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some RKMB'ers are Obsessed with Black People Hmmm? 5000+ posts
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some RKMB'ers are Obsessed with Black People Hmmm? 5000+ posts
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Here's an interesting commentary regarding 'The Passion' coming from a conservative christian in Govt. It's certainly a well thought out peice on American christianity Quote:
March 8, 2004
COMMENTARY
Gimme That New-Time Religion -- a Play-Doh Jesus
Want a squishy savior? Don't look to 'The Passion.'
By David Kuo,
David Kuo was special assistant to President Bush and deputy director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
I don't want to read anything else, hear anything else or feel anything else about "The Passion of the Christ." There are just so many things not to like. First there is the violence. The relentless phlomp! pholomp! of bullets bashing bodies in "The Matrix" or on prime-time "Alias" is so much more appealing than watching a bleeding, brutalized man for almost two hours.
Mel Gibson's is violence you actually have to confront and feel as opposed to the hither-thither of rapid-edit, thrill-sized THX digital with CGI enhancements. I hate that. It is so much more appealing when scores of nameless, soulless, faceless forms are being splattered everywhere. That makes the violence so much less personal and more entertaining. Slaughter, after all, should be lighthearted.
The biggest problem I have with "The Passion," however, isn't the violence. It is with the protagonist. The guy on the screen is nothing like that insipid, tunic-wearing, lamb-carrying, two-dimensional, felt-faced Jesus from Sunday school. That Jesus was easy. He could be molded and crafted like Play-Doh into anything I — or anyone else — wanted from him. That Jesus, for instance, would certainly support faith-based charities partnering with the government. He would happily support a balanced budget amendment, increased defense spending and welfare reform. He would definitely be against gay marriage because heterosexual marriage was his top priority — it says so right there … in, well, somewhere. It has been easy for a lot of us to make our own personalized Jesus because he — the Play-Doh one — had no soul and certainly posed no threat.
Just look at money. He surely talked about it a lot. But from what I've seen and heard from virtually all the churches I've ever attended, Jesus was less into serving the poor than polishing the BMW. Maybe that's why one church recently decided to spend almost $100 million building an even-more-mega-than-mega church building in the safety of the 'burbs.
It is clearly why he's given my family so many material blessings. Yes, indeed, when I get stressed by things like "The Passion," I can just go outside, put the top down on our beautiful convertible and let some of the pressure off. That $5,000 cruise to Bermuda? Jesus would be all over it. Praise God.
I'm guessing that Jesus is probably also — big-time — into the people and corporations profiting off God. Christian books and music? Billions of dollars. Paying $30 to go sing songs of praise and worship with a top Christian recording artist? Absolutely. No problem. Jesus was, after all, about higher margins. It's there in the book somewhere, right?
And this isn't just a conservative thing. Jesus is as pliable to the left as he is to the right. He's the moldable Jesus. Friends have told me he would be against any war — Vietnam, Iraq I, Iraq II — but definitely for the "war on poverty" even if it hurt some of the people it was supposed to help. He would definitely, I've heard it said, be against President Bush because he's too conservative on fiscal matters, pro tax cuts and anti gun registration at gun shows. Jesus was evidently passionate about those matters too — one part Cesar Chavez, one part Gandhi. Convenient.
"The Passion's" Jesus, however, isn't convenient. In fact, he makes me very, very uncomfortable. That Jesus isn't moldable, pliable, malleable — not even huggable. He's determined. He knows who he is and why he's doing what he's doing. He rebukes Peter, silently mocks Pilate, defies his captors and never whimpers. Forget William Wallace; this guy is tough. Maybe, just maybe, Jesus the movie is closer to Jesus the book. Maybe he doesn't give a flip about balanced budgets, trade imbalances and interest rates. Maybe he took the lashes of hell for a reason that wasn't material in any way. Maybe he meant what he said about caring for the poor — that loving him requires it. Or about wealth — that it is really, really, really hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Or about profiteering in his Father's house — that it is a remarkably bad idea with suboptimal long-term outcomes. Or even about himself — that he is "the way, the truth and the life."
"The Passion" is so hard because it presents Jesus as we've never seen him and reveals a truth: Come face to face with Jesus in any way and prepare to squirm, or maybe even to hate him. He arouses that kind of passion and should make all of us who use his name for anything be very, very careful.
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Your death will make me king! 15000+ posts
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Your death will make me king! 15000+ posts
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that is, without a doubt, the most violent and grotesque movie i have ever seen.
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Joined: Nov 2000
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1000+ posts
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I finally got a chance to see it and was amazed.
I myself am a very devout Catholic, but also a thinking one -- my faith is based not on what I'm told but my own examination of both the Bible and other documents and philosophies (I'm particularly a Thomas Aquinas fan). That said, Mel's film was utterly transfixing. After seeing it, my father and I had a lengthly historical discussion on the Sanhedrin and the political retribution played by the priestly caste on the rise of rabbinical Judaism.
Plus, this is the first film NOT featuring the death of a cartoon protagonist (Optimus Prime, Dan Turpin, and BEAST WARS' Dinobot) that had me in tears. It was that good.
Also, no matter how much dirt and grime you put on her, Monica Belucci remains one of the most beautiful women on Earth!
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1500+ posts
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1500+ posts
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Quote:
The Indestructible Man said:
Also, no matter how much dirt and grime you put on her, Monica Belucci remains one of the most beautiful women on Earth!
