A couple of years ago, I (along with others) questioned the wisdom of the great number of Christians who supported Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion." Unfortunately, those who questioned the movie were often attacked as extremists who cared not one whit for the souls of men. I was not against any use of the films popularity as an open door for witnessing. What bothered me was the blatant promotion of the film by those who said they had biblical convictions on other things. My problems with the film included its outright errors, its rigid conformity to Catholic tradition, its dependance on a certain mystical writing, its emphasis on the blood and gore of the crucifixion (with an R rating), its association with actors who played in X-rated films, and the background, beliefs, and comments of its director, Mel Gibson.
However, I and others were in some cases shunned and often told how evil we were to question such a film. I would like to return to the subject. To those who were so angry at killjoys like me who questioned the associations of the film, does it matter now? "The Passion" may have been the spark that encouraged a few to look to Jesus Christ for salvation, but I never had a problem with that and neither did most others. Remember, it was the enthusiastic promotion of the film that was a problem to us. Yet, it is now clear that "The Passion" has not brought revival to America. It is also clear that the movie industry is using this "evangelical" interest in movies to produce and sell films that twist the truth of God further and further into perversion. This is the legacy of "The Passion." So, does it matter now?
But there is more. The news has surfaced that Mel Gibson was recently stopped by a police officer for going twice the speed limit. Not too bad. He had also been drinking. Okay, that's worse. An open bottle of tequilla was found in the vehicle. All this is bad enough, but this is just for starters. When confronted by the police officer, Gibson began ranting about the Jews. He stated, "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." He then asked the officer, "Are you a Jew?" Gibson has since blamed his statements about the Jews on the alcohol. But these thoughts had to be in his mind. The tequilla simply loosened his tongue. He clearly hates the Jews and it came out in his drunken state. Interestingly, Jesus was a Jew. I ask you once again, does it matter now?
