still profess to be a Christian? My Bible tells me to avoid even the appearance of evil. I have listened with amazement as Mr. Gibson discussed why he made The Passion and also as he talked of his own personal beliefs. Now I am confused and disappointed.
Fran Hurt
Bad Ending
posted 04/01/04
The movie was disappointing to me in regards to the ending. There was only a very subtle shot to depict the resurrection. After enduring all the beatings of Christ, it would have been nice for the viewer to see The Good News—the part that truly makes God the awesome God that he is.
Sherli Anderson
A Reminder of Darkness
posted 04/01/04
As a Catholic, Mel Gibson has every right to make a very Catholic movie about Jesus. But I am deeply mystified as to why the Protestant evangelical church has embraced this movie. As a former Catholic, brought up under pre-Vatican II, I can attest to the spiritual darkness of Roman Catholicism. The mysticism and Marian images in this movie were deeply disturbing and unscriptural. I am not anti-anything, just pro-Scriptures, and this movie crossed the line for me when it came to faithfully following the Gospels. Thirty years ago God transferred me from the kingdom of darkness as a confused Roman Catholic girl to the glorious kingdom of his Son, and all Mel's movie did was remind me of just how deep that darkness was.
Roseanne Kuipers
Unfaithful to the Gospels
posted 04/01/04
I am troubled that Christianity Today has endorsed The Passion as faithful to the Gospels. The film has several extra-biblical plot elements that significantly warp the story as it is presented in the Gospels. If in fact the film was faithful to the Gospels then one would conclude that the following are the Gospel truth: 1) Satan had a powerful presence during the last hours of Jesus; 2) the Temple guards beat Jesus when he was arrested and cast Jesus off a bridge; 3) King Herod was a decadent sodomite, and the Sanhedrin a pack of totally evil men with no redeeming qualities whatsoever; 4) Pontius Pilate was a benevolent but weak ruler, and not a brutal oppressor; 5) Mary Magdalene was an adulteress and a prostitute; 6) the Roman soldiers had whips that were invented as torture implements during the Spanish Inquisition; 7) instead of applying the normal punishment for sedition of 39 strokes of the whip, they strike Jesus hundreds of times; 8) the body of Jesus had superhuman strength, and was able to withstand 15 minutes of extremely brutal scourging that would kill a man of average strength within a few minutes; 9) Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Claudia Procles, the wife of Pilate, were all present in the Praetorium during the scourging of Jesus; 10) Satan controlled the Jewish crowd, but exerted no apparent influence over the Roman soldiers; 11) Saint Veronica really existed and is not merely a Roman Catholic tradition; 12) the names of the thieves crucified along with Jesus were actually Dismas and Gesmas and not merely a Roman Catholic tradition. None of these movie plot elements appear in any translation of the Bible that I've seen. Granted, any artist should have some artistic freedom when representing the Gospels, but Mel Gibson abused this freedom to an extreme. At least Martin Scorsese incorporated a disclaimer at the beginning of The Last Temptation of Christ stating that the film was not a representation of the Gospels.
Jeff Fields
One of Many Tools
posted 04/01/04
What does it matter if The Passion is billed as the greatest tool in 2000 years to preach the gospel or not? There are all kinds of tools God uses to reach or bless us. If he used a donkey to preach to a man, he can certainly use a film. However even Jesus did not convince everyone in his generation, neither did Paul and neither will this movie. There is no one factor solely responsible to reach people; they all work together.
Jude Akinowa
Can Wait for DVD
posted 04/01/04
I may or may not get to see The Passion in a cinema. I'm not prepared to pay £6.50 to see it as they are doing down south [in my native England]. Doubtless it will come on TV, and in any case I'd settle for it on DVD. By Christmas it will be a distant memory to the vast majority. As someone said, "I haven't seen the film but I've read the Book."
Byron Nicholls
A Hateful Film?
posted 04/01/04
The Passion, in my humble opinion, is Hate, pure and simple. I will not go and see this movie. Do we really need to watch something so gross that the skin is torn off the flesh? To watch someone so brutally tortured that they are barely recognized as a human being? This movie will not bring a solitary soul to Christ but it will and has brought untold suffering to our Jewish cousins with hate crimes on the increase. When are we Christians going to wake up and take responsibility for years of hate we have leveled toward our Jewish brothers and sisters? When, pray tell, are we going to address the wrongs we have committed for so long a time and continue to this day to commit? When are we going to genuinely try to reach out to our Jewish cousins? If we do not change, I will leave the church. I would be comfortable being an "independent" Christian like so many others.
Ralph Nutter
They "Get" It Now
posted 04/01/04
I took the whole family (except for the 8-year old twins) to see The Passion. My wife was crying. My 14-year old daughter was crying. She told her mother she "gets" what the Mass is all about now. She is being confirmed this spring, so her "getting it" right now is very timely. My 18-year old son and his girlfriend were crying; my son had been telling me for the last couple of years that the Mass is "hocus-pocus," and that he doesn't believe all that crap. My 16-year old son and his friend didn't say much, but he's been asking a lot of questions and getting on a lot of websites to get more information about the movie. Myself, I was moved to tears. When I got to Mass the next day, it felt very inadequate. Not because I think the Mass is inadequate, but because I sometimes forget what we're really doing when we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, and it just seemed like we should have been crawling to the altar on our hands and knees rather than walking.
John Yorko
Worse Than a Lie
posted 03/18/04
What offends me most about this movie is Gibson's stance that this is as close as you're going to get to what actually happened. He said in one interview, "Matthew was there, he wrote down what he saw." Well, guess what: he wasn't. Biblical scholars know that the canonized Gospels were written down an indeterminate number of years after the crucifixion. So to state that what was filmed was a basically fact-for-fact eyewitness account is worse than a lie—it is hubris. At least with The Last Temptation of Christ, which horrified so many of my brethren, director Martin Scorcese said the film was a conjecture, a meditation, a hypothesis. He didn't say this is the way it was, as does Gibson.
Phillip Brock
Keep It to Yourself, Mel
posted 03/18/04
Mel Gibson must have his own "devils" to work out, but I, for one, don't think the needs yet another religious fanatic. Who cares about Mel Gibson's personal views on religion? That's his personal business, but yet he feels compelled to share it with the world, using his celebrity to propagate "the word." Keep it to yourself, Mel. Each of us has enough on our platter without your negative, brutal, disgusting images to deal with. Get away from that fanatic crap, and spend some time with some moderates who know the love of Christ.
Cheryl Azurdia
Pagan Blood Fest
posted 03/18/04
I don't see how Christian churches can endorse this movie as an accurate portrayal. This movie does nothing to glorify Jesus, but instead focuses on his torture and execution as his ultimate fate and destiny. If I were a non Christian seeing this movie, I wouldn't know what to think. This movie came across to me as nothing more than a pagan blood fest, focusing on nothing but his pain and suffering.
John Melendez
Caught Up in the Hype?
posted 03/18/04
It shocks me that The Passion is hailed by many fundamentalist Christian groups as a soul-winning tool and a soul-stirring movie. We have been caught up in the hype and need to take a deep breath and examine how it truly interprets the last hours of Christ. Did no one else notice that Mary was the co-star of this movie as she is "co-star" in the Catholic Church? It showed her somehow linked with Jesus throughout the movie as if they had a bond akin to a psychic "mind meld"—like the scene in which she is able to locate him as he hung in chains in the prison below. And what a frightening picture at the end as Christ's lifeless body was removed from the cross and placed into her arms. Did the camera stay fixed on him? No. It focused on Mary's knowing smile, as if the fate of the world now rested in HER, not in Christ. … This movie was not inspired by God, but rather Satan, as he blinds us to the truth and causes us to accept unscriptural beliefs as we head into the end times. We can expect to see the one-world church come into being soon, spurred on by the acceptance of this movie by many important church leaders of many faiths and sheep-like Christians.
