Mel Gibson takes it easy on the Jews
Gibson could not have made an honest presentation of the source material that showed the Jews more favorably than what he did.
Posted in Blogcritics on March 1, 2004 06:02 PM
Safire Slams Passion: "The bloodiest, most brutal example of sustained sadism ever presented on the screen"
Okay, back to Mel: the NY Times remains consistent in its disapproval of The Passion. Conservative commentator William Safire sees the fim as inflaming anti-Semitism: The word "passion" is rooted in the Latin for "suffer." Mel Gibson's movie about the...
Posted in Blogcritics on March 1, 2004 12:01 PM
The Passion appeals to the unwary
Another type of defender hails from the 'it is just a movie' school of thought.
Posted in Blogcritics on March 1, 2004 01:31 AM
"Passion" is the Last Refuge of Scoundrels
Governor John Rowland, R-Connecticut, who is under criminal investigation for robbing the state blind, praised "The Passion of the Christ" on Sunday.
Posted in Blogcritics on February 29, 2004 07:27 PM
Nasty, Brutish And Anything But Short
TOH & I went to see The Passion of the Christ last night. Neither one of us is a devout Christian, but we were both quite curious. I have some comments about both the film and the (pre-)reaction to it....
Posted in Blogcritics on February 29, 2004 02:34 PM
The Violent Passion of The Christ
The Passion of The Christ relies on violence, violence and more violence to get an emotional response from the audience.
Posted in Blogcritics on February 29, 2004 07:26 AM
How to Get Yourself Killed At The Passion of Christ
Start up a chorus of "Always Looking On the Bright Side of Life" as the movie wanes.
Posted in Blogcritics on February 29, 2004 12:54 AM
A Catholic Tells Mel "No"
I told you the NY Times is not digging Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. Today they have a Catholic writer, Mary Gordon, voicing her displeasure with the movie: I can look at "The Passion of the Christ" only...
Posted in Blogcritics on February 28, 2004 07:31 PM
Blood and Boys
I freely admit that's an ugly, sensationalistic title, but what an interesting coincidence that two reports on child molestation by Catholic priests were released today, just two days after Mel Gibson's deeply "Catholic" bloodbath of a film about the last...
Posted in Blogcritics on February 27, 2004 04:42 PM








Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Never Knew
Now its CONFIRMED...Jews killed Jesus.
2 - Eric Olsen
Yes, clearly they had the Romans under their world-domination-Elders-of-Zion magical spell and forced them to savagely torture him to death, just before baking bread out of Islamic children. Thanks for the input.
3 - Trish
Remember the quote, "For those who have faith, no proof is necessary; for those who do not, no proof is possible"?
Along the same lines, for those who believe in Jesus as the Christ, this film will strengthen your faith. For those who deny that Christ is the Messiah, as evidenced from the scathing and malicious "reviews" I've read here, they are scraping and clawing for insults to hurl at Mel Gibson and his film. Hurl away! You won't be the first to cast stones.
4 - Mac Diva
Frankly, I'm personally indifferent about religion, Trish. Morals are a different matter. Religion and morals are not synonymous, you know? My concern here is that religion might be used as a method to do harm to human relations. If the film was coming from some other religious tradition and equally divisive, I would still be concerned.
5 - Eric Olsen
This has nothing to do with Christians vs. non-Christians - there are many Christians - including myself - who are concerned about the emphasis of the film. Christians, including Catholics, are some of the film's most vehement critics. They don't buy Gibson's vision as representing their own.
6 - debra hendry
Dear "ALL" I have yet to see this film, but I have read masses upon masses of reviews, insults, praise about it, and one thing has come to mind. You cannot blame a film for enciting jew hating maniacs, you either are one or you are not. I find it a total insult to any human being on this planet to suggest a film can be responsible for hatred of the jews or any other belief system. I myself will go to see the film on it's release in Britain and no matter what I may think of it I WILL NOT come away with the feeling that somehow the jewish people are responsible for jesus death, this is probably because I have my own beliefs in spiritual matters and no one will change that, as I am sure most people on this planet who has any sanity will not be turned into pyschopathic religious haters. So my message being, all you subjective bigots out there "GET A LIFE ITS ONLY A FILM", if we all had this reaction to the horrors that actually do go on in this world we could eradicate it over night.
7 - Corey
This movie isnt just a movie, it is a movie that every one in the world sould see. This is the most awesome movie I have ever seen, the title is perfect and I think Mel did a wondreful job on his first movie.
8 - Eric Olsen
Have you heard of Braveheart?
