"The Passion of Christ" MOVIE should christians

[Hvnly1Rose]

Remember -- this film is based on Mel Gibson's interpretations of then scripture. First and foremost this is a MOVIE. A movie made to make $$$. And I heard it will be rated R so think about if young children really need to be seeing it.... I plan to see it and I hope it's good. But it's not the answer to all of our prayers. It is JUST A MOVIE.

River, you are a cynic! How are you able to know the mind of another man, or that he wasn't given a vision from God (not that he was)? The point is, if it is from God it will complete its intended purpose no matter if it makes "$$$" or not. As for children watching this, as long as they are at an age to where they have an understanding of what Jesus did for us then by all means they should have the visual. If they are too young to have an understanding then by all means to not scare them. As for an answer to prayers, how are you to know that it isn't? It may be "JUST A MOVIE" but God can use any means to get someones attention, and in this day and age we are highly focused on being "entertained". DO NOT limit God by putting him in a box.

Blessings~Rose

[Guest yod]

Regardless, if it captures the emotion of the event and is true to the Gospel account, I will buy the DVD and show it at the jail.

Hey Wayne,

I was at a CBA convention in Indianapolis last week where they were giving a viewing of the movie. I had to leave early so I didn't see it. The rumor was that Mel would be there to answer questions. Dang, I wish I could have stayed just a few more hours!

But I met a messianic rabbi (Ralph Messer) who has done an amazing thing. He has got a cirriculum which teaches Torah in the prisons of Colorado and it's funded by the federal government. Not only does the government buy all the materials needed to teach the course, they also pay the inmates to complete it (if they pass). They give them $25 and hour for the 30 hour course. Colorado has concluded that over %50 of inmates who complete the course never go back to jail.

I was stunned and amazed! I told him that I wished we could get it into Texas jails and he said that the Fed will fund this program in ANY state or federal prison.

It sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? My mom is checking on it today

ANYONE interested in this can see it online at http://www.torah.tv/

I've got his phone number if you want to contact him

[mobile21]

No you are very wrong. Mel is a very devout Catholic. I have many Catholic friends and they have brought article after article to prove their points.

Like I said, I'm not 100% sure he is a lefvebrist but everything points in that direction, the thing is that lefevbrists don't openly say what they are, they always say the are "catholics" just to deceive more people.

And as in the the same gospel yes our message is similar but when you start comparing the Catholic Churches doctrines to the word of God 95% of the time the RCC doctrine contradicts the word of God.

If by the "word of God" you mean "the word of Martin Luther", you are wrong.

[Guest shadow2b]

-Like I said, I'm not 100% sure he is a lefvebrist but everything points in that direction, the thing is that lefevbrists don't openly say what they are, they always say the are "catholics" just to deceive more people

-WeLLLLLL,I've been on this here planet quite a number of years & I have"NEVER"even heard of

-this word a'fore sooooo,just"what"is one of them folks that err defined as that & whutT duzz they

-actually believe??shhhhheeeeessssshhhhhh somethang horree-bull I betcha-

[Guest dove2]

I didn't have time to read this, but think that this is what Mobile is talking about.

Introduction to the Lefebvrist schism

http://www.cin.org/users/james/files/l-intro.htm

[Guest yod]

OK

I read it

what did it say?

[His son]

That is absolutely nothing from or about God. That is completely a mans system, and there is absolutely no way God would support it. It doesn't matter how much anyone proclaims the Truth of God, if they do it from the wrong relationship, God can use it if He desires to, but they with their lives, are serving satan.

[irishcowboy]

A friend sent me the following about the movie I dont know if it is totally true or not, however, there was a question earlier on in this thread if they even show the empty tomb....... this may answer some other questions:

Subject: Paul Harvey Comments on "The Passion" by Mel Gibson

The majority of the media are complaining about this

movie. Now Paul Harvey tells "The rest of the story" and David Limbaugh praises Gibson. Most people

would wait and see a movie before giving the reviews

that have been issued by the reporters trying to tell all of us what to believe.

Paul Harvey's words:

I really did not know what to expect. I was thrilled

to have been invited to a private viewing of Mel Gibson's film "The Passion," but I had also read all the cautious articles and spin. I grew up in a Jewish town and owe much of my own faith journey to the influence. I have a

life long, deeply held aversion to anything that might even indirectly encourage any form of anti-Semitic thought, language or actions.