Bonnie Wykoff
Worst Movie Ever
posted 03/18/04
The Passion was quite possibly the worst movie I have ever seen. The fact that Mel Gibson's father is a known Holocaust denier is clearly evident in this film. Anyone who studies our ancient history of Christ clearly knows it was not the Jews who killed Christ. I, as well as the entire Jewish community, will undoubtedly never watch a Mel Gibson film again. This was a terrible film and I hope that he never receives support or works in Hollywood ever again. I have lost complete respect for a man who made a film that depicts the Jewish people as the enemy of the world. Mel Gibson should be labeled a terrorist supporter, and I hope your acting career is ruined because of this film.
Adam Goldstein
Changed My Thinking
posted 03/18/04
This film totally changed the way I feel about my religion. Now, instead of just going to mass and wanting it to be over with, I really participate and feel much more enthusiastic to go. I really want to thank Christ for saving us all.
Austin Cochran
Mel's Money
posted 03/18/04
To those who are worrying what Mel Gibson is gonna do with his profits, I say he deserves to do as he pleases. He took the chance, he made the movie, he broke tradition, he endured the persecutions. And it is Mel who will have to account to God for it all, the making, the money, the truth. It is this kind of "churchy" attitude that I deplore: After it is a success, you want to have a say in the Harvest. Did you plant anything in this movie? Was even one dollar of the $35 to 50 million yours? What right do you have to even ask what he does with the profits?
Mike Selch
Over My Head
posted 03/18/04
When the movie was over I thought, After all that agony, if I were Jesus I'd say this species was a big mistake: Let them all burn in hell. I just don't get it. God's love for humanity is over my head.
Laura Hartnett
Better Prayer Life
posted 03/18/04
My prayer life has been affected by this film. I pray more fervently for those I know have hardened their hearts against Jesus because of unbelief.
Barbara Ballard
Jolt of Reality
posted 03/18/04
Sometimes pristine lives need a jolt of reality, especially when it makes us uncomfortable. Mel Gibson says he intended it so. I pray I never forget.
Ron Faulkner
Catholics & Evangelicals
posted 03/18/04
In response to the writer of "Catholics Not Christians?" (posted below), I assume you have not seen the movie, because it would have been more difficult to disparage Gibson's faith in Jesus if you had. Second, I agree that Catholicism is very different from Evangelicalism in many ways, and that discussing and even debating these differences respectfully is helpful. But I think we agree that the most important thing is salvation through Jesus and relationship with him. And when we evangelicals get to heaven, I expect that God will mercifully correct our heresies, too.
Joel Buursma
Moved by the Preview
posted 03/18/04
I've not seen this movie yet because here, in Italy, it will open on April 7. But I can say it have changed my life the same. Watching a preview was enough to remind me what it means to be a Christian—to love God, life and people. I was reminded with his painful sacrifice that Jesus said there's no space for hate and violence in our every day life.
Cosimo Rusciano
Great for Small Groups
posted 03/18/04
This movie is a great tool in helping the new believers in our couples small group have a broad discussion about the life of Christ. They've asked a ton of questions about the flashbacks and what those were about. They were struck by the huge price that Christ paid for their freedom and are even more aware of God's Dave Greene
Church Should Condemn It
posted 03/18/04
I have not seen The Passion, nor do I intend to. The Lord God abhors violence, and although the Bible accepts violence as part of fallen human nature, it does not major upon its gruesome aspects. Such a film, because of its graphic violence, is therefore wrong and should not be allowed. Had it concerned anyone else but our Lord Jesus Christ, I believe it would have been condemned by the Church, as it still should be. The film will probably do more harm than good.
Phillip Gunton
Annoyed Lutheran
posted 03/18/04
I am a Lutheran who is annoyed at all the Catholic-bashing around this movie. Okay, we don't believe the same things as the Catholics; we disagree with them; in some areas we think they are very wrong. They think the same things about us! Why can't we look at these powerful film images and take what we can from them, leaving the rest, instead of condemning the whole thing because it is a Catholic viewpoint of the story of our Savior? Let's wake up and act like intelligent, adult members of the Body of Christ, not like the narrow-minded, hate-filled people that the world likes to believe we are.
Lissa Blood
Embrace Catholics
posted 03/18/04
As a life-long Catholic, I am saddened by the comments bashing the Catholic Church. My anecdotal experience is the realization of those who do bash have profound ignorance regarding Church teachings and have startling difficulty in distinguishing sinners from the tenets of the faith. We are a church full of sinners, as has always been the case, and scandal has part of her since Judas's betrayal, Peter's denial, and Thomas's doubting. So, please, don't hate us, love us. Don't be threatened by us, embrace us. Don't think of us as lost, learn about us and you will learn about Church history pre-16th century. Luther did not start the Christian faith.
Ken Richard
Resurrection Sequel?
posted 03/18/04
I would love to see a sequel perhaps to be called The Power of the Resurrected Christ, which would portray the resurrection's dramatic impact as documented in the Bible. Because of this power, only a few days after abandoning him, his fearful followers were transformed into courageous witnesses, sparking a movement that has continued for 2,000—even to the point where it has dramatically changed my own life!
Brent Phillips
Editor's note: Gibson hasn't said anything about a possible sequel, but reports say he's interested in doing a movie about the Maccabees, Jewish guerilla fighters who led a successful rebellion against Greek conquerors 165 years before Christ, inspiring the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
Not a Walk in the Park
posted 03/18/04
It appears that many critics are having a heyday ripping the film apart and focusing on the brutality and gore. Are these not the same hypocrites that suggest that every being on earth rush to see Saving Private Ryan, Gladiator, Natural Born Killers, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Hannibal, Once Upon A Time In Mexico, and the LOTR films? The scourging and crucifixion was not a walk in the park. My Bible tells me Jesus was beaten to a point where he was unrecognizable as a human being. Mel Gibson has not shown the real deal; the critics are crying over a tame version of the crucifixion. Imagine if Gibson had given them the actual thing!
Casey Bennett
Mel's Got Enough Money
posted 03/18/04
I do not intend to see The Passion. Mel Gibson has so much money already he doesn't need my dollars. Look at all the money that is being made on the suffering of Christ.
Charlotte Paulsen
Is Gibson Saved?
posted 03/18/04
I hear very few objective voices raising the possibility that Mr. Gibson, a very talented and experienced actor who knows how to steer interviews to his advantage, is deeply religious but possibly not yet saved. I would be curious to hear whether or not he is saved. As outspoken as Mr. Gibson is on other issues, I look forward to his clear, direct responses on this issue. Whatever honest answer he gives will not deter me from seeing The Passion this holy season, but will encourage me to pray for him and his family, whom I have read are blessed to have such a strong and loving husband and father in this unstable world, as we are to experience such an actor and director who is fearless against Hollywood hedonism.
Dr. Sherri Marcia Damon
I Couldn't Cry
posted 03/18/04
There are no words to describe how Mel Gibson's movie affected me. I could not cry for it was an emotion that was deeper than grief that Christ died for me. I have sinned yet he forgave me with the blood he shed for me. I put him on that cross because I sin.
Muriel Jones
Let the Children Come
posted 03/18/04
I think children should see The Passion. Why hide it? They see people getting killed on TV all the time. Maybe if they see Jesus being beaten to death they will take being a Christian more seriously. Children are not learning the things they need to know to become respectable, positive, productive adults, let alone devout Christians.
Dennis Hairston
Hating the Romans
posted 03/18/04
Even though some reported this as an anti-Semitic movie, I found myself hating the Romans who actually did the flogging and drove the nails into Jesus. Sometimes the one inflicting the pain seems more brutal than those who caused the pain to be inflicted, which includes Gentile as well as Jew. We are all responsible.