9 - Dizzy
HAHAH!!! FIRST?!?! Eric is correct..Mel directed and starred in Braveheart..and did MUCH BETTER before he was claiming that "God made his bed in the mornings." I am not religious, in the sense that I do not follow a particular religion. But, I refuse to see this movie for the fact that it deifies a man..say what you will of belief, but if Yaseph Christos actually existed, he was a mere mortal..with a powerful message of peace. It is a shame he was killed, and an even bigger shame his teachings were perverted into what most people now claim to be "Christianity."
10 - Rich
Great discussion of the movie (and lots of its surrounding controversy) by a Hollywood film critic Michael Medved:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/commentaries/passion-prejudice.html
http://www.towardtradition.org/article_Passion_Medved.htm
Level-headed and respectful to both Jewish and Christian traditions...
11 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Rich!
12 - Thomas
I hope many repent( change their minds about the way they have been living) and ask Christ to forgive their sin and live for Him. John 3:16.
13 - Bart
So Christos was his last name....dizzy? lol
14 - Eric Olsen
I thought his last name was "Josephson."
15 - Joe
My dad told me it was Aitchkrist.
16 - Andrea Calabrese
Service to God vs. Excess for Oneself
I would never be so disrespectful to let such inhumane cruelty go on before me.
The women in this movie made me sick.
There should of been more passages to the Bible.
They left Joseph out of the film? Joseph is in the manger scene. He should have been in the movie. Mary--in the film--is as sick and sadistic as the rest of them--I don't believe that is the truth. If she was the mother of God, then I doubt God could have made it possible for her to have been so ignorant.
www.joematters.com
17 - josh
Good grief!!!
18 - poopiepants
Andrea, you sure are a silly one. Mary was not the mother of "God" She was the vessel used to bring Jesus into this world. God has no mother. I wonder about your mother, was she there for you? Did she die?
19 - reallyhuh
Poopiepants,
Mary "is" the Mother of God !
Where did you learn your "version of religion" ? What are you ? Baptist ?
20 - Shark
"Where did you learn your "version of religion"? What are you? Baptist?
Whoa! NOW the insults are really startin' to fly!!
I'm not sure the First Amendment covers this kinda talk...
21 - Sandra Smallson
I haven't seen it yet but I am looking forward to seeing it when it comes out here in the UK. What I do find funny though is how there's always an uproar when there is a movie about Christ. From Jesus of Nazareth to right now. Yet, movies about other religions can be made without the same uproar. I understand the jews have a problem with the movie. It depicts them as having killed Christ. Well, if they did not kill Christ, who killed the fella? Everybody makes movies from their own perspective and point of view. Gibson is a Christian, it is our belief that the Jews killed Christ. So the Bible says. The movie is about Christ, therefore he was in no position for the sake of political correctness to edit that part out of the movie. I don't understand where the accusation of anti-semitism comes in. If all the Germans had stood up in arms after the making of Schindlers list claiming that it depicted Germans in a bad light, since the holocaust and the atrocities within were commited by Germans, what would the Jews have said? The Jews killed Jesus, even Jesus is no longer annoyed:)so the Bible says, neither are we Christians. It happened 2000 years ago. This is a movie about that time. Why cant people just watch it or not watch it. Whatever pleases them. Its okay to watch Kill Bill with all its violence but when the whipping of Christ is graphically displayed in this movie, suddenly violence is a no-no. Give me a break. I applaud Gibson just as I applauded Spielberg when he made his movie showing the suffering of the jews. No religuos sect, race, or gender is entitled to the sole ownership of grief or suffering or injustice. Everybody's got a tale to tell. People should stop throwing wild accusations all over the place.
As an aside may I just add that, Mary was the vessel that was used to bring Christ to this world, therefore she was/is the mother of Christ. Christians believe God is in three persons, God the father, God the son and God the holy ghost. In that sense, you find christians who call mary the mother of God. God, Jesus, we are splitting hairs here. The point of the matter is that of all the women in the world, she was chosen to bring the son of God into this world. So, yes, she wasn't just a "vessel".
22 - sheri
Considering their horrific past, I would say Jews had reason enough to be concerned that the movie might cause antisemitism. A dear Jewish friend of mine, when discussing Israel, put it this way..."we are ..such a TINY nation..."
23 - shaun
yeah, such a tiny nation with way too much power, they have the most power army in the world!!
24 - Eric Olsen
they are the JEW DEFENDERS (portentious and stirring klezmer music plays)
25 - Sandra Smallson
But thats what I am saying Sheri...many communities have horrific pasts. A horrific past is not exclusive to the Jews...I am about to laugh about the Tiny nation comment, but I'm not sure..am I supposed to laugh?;)