This is an impressive, affecting movie and pushes the bar higher when it comes to atmospheric scenes of violence and mis-applying history to capture people's emotions whom fail to do biblical and historical research.
After re-reading the comments by many people here it should be noted that cinema attendees should not be allowing under-aged people to see this movie with or without their parents. Surely, this is a form of child abuse as the images even adults find hard to look upon! Many so called christian churches are trying to use this as evangelism to non-believers in an age where violence is used as an attraction to Christianity....... shame on all of them!!!
It is true that the movie is well directed and contents great acting qualities......... but the plot is somewhat lacking and does not explain the true purpose of HIS death or what HE was going through mentally to why Christ did not want to drink the cup in the first scene. Contrary to popular belief, it was not the violence and death that was so worrying to Christ, rather the thought of the people in future ages who would not even accept HIS sacrifice, even the people who knew HIM then or even hated HIM.
Mel Gibson using symbols of Mary as co-redeemer with Christ only highlights the fact that the director was not only influenced by the bible, but also Catholic teachings and theology. If this movie was made by a Baptist then their theology would have come through, it is only natural. Notwithstanding such propaganda, the movie suffers somewhat by adding non-biblical ideas and scenes to highlight more violence. Some examples are plain enough, you don't get the impression that Jesus is dirty in the Garden, but is worrying about the final outcome as seen in the bible. In the movie its focus is upon the physical suffering of Christ whilst the bible emphasized the internal suffering. Therefore in a subtle way we are seeing a hollywood Christ not the real Christ (Mat 24:24-28). Other scenes showing Jewish child changing to devils or Christ being thrown off a cliff are scenes captured from Mel Gibson's extra biblical research from mystical nuns and sooth-sayers like St. Mary of Agreda and Anne Catherene Emmerich from the 18th century.
How Christ could be human and HIS father turning his face away from the SON because our sin was place on HIM (Christ) and yet without spiritual protection for His suffering that such beating non-stop would have killed or serious maimed ANYONE, yet he endure the beating which is ten times more than what HE really suffered; this is pure hollywood and emotionally dismal.
Many movie blow things out of proportion as the bible indicates lesser violence and blood in these scenes, because it was (all four gospels) written to emphasize the mental suffering of Christ and HIS disciples!
These types of Passion Plays from the Roman and Greek empires were very popular in their days, but early christians never used them to promote their faith with sinful human images to represent their God! These images are the only history lessons people get and believe in these days (this applies to many 'so called realistic historical movies', only realistic when you are ignorant and can be deceived)....... so from this point of view if people watch the movie and don't do their own research the only Christ they know is the Hollywood version and not the historical/biblical one.
The santuary falling down was never mention in the scriptures because that occurred in AD 70. Rather, the curtain was torn in two.
I just hope that this movie with the money it is making can be used to help poor people around the world, then at least something positive can be said about the effects of the movie.
When we see Mary holding the body of Jesus in the same position as Michelangelo's pietà, That image has a powerful message. It shows not only the importance of Christ's death, but also the sacrifice of Mary in offering her Son for our salvation, co-redeemer. Mary therefore implies her role in her sacrifice to us. Again, this is not really given the impression in the gospels and that scene does not really happen in that way in reality.
Upon reading this verse it is clear that faith does not come simply by seeing (Rom 10:17). As my friend commented: "The Apostle Paul knew what sufferings was all about because he was flogged five times, beaten with rods three times, stoned once, shipwrecked three times, etc. (2 Cor 11:24-29), yet he lifts up for the Christian meditation, not the gory details of Christ's torture and execution, but the nobility of Christ's character as revealed in His incarnation, humiliation, suffering, and subsequent exaltation. These are the themes that can fire our imagination, without having to recur to graphic and gory details of His suffering".
Indeed, why is the resurrection and other important teaching of Christ left minimised or out altogether like the last supper or the sermon on the mount? This could have been a blockbuster three hour film with the added biblical plot with less violence to make more sense and win the oscars!!!
Please don't get me wrong! This is a deeply moving cinematic experience, but what direction spiritually and film wise are we heading into in the future as this movie inspires other copy cats directors to aim for the big bucks (money) through historical or biblical violence as legitimacy! The ominous reality is that many types of people have become so conditioned by the entertainment industry, through using God within drama, pictures, movies, and rock music which has become an accepted form of (false?) worship and evangelism than just applying plain friendship and preaching to people's general daily concerns and conditions which Jesus did.