Pastor Tim Grayless
An 11-year-old Perspective
posted 03/18/04
I took my 11-year-old son, as he begged me to go. After seeing the movie, his comment was no one should go see it due to the violence. I think if the beatings weren't so graphic, it would be a movie some children could and would want to see.
Patsy Dean
I Just Cried and Cried
posted 03/18/04
I was shaken to my very core when I saw the movie. Afterward, I just laid in bed and cried and cried and kept saying, "Jesus, I love you." Since then, I have been filled with such overwhelming love for My Lord and Savior, I can't express it without tears welling up.
Geri Riggs
Where Is the Hope?
posted 03/18/04
The overly melodramatic and drawn-out treatment of the scourging and other beating did not reach me emotionally, but caused me to roll my eyes and wonder when the movie would end. The movie was all about blood, which is essential for redemption, but is meaningless without the life and resurrection of Jesus. I was shocked that resurrection was so anti-climatic and seemed an afterthought. I left the theater thinking, Where is the hope?
Rebecca Barnes
Marys, Claudia, Towels & Blood
posted 03/12/04
We've received a number of e-mails asking about a scene in The Passion when Claudia, wife of Pontius Pilate, gives Mary (mother of Jesus) and Mary Magdalene some towels after the scourging of Jesus. The two Marys then take the towels to wipe up Christ's blood from the flogging. We addressed this question in our story, "The Passion of Mel Gibson," which discussed some of the Catholic imagery in the film. That story noted that Gibson drew not only from the Gospels to write the script but from other sources, including the works of Anne Catherine Emmerich, a late-18th, early-19th-century Westphalian nun who had visions of the events of the Passion. Here is the portion of that story which addresses this particular scene:
Many of the details needed to fill out the Gospel accounts [Gibson] drew from [Emmerich's] book, Dolorous Passion of Our Lord. Here is one such detail from Emmerich:
"[A]fter the flagellation, I saw Claudia Procles, the wife of Pilate, send some large pieces of linen to the Mother of God. I know not whether she thought that Jesus would be set free, and that his Mother would then require linen to dress his wounds, or whether this compassionate lady was aware of the use which would be made of her present. … I soon after saw Mary and Magdalen approach the pillar where Jesus had been scourged; … they knelt down on the ground near the pillar, and wiped up the sacred blood with the linen which Claudia Procles had sent."
Gibson does not follow Dolorous Passion slavishly, and at many points he chooses details that conflict with Emmerich's account. But the sight of Pilate's wife handing a stack of linen cloths to Jesus' mother allows Gibson to capture a moment of sympathy and compassion between the two women, and the act of the two Marys wiping up Jesus' blood gives Gibson the opportunity to pull back for a dramatic shot of the bloody pavement.
A Prayer of Revenge?
posted 03/10/04
The Passion of The Christ begins with Jesus' agonizing prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane—one in which he quotes from Psalm 31: "In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge … free me from the trap that is set for me." Psalm 31 is one of the "imprecatory" psalms, or psalms of rage, where David holds nothing back: "Let the wicked be put to shame and lie silent in the grave" (Ps. 31:17). While the Gospels don't say Jesus quoted this psalm in the Garden, he clearly did so on the cross: "Into your hands I commit my spirit" (31:5). So did Jesus have all of Psalm 31 in mind—with David's plea for vengeance—or just the more palatable verses? Was he praying a "prayer of revenge?" Jesus may well have had to go through the entire forgiveness process, just as the rest of us do—beginning with acknowledging the desire for vindication. I think it makes sense that Jesus prayed the entire Psalm because all of it together represents the forgiveness process, not just the final plea for mercy on behalf of one's offenders. Many people who have experienced severe trauma need to express their grief and frustration over the losses created by evil and wicked people. Only then can they eventually forgive these people for generating so much pain.
Doug Schmidt
author of The Prayer of Revenge: Forgiveness in the Face of Injustice
Dorothy Sayers on The Passion
posted 03/10/04
Many are weighing in on the shocking portrayal of Jesus' death in this film. Interestingly, Dorothy Sayers, writing some 50 years ago in "The Man Born to Be King," had some similar, relevant and thought-provoking observations: "They mocked and railed on Him and smote Him, they scourged and crucified Him. Well, they were people very remote from ourselves, and no doubt it was all done in the noblest and most beautiful manner. We should not like to think otherwise. Unhappily, if we think about it at all, we must think otherwise. God was executed by people painfully like us, in a society very similar to our own. … In a nation famous for its religious genius and under a government renowned for its efficiency, He was executed by a corrupt church, a timid politician, and a fickle proletariat led by professional agitators. His executioners made vulgar jokes about Him, called Him filthy names, taunted Him, smacked Him in the face, flogged Him with the cat, and hanged Him on the common gibbet—a bloody, dusty, sweaty, and sordid business. If you show people that, they are shocked. So they should be. If that does not shock them, nothing can. … It is curious that people who are filled with horrified indignation whenever a cat kills a sparrow can hear that story of the killing of God told Sunday after Sunday and not experience any shock at all. Technically, the swiftest way to produce the desirable sense of shock is the use in drama of modern speech and a determined historical realism about the characters. … [G]o back to the homely and vigorous Greek of Mark or John, translate it into its current English counterpart, and there every man may see his own face. We played the parts in that tragedy, nineteen and a half centuries since, and perhaps are playing them today, in the same good faith and in the same ironic ignorance. But today we cannot see the irony, for we the audience are now the actors and do not know the end of the play. But it may assist us to know what we are doing if the original drama is shown to us again, with ourselves in the original parts."
W G Shuster
More on the "Ugly Baby"
posted 03/10/04
We received a number of e-mails in response to our story, "What's Up With the Ugly Baby?" Here are just a few:
Mel Gibson's explanation about the "baby" in Satan's arms was a little disappointing. It seemed to me that the symbolism didn't go far enough. I immediately saw the baby as the Anti-Christ. The "baby" sees Jesus' suffering and smirks, enjoying the sensuality of the evil moment. The Anti-Christ would most enjoy the destruction of Christ.
Lucille Yuen
I took a slightly different take on the part where Satan appears to be mocking the Madonna and Child iconograph. In the Eastern Orthodox faith (and probably in the Roman Catholic faith as well), the image of the Mother of God and the infant Christ are tied intimately with the phenomenon of incarnation. So I took the scene to be mocking not only the Mother-Child relationship, but Christ's incarnation itself. I took it as Satan's way of saying to Christ during his most painful moments in the flesh, "Ah, so now how do you like being a human being, hmmm? Isn't it fun?'
R. Scott Pennington
To me, the scene showed Satan mocking Mary in that he was saying, "See here. I have a baby too, just like you. But your baby brings suffering. My baby brings happiness." But evil always looks good at first glance, hiding its ugliness and then leaving its deadly fruit. I've heard it said that "Satan is 98% truth and 2% strychnine."
James McCarthy
The Passion vs. Die Hard?
posted 03/10/04
What is the difference between watching Christ suffer in Mel Gibson's Passion and watching Bruce Willis suffer in Die Hard? Or, for that matter, Mel Gibson's own character, William Wallace, publicly tortured to death in Braveheart? Or in Gibson's Lethal Weapon 2, where his character is hanged by his arms, prodded with electrodes and beaten. Throughout the movie industry, there are gory scenes that have never prompted public outcry. Yet, when the suffering of Christ is portrayed, everyone is offended. And we should be. Most movies are designed to entertain us, but The Passion is not entertainment. We often tread lightly on the faith that saves us, as if it was cheaply purchased. We need a reminder of the cost, and I think The Passion does that.
Geo.-Les Smallagd
Bashing Our Review
posted 03/10/04
That was a horrible review from Peter T. Chattaway. It is as if he saw the movie with the intent of scrutinizing all of its theological content. Plus, while his views and tools for criticism are not absolute standards of theological soundness (e.g., how he was nailed, what kind of cross he bore, whether Mary Magdalene was the woman caught in adultery), he speaks as though they were. I was disappointed by his bias throughout the review and sad that he was not able to be inspired by the sacrifice of our Lord depicted in this movie.