Mel Gibson had said the same thing on Primetime. He said she even rolled around in teh dirt, putt it all over her face, but she just looked more beautiful.
It's a rented tux ok? I'm not going comando in another man's fatigues.
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Joined: Sep 2003
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The conscience of the rkmbs! 15000+ posts
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The conscience of the rkmbs! 15000+ posts
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Quote:
(I'm particularly a Thomas Aquinas fan).
St. Augustine fan myself. ANd I know he wasn't a saint, but my favorite historical figure in general who turned out to be one of the bigger saviors of the church was Charles Martel.
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 32,001 Likes: 1
We already are 15000+ posts
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We already are 15000+ posts
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Quote:
thedoctor said:
Quote:
Wingnut-EL said:
Seems like you're making a bit of a stretch there doctor. Mel's quote doesn't seem near as restrictive (audience-wise) as your interpretation is. I didn't see any signs at my local theater that said "only for christians & those with a healthy understanding of christianity". Nor did I see that in any of the print or TV ads. Didn't even see Mel try to make that arguement in the handful of interviews I've seen.
Since Gibson's original idea was to release the film with no subtitles and only the Aramaic and Latin speech, I stand behind my statement that a beforehand knowledge of the Gospels in necessary to watch the film and come away with the understanding of the event that Gibson was trying to bring home. Did he forbid anyone else from seeing it? No. Did people who have never followed the life of Christ have problems understanding the movie and following it? From personal testimony I've heard, yes.
I'm not saying that no one can watch this film, I'm just saying that a lot of people on this board aren't understanding the point of it. They are trying to look at it as if it was any other movie like Lord of the Rings or The Matrix when it is not. You can't compare a movie by standards that it does not even attempt to follow. It's not something for you to watch while munching popcorn and trying to get to first base with your girlfriend. It's not entertainment. It's something for you to think about and apply it to your understanding of Christianity. If you have no understanding of Christianity, then the effect of the movie is not going to be as powerful or the same.
you should have been handling Gibson's PR......because you summed it up perfectly.
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Joined: Oct 2000
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Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
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Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
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Quote:
Pariah said:
Quote:
(I'm particularly a Thomas Aquinas fan).
St. Augustine fan myself. ANd I know he wasn't a saint, but my favorite historical figure in general who turned out to be one of the bigger saviors of the church was Charles Martel.
he was no Tom Zenk!
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Joined: Sep 2003
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The conscience of the rkmbs! 15000+ posts
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The conscience of the rkmbs! 15000+ posts
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Quote:
britneyspearsatemyshorts said:
Quote:
Pariah said:
Quote:
(I'm particularly a Thomas Aquinas fan).
St. Augustine fan myself. ANd I know he wasn't a saint, but my favorite historical figure in general who turned out to be one of the bigger saviors of the church was Charles Martel.
he was no Tom Zenk!
Zenk couldn't hold Martel's battle axe. 
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Joined: Oct 2000
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Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
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Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
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I suppose your a Tito fan!
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Joined: Oct 2000
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cobra kai 15000+ posts
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cobra kai 15000+ posts
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'Passion' Moves Beyond $250 Million MarkBy DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie WriterLOS ANGELES - "The Passion of the Christ" was the top film for a third straight weekend, taking in $31.7 million and pushing its total beyond a quarter of a billion dollars. Mel Gibson's dramatization of Christ's final hours climbed to $264 million in the United States and Canada after 19 days in theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday. With solid receipts expected through Easter on April 11, "The Passion" is on track to gross between $350 million and $400 million, said Rob Schwartz, head of distribution for Newmarket Films, which handled the release. That would put it on par with "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which took in another $2.05 million over the weekend to push its total to $371.2 million. Johnny Depp's psychological horror tale "Secret Window," based on a Stephen King story about an author accused of plagiarism by a stalker, debuted in second place with $19 million. The weekend's other two big releases had so-so openings. Frankie Muniz's spy caper "Agent Cody Banks: Destination London" was No. 5 with $8 million, barely half the $14.1 million opening weekend of "Agent Cody Banks" last year. Premiering in narrower release, David Mamet's military thriller "Spartan," starring Val Kilmer, finished in 10th place with $2 million. "The Passion" lifted Hollywood to its third-straight uptick in revenues after a long slump in January and February. The top 12 movies grossed $104.1 million, up 15 percent from the same weekend last year. Before "The Passion" opened, Hollywood revenue was running 7 percent behind last year's. Revenues now are 3 to 4 percent ahead of 2003's, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "'The Passion' has single-handedly made what was turning out to be a pretty lousy year into a really good year so far," Dergarabedian said. Playing in 3,221 theaters, "The Passion" averaged $9,830 a cinema, a huge number for a movie in its third weekend. "Secret Window" averaged $6,296 in 3,018 theaters, "Agent Cody Banks" did $2,691 in 2,973 cinemas and "Spartan" averaged $2,440 in 832 locations. Starring Jim Caviezel as Christ, "The Passion" continues to draw well among church groups that helped make it a religious blockbuster, but the film is packing in much broader audiences, said Newmarket's Schwartz. "It's a large cross-section of America," Schwartz said. "It's not just church groups going at this point. It's way beyond that."
giant picture
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1000+ posts
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Jesus just kicked Harry Potter to the curb to take over the all-time 23rd spot, with nowhere else to go but up!
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