11
May
2004
It used to be that theologians would waste their time arguing about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. Now it appears the discussion has swung to what political party Jesus would belong to. (How would Jesus vote?) I have been following with minimal interest the ongoing discourse in theolitics. (Hey, that's a cool word. I think I may have just invented it.) Anyway, I figure if the River Cities' Reader can find a quarter page every week to present the pros and cons of The Passion of the Christ (see "No Substitute for the Truth," Issue 474, April 28-May 5, 2004, and previous issues), maybe it can find room for my opinions. Basically, I haven't seen it, I have no intention of seeing it, and I really don't give a damn about it. I enumerate my reasons herewith.
What's the point? I've read the book, I know how it ends, I can't speak Aramaic or Latin, and I've waded through so many writings, reviews, raves, and revelations regarding the film that I see no sense in actually viewing it.
Well, what would Jesus do? I would hardly be so presumptuous as to believe I could fathom the thoughts, actions, or motivations of anyone who lived halfway around the world two millennia ago. However, I think I have a pretty good grasp of what Jesus wouldn't do. I find it highly unlikely that He would shell out what for Him would amount to about a week's salary to sit in a dark room and watch pictures flicker across the wall. That being said, I am sending a check for $8.50 (one adult cinema ticket) to Churches United of the Quad Cities.
Who the hell is Mel Gibson and why should I care what he thinks? I only know him as an actor, and a pretty one-dimensional one, at that. Sure, he has wealth, fame, and celebrity, but I've never equated that with wisdom, insight, or spirituality. And if this represents some kind of new evangelism for the 21st Century, I'd just as soon deal with the bright shiny faces at my door trying to get me to read their pamphlets.
It's a movie, for crying out loud. (Okay, it's got subtitles, so it's a "film." Whatever.) Seriously, if I need my spirituality recharged, I'll attend services at a local church. If I want to learn what life was like in the Middle East under Roman rule, I'll enroll in a history class. If I feel the need to get all depressed at man's inhumanity to man, I'll watch the evening news. But when I go to the movies, I just want to be entertained, that's all. And from what I've heard, The Passion is a lot of things, but entertaining isn't one of them. And if Mel really wants to change people's lives, I might suggest that he try working in a medium other than one that's engendered Adam Sandler and Dude, Where's My Car?
Maybe the Jews know what they're talking about. I've read plenty of essays and opinions about whether the movie reflects negatively on Judaism, and the Jewish writers all seem to be of a like mind. Setting aside temporarily the issues of Zionism and the occupation of Palestine, if you want to find out about discrimination against Jews, don't you think a pretty good source would be someone who's Jewish?
Realistic is not the same as reality. Yeah, it may look real, but it's the result of script revisions, storyboards, makeup, and camera angles, just like any other movie. A suspension of disbelief is fine at the movies. A disconnection with reality is not.
Blood, guts, and gore just don't do it for me anymore. I don't really care if it's Rocky, Rambo, or The Redeemer. I mean, the whole super-slow-mo blood spatter thing was pretty much done to death in the drive-in slasher flicks of the '70s. Maybe it's time we moved on. And from my conversations with first responders, emergency-room workers, and combat veterans, once you've smelled a severely perforated intestine or heard someone slowly drown as their lungs fill up with blood, representations of physical violence, well, they sorta lose their allure.
From all I've heard, it is, in my view, obscene. ("Abominable, disgusting, repulsive" - Webster's.) No one has yet adequately explained to me why showing someone gently removing another's clothes is in bad taste, yet portraying someone savagely removing another's flesh is perfectly acceptable. I'm familiar with the mechanics of crucifixion. If I recall correctly, the structure of the bones and tendons in the hand is not robust enough to support the weight of the body, so the nails were usually driven into the wrist above the junction of the radius and the ulna. The weight of the body hanging from the shoulders would eventually paralyze the diaphragm, causing death by suffocation. Yuck! I don't even like reading about it. Why on earth would I want to pay money to watch it? Wouldn't it just be easier to just drive around looking for a car wreck to gawk at?
Tragically, it's not like crucifixion was a particularly uncommon punishment under the Romans. Hell, they had crosses planted along the roads like Burma Shave signs. In fact, I believe Jesus had a couple neighbors there on Golgotha. They left this mortal orb in the same manner as The Savior, only without the divine assurance that they were going to be hanging out with their Dad.