John Nahn
I found Peter T. Chattaway's review lacking in its comprehension of the power of the movie, which lies in its depiction of God's wrath played out upon the only innocent One, Jesus Christ. Christians regularly drink wine in remembrance of Christ's blood shed for us, yet the ritual loses significance over time if we come to believe that Jesus' blood was shed via a nasty paper cut. Mel Gibson's movie graphically—and rightly—depicts Christ's suffering. While I understand that a movie critic has to do his job, all too many people concede faults in the movie. Do people think that by finding fault in the movie it makes them more objective and therefore a better witness to the power of Jesus? Such foolishness does not elevate Jesus, but the ones who tend to intellectualize the movie. To Christians who respond to this movie with a lukewarm attitude, I have this say: "'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times" (Matthew 16:3). Do you not recognize the work God is doing through Mel Gibson and this movie?
John Okulski
A Ticket Back in Time
posted 03/10/04
This isn't just a movie. This was an experience unlike anything else I've ever felt, like a ticket back in time. Extremely uncanny was Mel's ability to make the viewer feel as if he is truly beside Christ, experiencing these heartbreaking events. I experienced Christ's love for me growing up, and I pulled away as I grew older for the pleasures the world offered. With this film, I experienced that childlike love again.
Frank J. Chabala Jr.
God's Furious Love
posted 03/10/04
I was so overwhelmed by the film, I don't know where to start. It is violent; it is realistic and hard to watch, but this movie is all about love—God's love for us. You will see scenes from the Last Supper, Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus' everyday life. You will see the truth—the beautiful and the ugly truth. You will see the beauty of Jesus and his love for us, the beauty of a mother's love for her son and her God, and even the beauty of Satan in scenes when he smiles and looks longingly at you—tempting Jesus, tempting you. You see the beauty of this world. And you will also see the true ugliness of this world. The blood will catch your attention, but it is the angry crowd, the frightened disciples running away, the Romans who beat him and laughed, and the Jewish leaders who judge, the mocking/jeering faces that may have the deeper effect. I see myself in that crowd, and know I have hurt Jesus many times with my sin. The ugliness will make you sad; it made me weep. I am reminded of the lyrics of an Andrew Peterson song: "The curtain tore and the Saints awoke and the whole earth seemed to tremble, with the fury of God's anger … or was it the fury of his love?"
Amelia Palmer
It Is a Jewish Story
posted 03/10/04
I enjoyed Michael Medved's article, and think it was helpful to Christians, Jews and hopefully everyone. One problem with his comment, "The Passion remains a Christian, not Jewish version of first century events." But Old Testament writers are in harmony with the gospel story—starting with chapters 9, 52 and 53 in Isaiah, which clearly describe Jesus as the Messiah, the innocent Lamb of God who came to pay for our rebellion.
Lynn Berntson
Visual Poetry
posted 03/10/04
I thought the movie was beautiful, almost visual poetry. My friend described it as a ballet. I think that is an apt description. The Passion of The Christ is really Mel Gibson's testimony. If he were a musician he would have written a song, a painter he would have painted a picture. When we are changed profoundly, we want to cause other people to see what we saw, feel what we felt, experience what we experienced, so that they will be profoundly changed as well. And when it is salvation, how we meet Christ colors forever how we present the gospel. For Mel Gibson, the meditations on Christ's physical suffering and sacrifice are what moved him. And he used the most powerful medium at his disposal to share that experience with anyone who would listen.
Peggy McIntyre
Most Important Film Ever?
posted 03/10/04
I'm 16, and I am proud to say I've already seen The Passion of The Christ twice. The film, though graphic, horrific, and shocking, is quite possibly the most important film of all time. I cried during the movie, I cried after watching it. The film is truly amazing.
Jack Treese
It's Mel's Money
posted 03/10/04
I don't think any of us have the right to ponder what Mel Gibson will do with the profits from The Passion (see "About Prophets, or Profits?" below). Many people earn livings by presenting some aspect of Christianity through the media—authors, filmmakers, musicians. Church workers do, too. They all deserve to earn a decent salary, just as any teacher, lawyer, or construction worker does. As long he is not violating any laws, what Gibson does with his profits is between him, his family, and God.
Cheri Blomquist
A Spiritual Meditation
posted 03/10/04
Regardless of the frenzied flurry of protestations from non-believers brought bluntly to our attention through various and every media form, and in spite of the shock to our sensibilities of the graphic Christ in grievous physical stress as depicted on many front pages in newspapers across this country, I determined to experience this work of love by Mel Gibson with a receptive, non-judgmental heart and mind, and in the end, found the journey through this masterpiece had touched my very soul. For me, The Passion of The Christ is a spiritual meditation: I was there with Christ in the many and same ways I am today.
Winston Garside-Manchester
Messianic Message
posted 03/10/04
Having been raised in Conservative Judaism and coming to faith in Jesus back in 1973, I was intrigued that Mel Gibson would try to tackle such an important topic as the last 12 hours of Christ's life. I was so blessed to finally hear my Messiah speaking in the language of the first century. Early in the movie, Mary, the mother of Jesus, has a reaction right when they are arresting Jesus. She gets up from her bed and says, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" Mary recognized that her son was about to take on the role of the Passover Lamb. I saw many other connections related to the Lord's Supper (His Last Passover Seder) and the scenes surrounding the cross (especially because I've been privileged to present Messianic Seders the last 26 years). This movie has impacted forever how I will present my own Seder ceremonies this season and in seasons to come. Is it a perfect movie? Nope. Is it anti-Semitic? Not even close, unless you believe the biblical account is anti-Semitic. But is it the best and most gripping portrayal of our Savior on the big screen? You bet.
Stan Kellner
www.shereshministries.org
Painful Backbiting
posted 03/10/04
It's painful to read many of the comments that have been posted on this page and on the message boards. Jesus died that divisions might be healed, not propagated. I know I need to work at taking the plank out of my own eye first (Matt. 7:1-5); I pray that all believers everywhere would do likewise. The painful backbiting on these boards is surely grievous to our Lord.
E. Collison
Shock and Awe
posted 03/10/04
Watching The Passion of The Christ has made Christ's love very real to me. Watching the movie, I could barely breathe. I was terrified and shocked and awed. All I could think about was how ridiculous my little problems are, and how I put too much focus on them. I don't think I had a true understanding of the extent of Christ's love for us until I saw this movie. Walking out of the theatre my arms, legs, and voice were shaking. I have had a lump in my throat and been brought to tears many times over the last week just thinking about it, and I have re-read all four Gospels regarding the betrayal through crucifixion, and his love for us really became real for me.
Stacy Ployhar
Memories of Kane
posted 03/10/04
The Passion of The Christ may be one of the most skillfully produced films in history. Its perfectly blended cinematography, musical score, lighting, directing and acting conjure memories of Citizen Kane. The script wasn't bad either … and we know who wrote that.
Mike Lorenz
I've Been to Calvary
posted 03/10/04
I have been a pastor for 30 years and have preached on the cross many times. I will never preach the cross again without thinking about the realistic portrayal in The Passion. I felt like I had been to Calvary when I left the showing.
Michael Hale
No More Movies for 25 Years
posted 03/10/04
I am a 47-year-old "traditional Catholic" like Mel Gibson, and I'm very upset over "modernist Rome." However, Gibson has let me down by not keeping "The Passion" scriptural enough. Yes, I know Gibson has his own ideas about how the devil looks, but I say, "Get real, Mel. Isn't the Bible good enough for you?" One thing Mr. Gibson must learn is that we are obliged to spread the truth about Jesus, his life and his teachings. This was a distortion of that truth. My last movie theater visit (including video stores) was 25 years ago—until this movie. I will now return to the "deep freeze" and never see another Hollywood movie for another 25 years.