After re-reading the comments by many people here it should be noted that cinema attendees should not be allowing under-aged people to see this movie with or without their parents. Surely, this is a form of child abuse as the images even adults find hard to look upon! Many so called christian churches are trying to use this as evangelism to non-believers in an age where violence is used as an attraction to Christianity....... shame on all of them!!!
It is true that the movie is well directed and contents great acting qualities......... but the plot is somewhat lacking and does not explain the true purpose of HIS death or what HE was going through mentally to why Christ did not want to drink the cup in the first scene. Contrary to popular belief, it was not the violence and death that was so worrying to Christ, rather the thought of the people in future ages who would not even accept HIS sacrifice, even the people who knew HIM then or even hated HIM.
Mel Gibson using symbols of Mary as co-redeemer with Christ only highlights the fact that the director was not only influenced by the bible, but also Catholic teachings and theology. If this movie was made by a Baptist then their theology would have come through, it is only natural. Notwithstanding such propaganda, the movie suffers somewhat by adding non-biblical ideas and scenes to highlight more violence. Some examples are plain enough, you don't get the impression that Jesus is dirty in the Garden, but is worrying about the final outcome as seen in the bible. In the movie its focus is upon the physical suffering of Christ whilst the bible emphasized the internal suffering. Therefore in a subtle way we are seeing a hollywood Christ not the real Christ (Mat 24:24-28). Other scenes showing Jewish child changing to devils or Christ being thrown off a cliff are scenes captured from Mel Gibson's extra biblical research from mystical nuns and sooth-sayers like St. Mary of Agreda and Anne Catherene Emmerich from the 18th century.
How Christ could be human and HIS father turning his face away from the SON because our sin was place on HIM (Christ) and yet without spiritual protection for His suffering that such beating non-stop would have killed or serious maimed ANYONE, yet he endure the beating which is ten times more than what HE really suffered; this is pure hollywood and emotionally dismal.
Many movie blow things out of proportion as the bible indicates lesser violence and blood in these scenes, because it was (all four gospels) written to emphasize the mental suffering of Christ and HIS disciples!
These types of Passion Plays from the Roman and Greek empires were very popular in their days, but early christians never used them to promote their faith with sinful human images to represent their God! These images are the only history lessons people get and believe in these days (this applies to many 'so called realistic historical movies', only realistic when you are ignorant and can be deceived)....... so from this point of view if people watch the movie and don't do their own research the only Christ they know is the Hollywood version and not the historical/biblical one.
The santuary falling down was never mention in the scriptures because that occurred in AD 70. Rather, the curtain was torn in two.
I just hope that this movie with the money it is making can be used to help poor people around the world, then at least something positive can be said about the effects of the movie.
When we see Mary holding the body of Jesus in the same position as Michelangelo's pietà, That image has a powerful message. It shows not only the importance of Christ's death, but also the sacrifice of Mary in offering her Son for our salvation, co-redeemer. Mary therefore implies her role in her sacrifice to us. Again, this is not really given the impression in the gospels and that scene does not really happen in that way in reality.
Upon reading this verse it is clear that faith does not come simply by seeing (Rom 10:17). As my friend commented: "The Apostle Paul knew what sufferings was all about because he was flogged five times, beaten with rods three times, stoned once, shipwrecked three times, etc. (2 Cor 11:24-29), yet he lifts up for the Christian meditation, not the gory details of Christ's torture and execution, but the nobility of Christ's character as revealed in His incarnation, humiliation, suffering, and subsequent exaltation. These are the themes that can fire our imagination, without having to recur to graphic and gory details of His suffering".
Indeed, why is the resurrection and other important teaching of Christ left minimised or out altogether like the last supper or the sermon on the mount? This could have been a blockbuster three hour film with the added biblical plot with less violence to make more sense and win the oscars!!!
Please don't get me wrong! This is a deeply moving cinematic experience, but what direction spiritually and film wise are we heading into in the future as this movie inspires other copy cats directors to aim for the big bucks (money) through historical or biblical violence as legitimacy! The ominous reality is that many types of people have become so conditioned by the entertainment industry, through using God within drama, pictures, movies, and rock music which has become an accepted form of (false?) worship and evangelism than just applying plain friendship and preaching to people's general daily concerns and conditions which Jesus did.
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