I arrived at the private viewing for "The Passion",

held in Washington DC and greeted some familiar faces. The environment was typically Washingtonian, with people greeting you with a smile but seeming to look

beyond you, having an agenda beyond the words. The

film was very briefly introduced, without fanfare, and then the room darkened. From the gripping opening scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the very human and tender

portrayal of the earthly ministry of Jesus, through

the betrayal, the arrest, the scourging, the way of the cross, the encounter with the thieves, the surrender on the Cross, until the final scene in the empty tomb, this

was not simply a movie; it was an encounter, unlike

anything I have ever experienced.

In addition to being a masterpiece of film-making

and an artistic triumph, "The Passion" evoked more deep reflection, sorrow and emotional reaction within me than anything since my wedding, my ordination or the birth of my children. Frankly, I will never be the same. When

the film concluded, this "invitation only" gathering of "movers and shakers" in Washington, DC were shaking indeed, but this time from sobbing. I am not sure there was a dry eye in the place. The crowd that had been

glad-handing before the film was now eerily silent. No one could speak because words were woefully

inadequate. We had experienced a kind of art that is

a rarity in life, the kind that makes heaven touch earth.

One scene in the film has now been forever etched in

my mind. A brutalized, wounded Jesus was soon to fall again under the weight of the cross. His mother had made her way along the Via Della Rosa. As she ran to him, she

flashed back to a memory of Jesus as a child, falling in the dirt road outside of their home. Just as she reached to

protect him from the fall, she was now reaching to touch his wounded adult face.

Jesus looked at her with intensely probing and passionately loving eyes (and at all of us through the

screen) and said "Behold I make all things new."

These are words taken from the last Book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelations. Suddenly, the

purpose of the pain was so clear and the wounds,

that earlier in the film had been so difficult to see in His face, His back, indeed all over His body, became ntensely beautiful. They had been borne voluntarily for love.

At the end of the film, after we had all had a chance to recover, a question and answer period ensued. The unanimous praise for the film, from a rather diverse crowd, was as astounding as the compliments were effusive. The questions included the one question that seems to follow this film, even though it has not yet even been released. "Why is this film considered by some to be "anti-Semitic?" Frankly, having now experienced (you do not "view" this film) "the Passion" it is a question that is impossible to answer. A law professor whom I admire sat in front of me. He raised his hand and responded "After watching this film, I do not understand how anyone can

insinuate that it even remotely presents that the Jews killed Jesus. It doesn't." He continued "It made me realize that my sins killed Jesus" I agree. There is not a scintilla of anti-Semitism to be found anywhere in this powerful film. If there were, I would be among the first to decry it.

It faithfully tells the Gospel story in a dramatically beautiful, sensitive and profoundly engaging way.

Those who are alleging otherwise have either not seen the film or have another agenda behind their protestations. This is not a "Christian" film, in the sense that it will appeal only to those who identify themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. It is a deeply human, beautiful story that will

deeply touch all men and women. It is a profound work of art. Yes, its producer is a Catholic Christian and thankfully has remained faithful to the Gospel text; if that is no longer acceptable behavior then we are all in trouble. History demands that we remain faithful to the story and Christians have a right to tell it. After all, we believe that

> it is the greatest story ever told and that its message is for all men and women. The greatest right is the right to hear the truth.

We would all be well advised to remember that the

Gospel narratives to which "The Passion" is so faithful were written by Jewish men who followed a Jewish Rabbi whose life and teaching have forever changed the history of the world. The problem is not the message but those who have distorted it and used it for hate rather than love. The solution is not to censor the message, but rather to promote the kind of gift of love that is Mel Gibson's

filmmaking masterpiece, "The Passion."

It should be seen by as many people as possible. I intend to do everything I can to make sure that is the case. I am passionate about "The Passion." You will be as well. Don't miss it!

This is a commentary by DAVID LIMBAUGH about

Mel Gibson's very controversial movie regarding

Christ's crucifixion. It, too, is well worth reading. MEL GIBSON'S passion for "THE PASSION"

How ironic that when a movie producer takes artistic

license with historical events, he is lionized as artistic, creative and brilliant, but when another takes special care to be true to the real-life story, he is vilified. Actor-producer Mel Gibson is discovering these truths the hard way as he is having difficulty finding a United States

studio or distributor for his upcoming film, "The Passion," which depicts the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus Christ.