S. Jean McKibben
The Passion of a Priest
posted 03/10/04
I am a Roman Catholic priest and I will not celebrate the Mass the same after this movie, which reflects many important aspects of our Catholic faith: the value of Jesus' blood, role of Mary in the Passion, the importance of the human life of Jesus, etc.
Fr. Roberto Mena, S.T.
Once Was Enough
posted 03/10/04
I left the theater feeling like I had just had my eyes opened to the truth—that for 36 years had been kept from me—that I, along with millions, was protected from the true violence Christ experienced. I will not watch the movie again; there is no need to. Those images are forever engraved on my mind, heart and in my soul!
Darcy Suwinski
A Witness to His Suffering
posted 03/10/04
I do not like graphic movies, but I forced myself to watch The Passion. After what Christ did for me, it seemed dishonoring not to at least be a witness to his suffering. It gave me a new meaning to "share in my suffering." I found myself envious of the man who played Jesus because he actually took some of the lashing, which Jesus felt. Blessings on this.
Charisse Burton
A Second Coming Sequel?
posted 03/10/04
I would like to see Mel Gibson do a sequel on what it's going to be like when God comes back. That will get a lot of people scared and more people will get saved. Those Left Behind books were a great hit but they were fiction. Image if Mel did a movie based on how Revelation states it will happen. It will be another winner.
Debbie Walraven
What About the Kids?
posted 03/10/04
My girlfriend talked me into taking our kids to see The Passion, mine a 12-year-old boy, hers a 9-year-old girl. Gruesome and disturbing does not even come close to describing the scenes, particularly the lashes. Overdone and exaggerated. Wasn't it supposed to be 39 lashes? These seemed like 100. I stopped counting because I had to briefly leave the theater at the point where they switched from the sticks to the leash, and I cried outside. The kids were holding fine, yet I was ashamed to have them there. How this movie might have affected them, perhaps I'll never know. But last night in his bedtime prayers, my son really thanked Jesus for giving his life for him in such horrible way.
Mari Norris
"R" Is for Redemption
posted 03/10/04
There are no words that can express the emotions that ran through me during this film. How can we as Christians be a part of this and not see sin differently? I pray that I am forever a changed person for the better and that each and every day I am drawn closer to God because of The Passion. I love what my preacher said: "This movie is rated R, but that R stands for Redemption!"
Alicia Crawford-Georgia
Duped?
posted 03/10/04
I am shocked that evangelical Christian leaders jumped on the Passion bandwagon and asked so few questions of Mel Gibson and the content of the movie. I seriously wonder if these "leaders" have any biblical and theological sense. Someone invested 25-plus million dollars in a movie, works on it for ten years and they come up with that? The film assumed so much about the audience's knowledge of the Bible. It was out of touch with the typical American and their biblical illiteracy. The film's theology is no better than many other films that try to portray the person of Jesus Christ. The screen time given to Mary, Pilate's spouse, and Veronica (where is she in the Gospels?) was the stuff of legend and mythical tales. I really wish Mel had read the Book before making the movie. I am sure the Author of the Book has mixed feelings about the end result.
Jim Walker
Like No Other Movie
posted 03/10/04
This was the best movie my family and I have ever seen. It touched us like no other movie has ever before. My mom, my dad, and I have all read the story about the crucifixion from the Bible and heard it from preachers. But it never hit us how bad all the things Jesus went through just to take away the sins of the world.
Dawnya Mosley
Catholic Sensibilities
posted 03/10/04
Mel Gibson has truly created an artistic masterpiece. Even more importantly, he has fashioned a cinematic tribute to the glory and truth of Catholicism. A film of this caliber could never have been made by a Protestant. From its depiction of the Blessed Mother's prominent role in the narrative (comforting St. Peter and St. Magdalene as their "mother," viscerally experiencing the suffering of Our Lord, confronting Satan on the Via Dolorosa, to its masterful juxtaposition of the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Last Supper with that of Our Lord's Sacrifice on Calvary, The Passion boldly asserts its Catholic sensibility as no other film has for the last 40 years.
Robert Pickard
I'd Take My 2-Year-Old
posted 03/10/04
I let my 12-year-old daughter watch The Passion, and now that I've seen it, I would let my younger daughters, who are ages 2 & 4, watch it. I believe everyone should watch The Passion; it is a great movie and it is part of us. Our children nowadays play games on PlayStation and watch movies that are just as bloody and violent, but at least this is our history and not make-believe.
Sarah Miracle
Defending Catholics
posted 03/10/04
I take offense at the e-mail which said Mel Gibson and other Catholics are "lost" because they aren't Christians (see "Catholics Not Christians?" below). That movie showed the gospel message—that anyone who repents of their sins and accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior will be saved. The message of salvation was made clear, and what do you know—it was made clear by a Catholic. My message to all Protestants who are up there on their high horses: it is not your place to judge who is a Christian and who is not. That is God's business. (By the way, I'm not Catholic; I'm a Southern Baptist.)
Elizabeth Beane
Offending Hollywood
posted 03/10/04
An amazing thing has happened: Hollywood has finally been offended. I am a Christian husband, father and pastor, and all my life have been offended by what Hollywood produces. We are, as conscientious Christians, offended by the limits they push and the boundaries of decency they consistently trespass. And now, amazingly, what I thought was impossible has happened. Hollywood has been offended. They have finally found a film so awful, so despicable, so controversial that they have turned their heads. They can't watch. This film is so "bad" that even they could not support it. It came about as one daring "artist" filled with "expression" was willing to spend his own money to produce such a vile film. One would guess this film must have forged new ground in the areas of indecency, obscenity, or violence. What new thing did this entrepreneurial producer do to offend the unoffendable? Actually, what he did was not new at all, rather very old. Nearly 2000 years old. He simply told the story of Jesus Christ, and it offended them. The real controversy of this film is not the violence, or who really killed Jesus. Could it be they are concerned about themselves being guilty of something before God?
Rev. Troy Keaton
Gullible Christians?
posted 03/10/04
I continue to be amazed at how gullible we Christians can be. Mel Gibson has made a movie that is more about images than anything—images that come from "accepted visions" of former Catholic nuns. Now, part of the movie is true from Scripture, but a big part is heresy from visions. So we have a partly true and partly heretical movie—don't the Scriptures say, "What part has light with darkness?" Mel Gibson believes in the co-redeeming power of Mary and in mass and the other heresies of the Catholic church, and has incorporated his beliefs into this film. Evangelicals don't seem to care about the heresy involved. After all, I've been told, it's causing people to come to the Lord. So did 9/11, but I don't endorse flying planeloads of innocent people into towers to cause people to come to Christ. This would be pragmatism and God does not approve of that. Where is the discernment in the church?
Belinda Cummings
Brought Me Back to Christ
posted 03/02/04
After seeing the film, I was drawn to go back to my fundamentalist Christian upbringing and go to church Sunday morning for the first time in decades. It is the only film of many "Jesus films" I have seen, or sermons I have heard, that has made me understand the meaning of the Crucifixion. The pain Christ was willing to undergo for humanity's sake, and the torturous loss for his mother, Mary, was almost unbearable for me. As a mother, I cannot even imagine watching that kind of cruelty to my son and still seeing it necessary for the salvation of humankind. I was moved to re-examine all I was taught as a young person in church, which I had replaced with materialism, sinful behaviors, and greed, all of which left me empty and without a sense of place in the world. The Passion has revitalized Christian beliefs I did not realize I had lost over the years. I am gladly returning to Christianity.
