An appeal to knowledge.

Logos · 02-25-2004, 08:32 PM

I have some prety strong feelings about Mel Gibson's new movie, "The Passion Of The Christ". I'm not going to go into details right now about them, but I'll share at some point.

Doc and I were chatting a couple nights ago, and he said "I always said I was waiting for the movie to come out" I pointed out that he sort of obligated himself to seing it with that statement. I won't hold him to it, but I'd like to point out that I came to my belief system first then compared it to that of the Christ. They are the same, and it wasn't pushed or in any way forced into my thoughts.

I have a plain english version of the bible, and it has helped greatly. The bible in its raw form is prety incomprehensible if you ask me. I especially like childrens bible books. I don't try to take the story litterally, but I try to see the nidden messages that are at a deeper level.

Either you believe that there is something greater than us that causes the universe to be, or you don't. Either you believe that you go somewhere when you are don e in the physical realm, or you don't. Either you believe that we are all connected to everyone and everything because we are a part of the universe, not apart from it, or you don't.

If you believe any of those things, then it's prety likely that the bible would make much more sense if it weren't so cryptic.

I won't see the movie for a few days, life is just that busy right now, but after I see it I'll come back and see what others thought of it and add my $4.20 worth of thoughts I'm sure...

All our Creator (God or whatever you call your benevolent diety) wants from us is our love for said Creator, creation and eachother. It really is that simple.

If you have never tried to know what Jesus was trying to teach, then you have as worthy of an opinion of him as non smokers have of marijuana...

Using fanatical christians as scapegoats for not at least attempting that understanding is akin to people pointing at stoopid stoners and saying see why it shouldn't be legal?

Not trying to preach, that is simply my speach... --KMK

JTP · 02-25-2004, 09:17 PM

I plan on seeing the movie as well. I have too much about it not to go see it. I guess marketing works

.

For myself, I do not believe that Christians are supossed to perfectly understand Christ, or all of his teachings. Many biblical teachings are clear to me, many are not. I think it has been the "firm" and "clear" understanding of religion (whatever it may be) that has lead to such religious strife. People that KNOW what God wants are a lot more dangerous than a person who is striving to understand what God wants. A little doubt is good thing in religion, IMO. What is the saying about "its the journey, not the destination...".

Logos · 02-26-2004, 10:26 PM

Found the following review worth sharing.

Quote:

'Passion' asks much of audience

Weeks after word first leaked out that Mel Gibson was making a film about the final hours in the life of Jesus Christ, the movie is finally here. “The Passion of the Christ” opened on Wednesday across the nation.

On Ash Wednesday, no less.

And so, following the many comments both for and against Gibson made by people who for the most part hadn’t seen the film, we’re now in the position to judge it as cinema. So here goes.

One, the film is well made. Like “Braveheart,” the film that won Gibson a Best Director Oscar in 1996, “The Passion of the Christ” looks great. Gibson did himself a great favor by hiring cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, four times nominated for an Oscar. If nothing else, “The Passion of the Christ” has a look that mirrors Gibson’s stated purpose of making his film look like a Caravaggio painting.

Two, the film is decently acted. Jim Caviezel portrays Jesus with intensity, if not subtlety, and he looks the part every bit as much as any other actor who has portrayed Jesus over the years. Amid the rest of the cast, the two who get most mileage do so from either an earnest gaze (Maia Morgenstern, who portrays the Virgin Mary) or a forceful sense of indecision (Hristo Shopov as Pilate).

Three, the film tackles a worthy subject. In the last 2,000 years, no story has had more of an effect on world history than the death of this carpenter from Nazareth. That the film has aroused so much pre-release controversy, over and aside from Gibson’s clever marketing decisions, is testament to just how much Christianity means to so many.

Overall, though, reactions to the film likely will depend on what attitudes viewers bring into the theater. Several in the audience that I was a part of on Wednesday afternoon were committed Christians. And if “The Passion of the Christ” didn’t drive them all to tears, it caused them to reflect soberly, and mostly favorably, on the meaning of what they had just seen.

Question is, what will others think? Jews, who have long lived with the infamy of being blamed for the death of Christ, are likely to feel uncomfortable (though nothing about the movie is blatantly anti-Semitic). Muslims and Buddhists and those from other religions might view the film more as the telling of a spiritual story.