Gibson co-wrote the script and financed, directed

and produced the movie.

For the script, he and his co-author relied on the

New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, as well as the diaries of St. Anne Catherine

Emmerich (1774-1824) and Mary of Agreda's "The City

of God."

Gibson doesn't want this to be like other sterilized

religious epics. "I'm trying to access the story on a very personal level and trying to be very real about it." So committed to realistically portraying what many would

> consider the most important half-day in the history

> of the universe, Gibson even shot the film in the Aramaic language of the period. In response to

objections that viewers will not be able to understand that language, Gibson said, "Hopefully, I'll be able to transcend the language barriers with my visual storytelling; if I fail, I fail, but at least it'll be a monumental failure."

To further insure the accuracy of the work, Gibson

has enlisted the counsel of pastors and theologians, and has received rave reviews. Don Hodel, president of Focus on the Family, said, "I was very impressed. The movie is historically and theologically accurate." Ted

Haggard, pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., and president of the National Evangelical Association, glowed: "It conveys, more accurately than any other film, who Jesus was."

During the filming, Gibson, a devout Catholic, attended Mass every morning because "we had to be squeaky clean just working on this." From Gibson's perspective, this movie is not about Mel Gibson. It's bigger than he is.

"I'm not a preacher, and I'm not a pastor," he said.

"But I really feel my career was leading me to make this. The Holy Ghost was working through me on this film, and I was just directing traffic. I hope the film has the power

to evangelize."

Even before the release of the movie, scheduled for

March 2004, Gibson is getting his wish. "Everyone who worked on this movie was changed. There were agnostics and Muslims on set converting to Christianity...[and] people being healed of diseases." Gibson wants people to

understand through the movie, if they don't already, the incalculable influence Christ has had on the world.

And he grasps that Christ is controversial precisely

because of WHO HE IS - GOD incarnate. "And that's the point of my film really, to show all that turmoil around him politically and with religious leaders and the people,

all because He is Who He is."

Gibson is beginning to experience first hand just how controversial Christ is. Critics have not only speciously challenged the movie's authenticity, but have charged that it is disparaging to Jews, which Gibson vehemently denies. "This is not a Christian vs. Jewish thing.

'[Jesus] came into the world, and it knew him not.' Looking at Christ's crucifixion, I look first at my own culpability in that." Jesuit Father William J. Fulco, who

translated the script into Aramaic and Latin, said he saw no hint of anti-Semitism in the movie. Fulco added, "I would be aghast at any suggestion that Mel Gibson is anti-Semitic."

Nevertheless, certain groups and some in the mainstream press have been very critical of Gibson's "Passion."

The New York Post's Andrea Peyser chided him: "There

is still time, Mel, to tell the truth." Boston Globe columnist James Carroll denounced Gibson's literal reading of the biblical accounts. "Even a faithful repetition of the Gospel stories of the death of Jesus can do damage exactly because those sacred texts themselves carry the virus of Jew hatred," wrote Carroll. A group of Jewish and Christian academics has issued an 18-page report slamming all aspects of the film, including its undue emphasis on Christ's passion rather than "a broader vision." The report disapproves of the movie's treatment of Christ's passion as historical fact.

The moral is that if you want the popular culture to laud your work on Christ, make sure it either depicts Him as a

homosexual or as an everyday sinner with no particular redeeming value (literally). In our anti-Christian culture, the blasphemous "The Last Temptation of Christ" is celebrated and "The Passion" is condemned. But if this movie continues to affect people the way it is now, no amount of cultural opposition will suppress its force and

its positive impact on lives everywhere. Mel Gibson is a model of faith and courage.

[Guest yod]

Frankly, I will never be the same

everyone says that!

The moral is that if you want the popular culture to laud your work on Christ, make sure it either depicts Him as a

homosexual or as an everyday sinner with no particular redeeming value (literally).

amen. May many come to faith in Yeshua!

[kjvtrue]

A few questions here:

I looked in the Dictionary for the word "anti-Semitism" but, couldn't find it, "what dose anti-Semitism mean?"

Dose this movie represent Jesus or Mock Jesus?

Why is this movie rated R?

Is Mel Gibson a Christian?

Is this movie in Spanish, with parographs translating to English?