Lori Scott
Catholics Not Christians?
posted 03/02/04
I am amazed at how you've decided to promote this film. Your article stated that Mel Gibson is a devout Catholic who believes that Mary is co-redemptrix with Jesus! In another story your writer, David Neff, stated that Mel Gibson is a Christian. Either Mr. Neff is a Catholic or he doesn't know that there is any difference. You stated that 5,000 pastors viewed this film with Mel Gibson. Did any of them have the love and compassion for this man to inform him that he is lost? You stated that they celebrated the Mass every day on the set. A Christian magazine should know that the Mass is blasphemy against God. I'm looking for the Christians who will stand up against this deception and state the truth: Catholicism is not Christian! We need to be evangelizing them and not becoming their good friends who act like we agree with them. I truly believe that our Lord has been dishonored by this film and what you have stated in your articles.
Mike Nathan
Violence = Truth
posted 03/02/04
I am disheartened by all of the hype that this movie is so incredibly graphic. Yes, I agree it is violent. However, the violence depicted in The Passion is truth—and yet, only a glimpse of the reality that Jesus Christ suffered and died for OUR sins. The violence is our own human sin, incarnate. So, in my opinion, depending on the maturity of the child and the extent of his/her personal understanding of the horrific price paid for our eternal salvation, I think it would be acceptable to show a child this film. Children fear what they are taught to fear.
Gloria Quitugua
Misguided Protestants?
posted 03/02/04
After hearing all sorts of endorsements from my fellow Protestants, I'm shocked. I felt tremendous disgust with the Protestant community for endorsing a movie that depicted events and people who were NOT in any of the four Gospels, a movie that even omitted or minimalized details and people who WERE in the Gospels in favor of details and people that are only found in Catholic tradition. Because of the overwhelming endorsement of the Protestant community for this film, unbelievers, the backsliders, and the biblically ignorant will be deceived into thinking that this films depicts the most accurate version of the Crucifixion—and it doesn't. The fact that so many prominent Protestants so heartily endorsed this movie shows that that you have no love of God in your hearts. (If you truly knew the Bible, you would know whom I was quoting.)
Teresa Ferguson
100 Stars for Mel
posted 03/02/04
Absolutely the most touching movie ever made. I watched the audience and it was stunning to see how people reacted. Not a sound—no coughing, clearing of throats, eating popcorn or getting up and stepping out to the rest room. And when it ended people, just sat there and watched the credits, then walked out with not a word spoken. Everyone was a changed person when they left the theater! Mel Gibson certainly worked through the hands of God, and he gets 100 stars for that movie!
Natalie DiBella
Mel's Got Guts
posted 03/02/04
Mel Gibson has got some guts! He told of the complete and finished work of Christ. How many of us would do what he has done? I loved the way he included the verse, "I am the way and the truth and the life; no man cometh to the father but by me." That ONE verse wipes out every denomination on earth, including Catholicism. No one can come to the Father but by the Son. Everyone needs to lay off Mel Gibson for a bit and watch what the Lord will do.
Melissa Hopkins
A Prayer of Thanks
posted 03/02/04
There are simply no words to describe the love Jesus showed for us by taking our sins upon himself and offering himself as a sacrifice for us. Even the love that I as a mother have for my daughter pales in comparison. To see The Passion of The Christ and not walk away affected by it is impossible. I was overcome by the enormity of what my Lord did for me. Thank you Lord Jesus for loving me so and for healing me with each and every one of the stripes you took and saving me with the blood you shed.
Regina Jones
New Look on Communion
posted 03/02/04
The phrase "by his stripes we are healed" now has true meaning for me. When I take communion next time, I will truly understand how he suffered and died for me and for us all.
L. Rutkowski
No Anti-Semitism
posted 03/02/04
Being brought up Jewish and later born again, my first thought was to go to the movie with an open mind, regardless of my true beliefs. As for anti-Semitism, there is none. Anyway, who killed Jesus is not the debate. We all killed him because it was for all of our sins he was chosen to die. I have never felt so grateful.
Sue Van Vliet
New Perspective
posted 03/02/04
Ever since seeing the movie, if I catch myself saying I feel bad, I think of what Jesus went through and never complained. So why should I? I encourage everyone to see this movie. It will change your life forever.
Angela Morrell
God's Chosen People
posted 03/02/04
Anti-Semitic? Note the first scene was a prediction 700 BC, stating unequivocally that salvation is Christ's suffering and death for the sins of the world. This had to be played out for the salvation of the world. How much more honored could the Jews be? From Jesus' birth to death, they were God's chosen people!
Muriel Goyette
Kudos to Mel
posted 03/02/04
I appreciate Mel Gibson's effort in making this film. Do I care if it is 100% true to Scripture? No. Do I care what critics have to say about this film? No. Do I care that Mel Gibson stuck to his convictions? Yes. My goodness, this film is supposed to open people's eyes, make them think about Jesus. I was unhappy to read that someone wants to know what Mel does with the profits. Newsflash: It's none of our business.
Bernadette Szollosi
Oscar-Worthy?
posted 03/02/04
Let this movie be next year's Golden Globe and Oscar winner. Let us, the public, stand up and tell Hollywood it is time to make movies like this. I believe this is the best movie I have ever seen come out of Hollywood.
DV Mealer
Support This Film!
posted 03/02/04
Christians need to show Hollywood that this is the kind of film we do support—one that does not use violence to entertain, but rather to convict and make real the sacrifice of our Lord. If we don't support this movie, why wouldn't Mel Gibson go back to making violent movies like Braveheart (yeah, I love it anyway) or overly sexual movies like What Women Want? If we want to see more Christian movies displaying true Christian values in Hollywood, we need to support the few that do and boycott the millions of others that don't. Put your money where your heart is.
Ali Asher
Woodstock, GA
Respect My Faith!
posted 03/02/04
I found the film to be moving, extremely well-cast, artistic, and inspirational. My positive mindset, however, was unfortunately darkened upon leaving the theater. I am a non-Christian and I very much detest evangelizing. Thus my constant source of annoyance and disrespect is served. Outside the theater, a group of local evangelists handed out propaganda. Being a polite, possibly slightly naive person, I smiled and took the material. The distributed package contained a booklet explaining why the Christian faith was right and any other opinion was ridiculously wrong. This booklet contained extremely disrespectful, patronizing words that shook me to the very core. Why must a moving, powerful motion picture like The Passion of The Christ be used in such a manipulative way? I respect your faith; try respecting mine!
Anthony Del Ciello
Beatiful and Terrible
posted 03/02/04
This unforgettable movie is both beautiful and terrible. Gripping from its opening frame, its message, "By his wounds we are healed," is inescapable. As Christ's blood began to flow from the cross, I recalled the words of William Cowper's poem: "There is a fountain fill'd with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins." And as the soldier pierced his side and was bathed in that fountain, the rest of Cowper's words were so appropriate: "And sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stain."
Ruth Hilbert
Editor's note: See our related story, "The Fountain Fill'd with Blood."
Worth Every Penny
posted 03/02/04
Thank God for Mel Gibson who had the strength, love of his Lord, and the money to make this film. If just one person gives his life to our Christ, then this movie is worth every penny it took to make it.
Patricia Butterworth
Sacrifice Hits Home
posted 03/02/04
I am 25 years old and attended a Catholic school. I have not been to church in some years and have never read the Bible. I do, however, remember being told about the sacrifice that Jesus went through for us. Until seeing this truthful and awe-inspiring movie, I can say it has never hit home before.
Aisha B. Sullivan
The Real Jewish Fear?
posted 03/02/04
In Michael Medved's discussion, he lists three reasons why Jews are fearful of possible anti-Semitic responses. But I believe the underlying fear that some Jews have with The Passion goes unstated, and it is this: In their hearts, the fear is, What if it is true, and he is the Messiah? Then we have missed the truth. So it is not that they would be culpable for Jesus that is so fearful. No, it is the fear that if Christ is indeed the very Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament, then they will be forced to confront their own belief that he was a charlatan and a liar claiming his own divinity. I'd also like to note that often, evangelicals make a utilitarian alliance with Israel and Zion nationalism without witnessing to individual Jews about the Good News of the Gospels. In this way they treat Jews as second-class humans. Please witness to your Jewish friends, not in an obnoxious or confrontational debate about this movie, but about what you believe and who you know Jesus Christ to be—our Living Savior.
