Comments on: More passion for The Passion

By: Julie Anne Fidler

Julie Anne Fidler — Sat, 24 Apr 2004 07:21:42 +0000

I agree, to a point.
No normal human being could take that kind of torture and live that long.

But then again, this was Jesus Christ. He wasn’t just another Joe Average human being. I think it’s just as irrational to say he COULDN’T have survived such a terrible experience before being nailed to the cross itself. After all, the Bible does say that “He was so disfigured, he was barely recognizable as a human being.”

By: Rich D

Rich D — Thu, 22 Apr 2004 20:59:21 +0000

Interesting comments Richard. I hadn’t really looked at it that way before.

I wonder if the violence was excessive to the point of being unrealistic, simply because Gibson understands cinema so well? To an audience already aclimatised to graphic violence, the extra step had to be taken to hammer home just what Jesus did by suffering the crucifiction. Otherwise it might not have provoked the emotional resonse Gibson was looking for…

Whether this was justified or not is another discussion… other people have taken the gospel and “polished” it to impact a specific audience- Eugene Peterson’s “The Message” springs to mind. And I think Peterson takes a lot of liberties in his post-modern interpretation of scripture… more so than Gibson does in his own “polishing” of the passion to a cinema audience.

By: Richard Hall

Richard Hall — Thu, 22 Apr 2004 18:32:31 +0000

Swan - I think that some of the “over reaction’ of critics is in response to the adulation that has been heaped upon Mel Gibson for this film. We’re going to have to “agree to disagree” over the way Jesus is presented.

PM - thanks for your kind words.

By: pmPilgrim

pmPilgrim — Thu, 22 Apr 2004 05:17:28 +0000

Richard- Thank you. Thoughtful and important post. This is one of the things I have been afraid to blog about, but will probably link to this and give my amen and thoughts to it as well. Thanks for the courage to resist the tidal wave of Gibson movie worship. Why is it that just because a movie is about Jesus, we all have to like it?

By: Swan

Swan — Thu, 22 Apr 2004 03:05:58 +0000

I wonder why so many reviewers/commenters are overreacting to this movie. In this case overcriticizing the critics on one side and calling the movie a gorefest on the other side.

I think the film does present Jesus as fully human. He does suffer a lot and definitely does need the help in carrying the cross for example. His human-ness is also shown in the relationship to his mother.

From our sheltered perspective the violence may seem extreme, but it is my impression that people who experience war and other kinds of violence in their own environment are not all that impressed with the amount of violence shown.

By: Bene Diction

Bene Diction — Wed, 21 Apr 2004 23:06:04 +0000

I don’t hate that you raised it at all Richard.
Fire at will.
I had to look up docetism.:^)

I just finished reading some criticism of the Left Behind series. I live in the boonies, and the bookstore already has the latest book. Frightening. People suck up heresy for truth just cause it’s marketed nicely.

The Mel Gibson movie hasn’t shown up here yet.
Blog on!