The Passion of Christ

I saw it two nights ago, very, very emotional. I could not move for about 5 minutes after it ended... could only sit there. I suppose the thing that is so overwhelming to me is that he could have at any point given up and had 10,000 angels go in there and save him, but he saw it through, and thank God he did.

 

I was gone all day yesterday as I watched this and then caught all 3 finals of the TN girls' state high school championship games.

Watched it in the morning with my mother and many members of my church.

All I can say is that I was emotionally drained when I left the theater. I couldn't even talk about the one scene in which Mary remembers helping Jesus up as a little boy without just absolutely losing it!

But the weird thing was after that scene, I didn't really get upset with any other scenes in the movie, even when they were driving the nails into His hands.

A couple of things:

1) I am glad that I saw it as it once again reinforced to me what an incredibly awesome thing Christ did for us by allowing Himself to get tortured and killed this way
2) I understand that Gibson interpreted things his way but I think he went overboard on some stuff, specifically the scourging by the Romans. I left the theater with a friend of mine who is Church of Christ (I am Methodist) and we both agreed that if you go by scriptures, it was excessive.
3) I will probably watch this movie again before I die but not any time soon - too much to take in!

 

anyone see the Simpsons tonight? The family went to the movies and on the marquee was "The Fashion of the Christ" along with a few other funny fake films like "The Unwatchable Hulk"

Oh TPOTC came in #1 again this weekend.
Next weeks competition: Dawn of the Dead and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and in 2 weeks: Scooby Doo 2.

 

http://www.click2houston.com/entertainment/2925553/detail.html

Survey: 'The Passion' May Be Reducing Anti-Semitism

POSTED: 11:11 a.m. EST March 16, 2004

A new poll suggests fears that "The Passion of the Christ" would trigger anti-Semitism were unwarranted.

A nationwide survey conducted for the Institute for Jewish and Community Research finds that 83 percent of Americans familiar with the film say it's made them neither more nor less likely to blame today's Jews for Jesus' crucifixion.

Nine percent said Mel Gibson's film actually has made them less likely to blame today's Jews, while less than 2 percent said they're more likely to fault modern Jews or Jewish institutions.

The Institute's president, Gary Tobin, added that discussion of the issue has probably been good for Christian-Jewish relations.

 

I meant to add in my earlier post on this page that after watching this movie, my friend and me were discussing things that have no real answers like where is Pilate's soul and for that matter, Caiaphas' soul, etc.

We both agreed that one possibility is that those people were placed there by God to fulfill a role - which was to carry out the crucifixition of His Son.

I think you have to be pretty ignorant to blame the Jews for this and blaming today's Jews for it makes no sense whatsoever.

 

I would argue that the movie causing ANY amount of increase in the blame of "modern Jews" is a problem. While the poll shows less than 2%, it's most likely to be the fanatical type that had layed dormant.

I went to see the movie this weekend; I was disgusted at the size of the 12 and under demographic, with their parents no less. I hate to overgeneralize, but isn't the Christian right pushing the hardest to reduce violence in entertainment (v-chip, etc.)? And then they take their kids to go see this?

 

1. are you sure those who brought their kids were ones you'd identify as Christian right?

2. i'm sure some here would identify myself as Christian right...i would never take a child to see this movie.

3. this is not purposeless violence...Christians believe the violence was purposeful...and that Christ himself laid down his own life through his own will...i draw a stark contrast between that and a schwarzaneger (sp?) movie where people are killed just for the sake of spilling blood on the screen.

4. there are some church leaders who make big deals out of r rated movies...many have told their congregations not to go see this film simply because it's rated r.

 

1.) Not to get into stereotyping...but by the clearly visible crosses around their necks, and family-type outings (kids-parents-grandparents), I'd say yes. Granted, this was a Sunday afternoon.

2.) I wish more people thought like you.

3.) Would you really say this a completely historically accurate account, though? This has been debated ad nauseum, but if you're a parent wishing to tell the story of Christ to your kids, aren't there much better ways? Whether or not it's anti-semitic is one issue, but the movie portrayed Pontius Pilate as indecisive and as a good guy...that just doesn't jive with history's record of him.

4.) Apparently no one at the showing I attended was part of that congregation.

 

NIKEstrad

1. I find that Catholics are much more likely to wear a cross around their necks that Protestants....most people don't link Catholocism and the religious right.

2. thank you

3. I think I can tell the story to my son, who is 4, without this account. But I will absolutely share this movie with him in 10 years or so. The Gospels talk of the crucifixion with little explanation, because everyone back then damn well knew what it was. They knew how one died on a cross....2000 years later, people aren't real familar with the barbarian nature of that penalty...and the barbarian nature of the beatings the Romans threw out.

Also...I truly don't understand the whole Pontius Pilate thing. I find the second-guessing of the accounts to be somewhat arrogant. I don't think in 2000 years anyone would be able to say how I would act in any given situation, even if they have a lifetime of other explanations. And, frankly, what I read of Pontius Pilate is that of a murderous jackass...who Rome kept saying, "you better cool it" to. He likely wasn't real happy to be sent to Jerusalem. And I think the account as it's presented in the Gospels is entirely plausible. He was between a rock and a hard place....make a martyr of this man and deal with his followers...or say "no" to the jewish authorities who controlled the will of many other people.

4. obviously not....or maybe they just don't listen to their pastor! maybe they nodded off in the sermon!

 

i don't remember where i read it (was it here?) but Protestants are more likely to wear a plain crucifix while Catholics are more likely to wear a cross with the Jesus figure attached.