Mike McNab
A Changed Person
posted 03/02/04
I'm a 14-year-old who saw The Passion, and I want to share how awesome I thought it was. I have never cried so much watching a movie. I would have never realized what Jesus did to rid us of our sins. I never really took church seriously. But after this movie, I'm a changed person. I want to go to church more and read the Bible.
Anthony Hernandez
What's Next for Mel?
posted 03/02/04
Peter T. Chattaway's review raises some interesting questions about Gibson's directorial intentions. He says, "In some ways, The Passion seems like a repudiation of much of his career to date … But The Passion also dwells, at considerable length, on the physical pain inflicted on Jesus. Has Gibson found a way to baptize, as it were, the sadistic or masochistic impulses of his other films? Is it possible he is indulging himself under the cover of religious piety?" I don't think there's much point in comparing the violence in Lethal Weapon, The Patriot, or Braveheart to the violence in The Passion because they are very different movies with very different agendas made by an artist at very different points in his career. In fact, I like to read The Passion as Gibson's "penance" for the ultraviolent, entertainment-for-entertainment's sake, Hollywood movies that he's starred in or directed previously. One scene in the film shows Gibson's own hands driving the nails that pin the Christ to the cross. Gibson is saying, "I'm destroying what I was in my past Hollywood life." He wants us to see him/his career on the cross. Critics are asking, "Can Gibson's Hollywood career survive The Passion?" But I don't think this is the right question; Gibson killed his Hollywood career with this film. The most authentic question to ask right now is, "Will Gibson transcend his Hollywood career after The Passion?" The Christ rose on the third day. What will Gibson do after his resurrection? More Hollywood trash or more courageous films like The Passion?
Joe Hall
Crucifixion No Tea Party
posted 03/02/04
Some critics are saying The Passion's depiction of Christ's suffering is too violent. I do not share this view at all. The death of Jesus was not a tea party; it was a gruesome judicial murder, and that is a historical fact. What do these critics think this was all about? A feel-good science fiction movie? What the world needs to know is that without the blood, there is no remission of sin. Mel Gibson couldn't have made the movie differently and be true to the Scriptures.
Richard Oduwole
An Appreciative Catholic
posted 03/02/04
Thanks for a fair and balanced article. But I have to admit I instinctively flinched when I saw it, bristling at what I thought would be an endorsement of the film, but replete with "footnotes" of, well, Catholic reservations from a CT review. Instead, what I found (to my pleasant surprise) was a largely fair and balanced take on the Catholic elements in the film. As a committed Catholic, I couldn't have loved the film more. I'm a "re-vert" to Catholic Christianity. After surrendering my life to Christ in my early 20s, I spent a very involved decade at Willow Creek (in leadership, coaching, et al). Then, after finishing an MA in Evangelism at Wheaton College, my wife and I joyfully returned home to the Catholic Church. I spent nearly a decade deeply engaged in evangelical culture before Christ pointed me to the next great adventure in the Catholic Church. All of that to say, there are indeed Catholic Christians who read CT regularly. We Catholics probably flinch at the prospect of getting hit with the old-school rhetoric from our evangelical brothers and sisters—i.e. if Catholics are Christians, it's in spite of their Church, and by the skin of their teeth. It's refreshing to read an article about The Passion that chose to celebrate its overpowering message and its largely Catholic sources—without disparaging it, co-opting it, or grasping (only) the evangelical elements, while distancing yourselves from any "questionable" Catholic practices (i.e., Stations of the Cross, Catholic Mystic inspiration, etc.). So, hats off to CT for heeding the words uttered during the highly Eucharistic Last Supper flashback in The Passion: "Love one another, as I have loved you."
Steve Smith
I Need to Be Born Again
posted 03/02/04
Now more than ever I need to be born again. After watching The Passion, everything that Jesus went through makes me even more aware of what I need to do, as well as my husband and my family—the ones that are not believers that is.
Genevieve Lawson
God's Fierce Love
posted 03/02/04
I am so glad, after seeing The Passion, that God's love for us is fierce, and powerful, strong and compelling. I have a much better feel for what has been done for me. It is much easier to be good, and kind, and patient, and gentle, and giving. I am very thankful for the visible turn around in Mel Gibson, from Mad Max of the excessive '80s, what a powerful about-face we have witnessed in this man.
Merrilee S. Brock
Heaven's Applause
posted 03/01/04
I must say that The Passion of The Christ was the most phenomenal thing I've ever witnessed. My profound thanks to Mel Gibson for depicting what I have heard all my life—Jesus died for me because he loved me. I am quite sure that the Father, Jesus and all of Heaven are applauding Gibson's passion to get such a profound message to the world. He was brave to ignore all the sneers, jeers and accusations to tell the story of Jesus.
Sheila Jones
Difficult to Watch
posted 03/01/04
It was very difficult to watch. There were many scenes that I just could not look at—the terrible, inhumane way Jesus was treated, and he allowed it! It makes me love him more and to be more bold in my testimony for him.
Sherrill E. Kilgas
We All Killed Jesus
posted 03/01/04
This film is not about whether Jews or Romans killed Jesus. It is as Mel Gibson said: No one people killed Christ; we all bear the blame, for it is our sins that required him to suffer and die. Thankfully he rose again to forgive all our sins.
Jay Dombach
Mel's Mass?
posted 03/01/04
Some have said the film is Mel Gibson's Mass. I would characterize it as a film of a medieval passion play. Gibson drew heavily upon the order of events (Stations of the Cross) and medieval imagery that, in turn, became standard actions of the passion plays. One action that serves as an example occurs after the first hand was nailed. There was a shot of the right hand not quite reaching the hole for its nail. A hand entered the frame, pointing out the distance to be covered. Then, following the convention of the medieval passion play, a soldier tied a rope to his wrist and pulled at it to get the arm to stretch. Patristic interpretations of the Old Testament resulted in this bit of action becoming, in the medieval depictions, a part of the "reality" of what happened at the crucifixion—necessary because of the description in Psalm 22 of his bones being out of joint (v. 14).
J. Wesley Baker, Ph.D.
Ineffective Evangelism
posted 03/01/04
I am a pastor who has seen the film and agrees with virtually everything that was expressed by the pastors you interviewed, with one distinct exception: I do not believe this is an effective evangelism tool. Every secular review I have heard focuses on the brutality and misses the relationships and character developments. I believe this is because these characters can't be clearly understood in the film without first having intimate, devotional knowledge of them. It is thus understandable that non-Christians find these characters flat and can respond only to the violence and blood. I predict that Christians who take non-believers to this film will spend time responding to questions about the plot than questions about faith.
Morgan Murray
Purposeful Bloodshed
posted 03/01/04
Saw the movie with our small group. Here's what I plan to say to someone who is saved that hasn't seen or may be hesitant about seeing the movie: "If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the violence will make sense." To those who aren't saved, I'd say: "You may have seen movies with senseless bloodshed, but this is a movie about purposeful bloodshed."
Michael Bonville
I Take the Blame
posted 03/01/04
My daughter and I saw the movie. During the scourging scene my first thought was "we" all put those stripes on his body. But the longer he was whipped, the more personal it became: "I" put those stripes, bruises, nail holes on him. I could no longer point a finger at anyone else, I had to take the blame. The guilt I felt over what my sin had done to a perfect, sinless lamb was overwhelming. Thank you Mel Gibson for allowing yourself to be used as an instrument of God. I truly believe God gave you a successful career specifically for the making of this film.
