U
UnsilentMajorty
Guest
Good article.
The other reason it is getting so much controversy, aside from the issues the article explains, is that for the first time, you have an A-List, widely recognizable name star basically violating the unwritten rule of "speration of church and entertainment [state]" by presenting something that inequivocably asserts he is Christian and is proud of that fact where often (especially in Hollywood) religion is a forbidden subject and is left outside that industry in favor of not offending anyone.
For example, you have actors and actresses who openly admit they are Scientologits, Jewish, Christian, Buddist, Islam, etc... But none of them have just made a movie about their religion in such an unabashed form like Mel Gibson has and it's only complicated by the fact that he is an ultra-conservative Roman Catholic (vs. the "normal" Catholic Church) and all the recent negative controversy surrouding the Catholic Church with regards to certain Massachusettes priests being Pedophiles and the cover up that the church participated in regarding the abuse.
In addition, the fact that this film coicides with "The Dav Vinci Code" is another reason it's getting a lot of attention because the debate about Jesus as a human being who may have had a wife (Mary Magdaline) and children (decendants) is also heating up among Church groups as well...
And one of the pivotal characters in "The Passion" is Mary Magdaline who is by his side through out the entire film, more or less, that only adds credence to this possiblity that Jesus wasn't this diety (in one respect) and was more human than we portray him to be, religious doctorine or not.
The other factor is the time and society we live in right now if you happen to be in the United States.
I don't want to get into a huge political debate, but there is a general perception (right or wrong) that the so-called Religious Right are being allowed -- via support from the President -- To push through what basically amount to elitist and almost biggoted doctorines (laws, philosophical implications) that not only violate separation of Church and State, but that may in fact bring negative results depending on your POV on certain issues...
Which only adds to the ferver of anti-relgious, anti-Church (any church) feelings that this country has always, for lack of a better word, danced around and it may not be able to do that any more with "The Passion" being a mainstream, box office force and again, with what's going on in the U.S. right now as far as ideology, theology and goverment merging.
The other reason it is getting so much controversy, aside from the issues the article explains, is that for the first time, you have an A-List, widely recognizable name star basically violating the unwritten rule of "speration of church and entertainment [state]" by presenting something that inequivocably asserts he is Christian and is proud of that fact where often (especially in Hollywood) religion is a forbidden subject and is left outside that industry in favor of not offending anyone.
For example, you have actors and actresses who openly admit they are Scientologits, Jewish, Christian, Buddist, Islam, etc... But none of them have just made a movie about their religion in such an unabashed form like Mel Gibson has and it's only complicated by the fact that he is an ultra-conservative Roman Catholic (vs. the "normal" Catholic Church) and all the recent negative controversy surrouding the Catholic Church with regards to certain Massachusettes priests being Pedophiles and the cover up that the church participated in regarding the abuse.
In addition, the fact that this film coicides with "The Dav Vinci Code" is another reason it's getting a lot of attention because the debate about Jesus as a human being who may have had a wife (Mary Magdaline) and children (decendants) is also heating up among Church groups as well...
And one of the pivotal characters in "The Passion" is Mary Magdaline who is by his side through out the entire film, more or less, that only adds credence to this possiblity that Jesus wasn't this diety (in one respect) and was more human than we portray him to be, religious doctorine or not.
The other factor is the time and society we live in right now if you happen to be in the United States.
I don't want to get into a huge political debate, but there is a general perception (right or wrong) that the so-called Religious Right are being allowed -- via support from the President -- To push through what basically amount to elitist and almost biggoted doctorines (laws, philosophical implications) that not only violate separation of Church and State, but that may in fact bring negative results depending on your POV on certain issues...
Which only adds to the ferver of anti-relgious, anti-Church (any church) feelings that this country has always, for lack of a better word, danced around and it may not be able to do that any more with "The Passion" being a mainstream, box office force and again, with what's going on in the U.S. right now as far as ideology, theology and goverment merging.