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NEWS & LETTERS, May 2004'Passion' for capitalAgainst my better judgment I went to see Mel Gibson’s "The Passion of the Christ." The licensing of official "Passion of the Christ" pewter nail pendants and companion guides shows Gibson’s motives were neither devotional nor evangelical. Even when I purchased my ticket, I was handed an advertisement for the movie’s soundtrack. The movie had the same sado-masochistic elements found in other Gibson movies. The flashbacks to the works and teachings of Jesus took a back seat to the gore-fest, making it easy to forget or ignore Jesus’ message of non-violence and love. This message was further undermined by the resurrection scene, in which war-drums could be heard in the background. Those who tortured Jesus were vilified to the point of being dehumanized. In this portrayal, the Jewish leaders and Roman centurions were no longer fallible human beings but willing agents of Satan, a point further emphasized by the physical presence of Satan floating back and forth among the Pharisees and the Romans. Contrary to the Gospels (see Luke 23:47), Gibson portrayed no remorse on the part of anyone involved in Jesus’ death. He attempted to cover these and other historical and biblical inaccuracies by shooting the film in Aramaic, Latin, and Hebrew. This illusion of historical accuracy coupled with an Aryan portrayal of Jesus was frighteningly reminiscent of "Birth of a Nation," the "classic" propaganda film about the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. I was appalled not only by "The Passion," but also by the sentiment among some conservative Catholics that anyone who objects to this movie is anti-Catholic. As a Catholic Christian, I embrace the Catholic theology and spirituality, not the dogmatic political agendas of conservatives. Gibson’s blatant commercialization of my faith called to mind Jesus’ cleansing of the temple (see Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46, John 2:13-17), a great act of non-violent direct action against those who would attempt to profit off of the spiritual devotion of others. (This spiritual profiteering is all too common among many of today’s so-called Christian organizations, such as the Conservative Coalition, The 700 Club, EWTN). Not surprisingly, Gibson left this scene out of his movie. --Stephen Weierman |
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