Victoria Clark
The Passion and Terrorism
posted 03/01/04
What has been lost among all the dialogue is the opportunity to evaluate our response (both as individual Christians and as a nation led by an avowed Christian president) to the terrorist attacks. Mel Gibson says the message of The Passion of The Christ is that Christ did not seek revenge—"justice" in today's PC speak—on his enemies. He did not use his superpowers to smash his enemies and prove his righteousness. His was not an Old Testament response to evil; it was a response grounded in the New Testament covenant of forgiveness and love. Christ sacrificed his life in an act of love for his enemies. Was our response to 9/11 Christlike?
Karen A. Schulze
I'll Never Be the Same
posted 02/26/04
I saw The Passion of The Christ with people of my church. I never cried so much in my life. I felt Jesus' pain, and I felt the pain his mother went through—especially being a Mother of two myself. I really believe that we need to see what Jesus went through. It made me look at my own life and made me think that all those beatings he took was for me and my sins. I will never be the same again.
Cheri Lee Testa
Evangelicals and Catholics
posted 02/26/04
Thank you for your fair and balanced article on why evangelical Christians would embrace a solidly Catholic movie. Your ecumenical-theological analysis was accurate regarding Catholic devotion and prayer, and the Catholic understanding of the Holy Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. More importantly, your article demonstrated that evangelicals and Catholics have much to talk about. I find it strange in my tradition (the Catholic Church) that we are more than ready to reach out to non-Christian faiths and to liberal Protestant traditions, but do not afford the same charity and good will toward our evangelical brothers. Perhaps that last statement is a prayer …
Rev. David Naylor
The Devil Can't Stop It
posted 02/26/04
Hooray for Mel Gibson. I have some small inkling about how difficult it has been, both in the production and after completion. I know the Devil is alive and well, so I can only imagine the forces that have been against this, but I know we will be better off and blessed for having seen it. God is in this production, and how timely it is.
Sharon McDade
About Prophets, or Profits?
posted 02/26/04
Does anyone know what Mel Gibson plans to do with the money he makes from the film? Rightly or wrongly, people will watch closely to see how he uses any profits. Will he give all of his profits to the Church, or to help people in need? If he keeps it for himself, wasn't he just in it for the money all along? Did he just use/manipulate the Christian community for a profit?
Matthew Scott
Boycott Hollywood?
posted 02/26/04
Why would a Christian go to any Hollywood movie, regardless of the content?
Dave Willis
"I Love Him All the More"
posted 02/26/04
I've seen the film, and I'm struggling to find the right words, but the feeling inside is the mixture of joy and sadness over the reality of the Sacrifice. The sacrifice of the Incarnate One was as real as the flesh that was bruised and bloodied and torn open. Mel Gibson's inspired artistry gets to the heart of the gospel: It's about what Jesus has done for the whole world. He paid the price. Our sin whipped every inch of his sinless body. Our hatefulness and wickedness drove the spikes through his hands and feet. Our self-centeredness raised the cross, and our darkness snuffed out the Light of the World … but not for long. After watching the movie, an Iranian friend, whom I had the privilege of baptizing several years ago, said in her beautiful accent, "I love him all the more, I love him all the more." By all means, see this film and you too will love him more.
Reverend Steven S. Bryant
Medved a Voice of Reason
posted 02/26/04
I found "The Passion and Prejudice" by Michael Medved to be a really honest and thought-provoking article. As a Christian, it helped me understand why there is such a fear of anti-Semitism among the Jewish community. More importantly, he seems to be a voice of reason within the Jewish community on how to best deal with these very real fears. As he stated, there has been a lot of progress in the relations between the Christian and Jewish communities in recent times. Let's not divide over a movie that was created for the purpose of showing the love of God and his sacrifice for the salvation of his people, both Jews and Gentiles alike.
Robin Franklin
Movie as Metaphor
posted 2/25/04
Thank you for "The Passion of Mel Gibson." I was happy to hear about the extent of his personal faith. And I appreciated that you noted the movie used some extra-biblical sources; I think Protestants should be aware of this. But, as you implied, this need not be a problem if we realize that this movie is metaphorical as well as literal. I also appreciated what you said about the graphic nature of the movie. I probably will not see it, because graphic movies disturb me beyond what seems edifying. But even if I don't see it, it helps to understand why Mel Gibson made it that way.
Helen Mildenhall
The Old, Old Story
posted 2/25/04
This article brings back memory of the well-loved old hymn, "Lead Me to Calvary," penned in 1921.Yes, our generation needs to be reminded of Christ's great sacrifice at Calvary. It is the old, old story. However, this generation is more visual than literal, therefore, Gibson's movie will hopefully drive home that age-old message into the consciousness of millions. Right on!
Perlita Lim Uyboco
Thank You, Mel
posted 2/25/04
Thank God for Mel Gibson's Passion to tell the story of Christ's suffering for our sins—the sins of Jews, Muslims, Catholics, the sins of this present world, the generations past and the generations to come. Hopefully, this film will rekindle the desire for God's people to humbly acknowledge our personal participation in the sufferings of his Son.
Ron Bissonette
A Good Reminder
posted 2/25/04
Nice article about Mel Gibson and his Passion for the Christ. It is so refreshing to see someone of his Hollywood stature open his heart and put it on film for all the world to see. Hollywood can be such an ugly place, and even uglier toward Christians. We all need to be reminded of what Christ went through for us, and that there is indeed a spiritual battle going on even now for our very souls. God bless Mel Gibson for reminding us of what we have caused our Lord to endure on our behalf.
Quinn Riley
A Grateful Catholic
posted 2/25/04
I would like to thank you for actually considering us Catholics as Christians. Unfortunately, a lot of my Christian brothers and sisters are so busy bashing my faith, and ridiculing me, it was actually nice to read something that did not discriminate and slander my faith.
Mark Lodge
Mel's Bandwagon?
posted 2/25/04
I am very concerned that evangelical Christianity has jumped on Mel Gibson's bandwagon without even beginning to investigate his personal view of the true biblical gospel. For example, he told Diane Sawyer, "The Holy Ghost gave me the one true version of what happened." (Wow, I thought the Bible was a closed edition.) He told Sawyer, "We are all children of God," and "It is possible for people who are not even Christians to get into the kingdom of heaven." (Universalism, plain and simple.) Your article stated that Gibson "goes beyond many Catholics when he calls [Mary] 'a tremendous co-redemptrix and mediatrix.'" (What happened to One Mediator between God and Man?) I could go on and on. My concern is that churchgoers have simply given up on reading the Bible for themselves and are depending on others, with no concern about correct theological leanings, to do their brain work for them. In short we are a lazy bunch. When The Passion opens, I think I might just re-read Jonathan Edwards' sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"—and speculate as to how this could be made into a great movie.
Glenn Gabbard
Pointed Questions
posted 2/25/04
I find it disturbing that evangelicals are not asking Mel Gibson pointed questions about his Traditionalist Catholic beliefs. Gibson isn't saying anything more or different about salvation than any typical Catholic would. Galatians teaches that there can be only ONE gospel—Christ alone, nothing else. Traditionalist Roman Catholics reject the Protestant Reformation, reject faith alone, reject Christ alone. Therefore, they reject the one gospel. If Mel Gibson really believes what he says he believes, then he doesn't believe the true gospel. Yet evangelicals are hesitant, perhaps scared, to point this out. The almost hysterical enthusiasm for Gibson & this movie is disturbing, as it is blurring the lines of the gospel.
Wally Morr
More Feedback Wanted
posted 03/02/04
We are an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Spring Arbor University (Michigan) and Regent University (Virginia) interested in obtaining more complete information on the reactions of moviegoers to the film. If you'd like to share your observations with us, please click here. After collecting and analyzing the data from various websites and listservs, we'll issue a press release to the mainstream media. Additional academic publications are planned as well.
Robert Woods, Ph.D.
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