A Los Angeles rabbi (one who, by the way, is known for his anti-Catholicism) claims that The Passion is fueling hate mail to his group. Perhaps Rabbi Hier is receiving hate mail, but from whom: Cal Thomas? The Knights of Columbus? Deal Hudson? The movie hasn’t even been released yet (only a select few have seen the rough cut), so how could it be the reason for hate mail?
It must be a pretty amazing movie whose depictions of “crazed, evil Jews” is so bad that it causes people who haven’t even seen it to send hate mail to Jews. By the way, I thought TV and movie sex and violence couldn’t influence people to do anything? At least that’s what the entertainment industry told us after Columbine.
Look, here’s the problem. The Gospels say that Jesus was crucified after a raging mob demanded his crucifixion. Now this was first-century Jerusalem: either the mob was Roman soldiers or Jewish citizens. And the Gospels also tell us that the Sanhedrin denounced Jesus to Pilate and that Pilate felt threatened by the prospect of civil unrest so he capitulated to the Sanhedrin and the mob. That’s not anti-Semitism; it’s the Gospel and it’s the truth. It also doesn’t indict Jews today for the acts of the people then.
Anybody who calls himself a Christian who sees the movie and suddenly “realizes” that Jews were involved in the crucifixion hasn’t read his Bible or been to a Lenten religious service.
“It also doesn’t indict Jews today for the acts of the people then. “
This reminds me of those folks who want those of us whose ancestors, over a century ago, owned slaves, to make retribution. For something we never did. But even this is way beside the point.
Again people: Jews didn’t kill Christ. Sinners did. Like me, and like you. (No offense intended for those of you who have never sinned.)
Let me make myself even clearer. Jews, nor Romans, killed Christ. WE did! Accept it, atone for it, and, given Christ’s forgiveness, get over it.
I hope this is helpful.
Think this is going to heat up? Read the headline from Salon.com:
Mel Gibson vs. “The Jews”
The “Mad Max” and “Braveheart” star says his new Jesus biopic “The Passion” could never be anti-Semitic because it’s historically correct—a dumb, and dangerous, claim to make.
– – – – – – – – – – – –
By Christopher Orlet
http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2003/08/14/gibson/index_np.html
You have to pay or watch an ad to read the whole article.
My guess is that the Motion Picture Association will be “strong armed” into giving this movie an NC-17 or X rating for it “gore and violence”. That would be the easiest way to kill it.
What he probably meant is that it’s faithful to the Gospel accounts, a statement which does not placate many of those willing to call it anti-Semitic since they often believe the Gospels are anti-Jewish as well.
Rene Girard has written excellently on these matters of purported Gospel anti-Semitism. His point is generally the one Kelly makes: we are all in this together; we all killed Christ. The ‘mob’ was a unanimous ‘us’. If, in some way, Gibson’s film portrays the Gospel message as something else, then it’s misleading.
I still have a problem with a movie that claims utter historical accuracy wherein the language is Latin rather than koine Greek.