- LOS ANGELES -- Speaking via
live satellite to hundreds of churches across the United States, Mel Gibson
strongly denied that his controversial film, The Passion of the Christ,
is anti-Semitic.
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- During a 40-minute, question-and-answer session on Saturday
night, Gibson said, "I'm not anti-Semitic. My Gospels are not anti-Semitic.
I've shown it to many Jews and they're like, it's not anti-Semitic. It's
interesting that the people who say it's anti-Semitic say that before they
saw the film, and they said the same thing after they saw the film."
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- Gibson's widely broadcast appearance before 3,800 invited
guests at the evangelical Azusa Pacific University some 20 miles east of
Los Angeles was part of what The Los Angeles Times described as "a
highly orchestrated marketing campaign."
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- The event was billed as a "training rally"
to pump up evangelical pastors and youth groups to promote the film through
on-line chat rooms, large posters, and door hangers.
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- The Passion is rated "R" for its "brutal
and relentless" depiction, in Gibson's own words, of the last 12 hours
of Jesus's life and the Crucifixion.
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- The film, which Gibson financed through $25 million of
his own money, opens February 25, Ash Wednesday, at some 2,000 theaters
across the country.
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- Despite its graphic footage and its dialogue in Aramaic
and Latin with English subtitles, the film may earn $25 million to $30
million in box office receipts in the first five days, the Times reported.
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- Intensive media coverage has boosted interest, much of
which was spurred by charges of anti-Semitism by Jewish spokesmen, including
Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League.
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- Another outspoken critic has been Rabbi Marvin Hier,
dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
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- "As someone who has dealt with the issue of anti-Semitism
professionally since 1977, I know about what it is more than Mel Gibson,"
Hier told the Times.
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- "Every Jew who appears in this film, except for
the disciples of Christ, are portrayed cruelly and portrayed as a people
with an almost sinister look in their eyes. Jews who see this film, I believe,
will be overwhelmingly horrified."
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- Gibson said during the Q&A session that the inspiration
for the film came from his need for introspection.
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- "You go to a place where, you know, you have to
reevaluate your insides and like, change, because you know, I'm a monster.
I mean I can be," he said. "It's like you know, I've been offered
every kind of excess that money and fame brings and it's not good enough."
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- Comment
- From Fred Moore
- 2-18-4
-
- Hello Jeff -
-
- Unlike the giant media outlets that are plagued with
bias and dishonesty, I commend you for your invaluable efforts to tell
it like it is, free of bias and influence.
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- I read so many articles and comments regarding the upcoming
movie, the Passion of Jesus Christ, and I really can't wait to see the
movie once it hits the theaters next week.
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- I am a Muslim and I don't believe that this movie is
going to change the way I believe in Jesus Christ. I adore both Jesus Christ
and his mother Mary. In fact, both are mentioned in the "Quran so
many times in a most honorable and glorified manner and not for once I
believe that God Almighty would humiliate his young prophet the way it,s
depicted in the movie.
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- As a Muslim, I believe that a crucifixion took place
in Jesus days, but I also believe the Almighty when he said in his glorified
Quran, "They didn't kill him, they didn't crucify him, but appeared
to them. It's a bit hard to translate the Quran word for word but what
the Almighty is telling us is that when the Jews finally decided to get
rid off Jesus, God Almighty told Jesus through his angel Gabriel that he
would raise him up because the people are orchestrating his death.
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- After The Almighty raised Jesus Christ to the heavens,
He cast Jesus's looks on the person who betrayed Jesus, Judas. The Romans
arrested Jesus's double and crucified him to death.
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- The movie Passion is very bloody and intense not just
because of the crucifixion, but because we are seeing a human being tortured
and killed before our eyes. If I would see any human endure such agony,
I would feel intense and shocked regardless if it was Jesus or someone
else. However, I believe that the Almighty won't allow for a second a bunch
of scum of the earth to harm his dear young prophet and that's the fine
line between our beliefs and yours.
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- Thanks,
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- F Moore
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