Those not familiar with the story of Christ, though, are bound to be lost. Gibson, working from an original script that he co-wrote with veteran screenwriter Benedict Fitzgerald, gives us only the slightest back story. His target audience is not anyone unfamiliar with The New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Gibson begins his film in darkness, with Jesus fighting His fear. He takes us to the temple, where Judas is accepting his 30 pieces of silver from the Jewish high priest Caiphas (Mattia Sbragia) and his minions. We go from there to Jesus’ arrest, His delivery to Pilate, His torture by Pilate’s sociopathic soldiers, His trial and, finally, His crucifixion.

Along the way, Gibson resorts to flashbacks of such events as the Last Supper, the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ prophecy that Peter would deny Him three times. This tends to break up the violence, giving audience members time to catch their collective breath. But such moments don’t amount to Sunday School lessons. Those ignorant going in won’t be much wiser going out.

With two exceptions. First, “The Passion of the Christ” does a pretty good job of portraying what it means to “scourge” someone (literally to whip the skin off their bodies), what it looks like when someone has nine-inch nails driven through his palms and feet and what kind of damage a human body can take before giving up the ghost, holy or otherwise. As with “Braveheart,” in which Gibson took great pains to show us how to draw-and-quarter someone, “The Passion of the Christ” shows literally what traditional Bible stories only allude to.

In the screening I attended, a woman sitting behind me groaned every time, during a 10-minute-long torture sequence, another dollop of Christ’s flesh was flayed off in bloody strips. But that was, apparently, not enough. Spurts of blood spurted, in slow motion, when the nails penetrated Jesus’ feet and a crow went for the eyes of the “bad” thief hanging next to Jesus. The faint of heart, and all children, should stay home.

The second exception involves the nature of passion itself. In a biblical sense, it means suffering (from the Latin passus, which can be translated as “having suffered”). But in a larger sense, passion means any intense feeling. And if “The Passion of the Christ” is any indication, then Gibson is filled with exactly that.

To him, the death of the Nazarene prophet all those centuries ago is far from a long-held myth. It’s literal truth.

You may agree with him. You may not. This much, however, you can be sure of: He’s likely not to care what you think, one way or the other.

My thought is compare your own beliefs about good and evil, and that line drawn by your own consience with those taught by Jesus.

I think everyone could walk away from this movie with at least a better understanding of what Christianity should be.

02-25-2004, 08:32 PM	#1
Logos CannaSacrament Minister Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 1,019 Grams: 6,517.25 Thanks: 715 Thanked 295 Times in 162 Posts Stock Portfolio Total Value: 0.000 Gain/Loss: 0.000%	An appeal to knowledge. I have some prety strong feelings about Mel Gibson's new movie, "The Passion Of The Christ". I'm not going to go into details right now about them, but I'll share at some point. Doc and I were chatting a couple nights ago, and he said "I always said I was waiting for the movie to come out" I pointed out that he sort of obligated himself to seing it with that statement. I won't hold him to it, but I'd like to point out that I came to my belief system first then compared it to that of the Christ. They are the same, and it wasn't pushed or in any way forced into my thoughts. I have a plain english version of the bible, and it has helped greatly. The bible in its raw form is prety incomprehensible if you ask me. I especially like childrens bible books. I don't try to take the story litterally, but I try to see the nidden messages that are at a deeper level. Either you believe that there is something greater than us that causes the universe to be, or you don't. Either you believe that you go somewhere when you are don e in the physical realm, or you don't. Either you believe that we are all connected to everyone and everything because we are a part of the universe, not apart from it, or you don't. If you believe any of those things, then it's prety likely that the bible would make much more sense if it weren't so cryptic. I won't see the movie for a few days, life is just that busy right now, but after I see it I'll come back and see what others thought of it and add my $4.20 worth of thoughts I'm sure... All our Creator (God or whatever you call your benevolent diety) wants from us is our love for said Creator, creation and eachother. It really is that simple. If you have never tried to know what Jesus was trying to teach, then you have as worthy of an opinion of him as non smokers have of marijuana... Using fanatical christians as scapegoats for not at least attempting that understanding is akin to people pointing at stoopid stoners and saying see why it shouldn't be legal? Not trying to preach, that is simply my speach... --KMK __________________ Brother Logos The more I learn, the less I know. \| Truth doesn't change, only our perception of it does. THC Ministry \| The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ \| The Reluctant Messenger of Science and Religion True religion is real living, living with all one's soul, with all ones goodness and righteousness. --Albert Einstein

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