Finally, with our current administration and the recent developments around the world, the sequel might not be all that far off. I wonder what they'll call it, since Armageddon has already been copyrighted.
Well, Kathleen, Todd, that should provide ample fodder for several weeks of indignant rebuttals. Hey, my pleasure! Everybody's good at something, and my talent just happens to be pissing people off. See ya at the movies!
Steve Pedigo
Rock Island
What's the point? I've read the book, I know how it ends, I can't speak Aramaic or Latin, and I've waded through so many writings, reviews, raves, and revelations regarding the film that I see no sense in actually viewing it.
Well, what would Jesus do? I would hardly be so presumptuous as to believe I could fathom the thoughts, actions, or motivations of anyone who lived halfway around the world two millennia ago. However, I think I have a pretty good grasp of what Jesus wouldn't do. I find it highly unlikely that He would shell out what for Him would amount to about a week's salary to sit in a dark room and watch pictures flicker across the wall. That being said, I am sending a check for $8.50 (one adult cinema ticket) to Churches United of the Quad Cities.
Who the hell is Mel Gibson and why should I care what he thinks? I only know him as an actor, and a pretty one-dimensional one, at that. Sure, he has wealth, fame, and celebrity, but I've never equated that with wisdom, insight, or spirituality. And if this represents some kind of new evangelism for the 21st Century, I'd just as soon deal with the bright shiny faces at my door trying to get me to read their pamphlets.
It's a movie, for crying out loud. (Okay, it's got subtitles, so it's a "film." Whatever.) Seriously, if I need my spirituality recharged, I'll attend services at a local church. If I want to learn what life was like in the Middle East under Roman rule, I'll enroll in a history class. If I feel the need to get all depressed at man's inhumanity to man, I'll watch the evening news. But when I go to the movies, I just want to be entertained, that's all. And from what I've heard, The Passion is a lot of things, but entertaining isn't one of them. And if Mel really wants to change people's lives, I might suggest that he try working in a medium other than one that's engendered Adam Sandler and Dude, Where's My Car?
Maybe the Jews know what they're talking about. I've read plenty of essays and opinions about whether the movie reflects negatively on Judaism, and the Jewish writers all seem to be of a like mind. Setting aside temporarily the issues of Zionism and the occupation of Palestine, if you want to find out about discrimination against Jews, don't you think a pretty good source would be someone who's Jewish?
Realistic is not the same as reality. Yeah, it may look real, but it's the result of script revisions, storyboards, makeup, and camera angles, just like any other movie. A suspension of disbelief is fine at the movies. A disconnection with reality is not.
Blood, guts, and gore just don't do it for me anymore. I don't really care if it's Rocky, Rambo, or The Redeemer. I mean, the whole super-slow-mo blood spatter thing was pretty much done to death in the drive-in slasher flicks of the '70s. Maybe it's time we moved on. And from my conversations with first responders, emergency-room workers, and combat veterans, once you've smelled a severely perforated intestine or heard someone slowly drown as their lungs fill up with blood, representations of physical violence, well, they sorta lose their allure.
From all I've heard, it is, in my view, obscene. ("Abominable, disgusting, repulsive" - Webster's.) No one has yet adequately explained to me why showing someone gently removing another's clothes is in bad taste, yet portraying someone savagely removing another's flesh is perfectly acceptable. I'm familiar with the mechanics of crucifixion. If I recall correctly, the structure of the bones and tendons in the hand is not robust enough to support the weight of the body, so the nails were usually driven into the wrist above the junction of the radius and the ulna. The weight of the body hanging from the shoulders would eventually paralyze the diaphragm, causing death by suffocation. Yuck! I don't even like reading about it. Why on earth would I want to pay money to watch it? Wouldn't it just be easier to just drive around looking for a car wreck to gawk at?
Tragically, it's not like crucifixion was a particularly uncommon punishment under the Romans. Hell, they had crosses planted along the roads like Burma Shave signs. In fact, I believe Jesus had a couple neighbors there on Golgotha. They left this mortal orb in the same manner as The Savior, only without the divine assurance that they were going to be hanging out with their Dad.
Finally, with our current administration and the recent developments around the world, the sequel might not be all that far off. I wonder what they'll call it, since Armageddon has already been copyrighted.
Well, Kathleen, Todd, that should provide ample fodder for several weeks of indignant rebuttals. Hey, my pleasure! Everybody's good at something, and my talent just happens to be pissing people off. See ya at the movies!
Steve Pedigo
Rock Island
