Mel..Mel.. Mel.. how come "euro-style" actors instead of middle eastern?

[SoCalDem]

I wonder why no one has asked him this question on his whirlwind Jesus media show...

He claims to have spared nothing in the "factual" telling of the tale...even down to the use of Aramaic and Hebrew instead of English, and yet, the most important part..the VISUAL part shows us nothing more than what was done in the 1920's biblical movies.. White people made up and pretending to be the real deal..

The reason can only be because his target audience would be "offended" if they were reminded that Jesus was probably a short swarthy dark-skinned man, and so were his apostles and family..

The virgin Mary was NOT a blonde..nor was Jesus or Joseph....

So.. for someone who pretended to try hard to be faithful to "the story". he missed by a mile..

It is gratuitous and hate filled violence, for the sake of violence..

[DuctapeFatwa]

1. Would all those fundie churches buy tix if he hadn't?

don't you think there would have been outrage at the suggestion that Jesus associated with tersts?

[kskiska]

2. I've wondered the same thing.

Jesus most likely looked like a younger Yasser Arafat. That would be pretty hard for them to swallow.

[Solomon]

20. I've always thought that Osama Bin Laden looks like

christ. Plus, you never see Bin Laden shouting, he always looks like he's calmly teaching when he is shown.

[knight_of_the_star]

3. Interesting point

I wonder if this would have made anywhere NEAR as much of a splash if they did it that way?

[TahitiNut]

4. Why didn't Schwartzenegger play Jesus?

That would've topped it off perfectly. :puke:

[Cleita]

7. Nah, they'll let him play Moses when they remake

"The Ten Commandments".

[Sannum]

5. It will come out

do well for a few weeks and be forgotten. I am sick of hearing about it. It has been in the news for a year and a half, and NO film is that important. I am sick of the ADL, Gibson, and everyone else involved.

[Chovexani]

6. Amen (Pardon the pun)

I mean, it's great that there's no wars or civil unrest or anything going on in the world, so our wonderful media can cover fundie gore-gasms 24/7.

:eyes:

[SoCalDem]

8. Mel's version vs what was probably true

http://198.62.75.1/www1/apparitions/http:/jesus.gif

[maggrwaggr]

12. are youy saying Mother Mary didn't pluck her eyebrows?

shame on you

[Jim Sagle]

13. CNN's computer-generated version of Jesus:

[SoCalDem]

14. Gee.. They made him kind of "cavemanesque"

Oog of Nazareth:shrug:

[JasonDeter]

9. No

"It is gratuitous and hate filled violence, for the sake of violence."

No its a factual story of Christs suffering. The world at the most, only had a intellectual understanding of what Christ went through during the last few hours of Christ. Mel Gibson's "The Passion of Christ" brought home what Christ actually went through in a vivid and articulate manner.

[SoCalDem]

10. I do not need a movie to "understand" what happened

nor do I (or the young children who will see this) need to "assign blame".. It's been literally AGES since this happened.. All who were involved are long-dead..

The only reason to see this is for the vicarious, voyeuristic trip through Mel Gibson's brain..

It's just more fodder for a bunch of "screaming mee-mee" religious zealots to get all lathered up over..

I "know" that people die in agony, yet I do not "need" to watch a re-creation of how Aunt Millie suffered those last days with cancer.. and I certainly do not need to revel in the violence done to a political prisoner...all those centuries ago..

I DO ascribe to the fact that he was a preacher who ruffled a lot of feathers, but the former catholic agnostic in me does not buy the rest..

If he had lived in another time, I could actually see Pat Roberston as Pilate.. or Falwell (he'd like wearing long robes..)

[JasonDeter]

11. I disagree on one point and agree on another

"All who were involved are long-dead"

I know the Lord Jesus, the Apostles and all His followers are alive.
Re: Pat Roberston as Pilate.. or Falwell (he'd like wearing long robes..) You are absolutely right.

[Ladyhawk]

15. From what I've read, it's probable Christ didn't even exist.

Not historically anyway. He was probably a hodge-podge of various pagan gods who were also born of a virgin, died and rose again. There may have been an historical figure around that time that did some of the things Jesus did, but no one person or god is responsible for the Christ myth.

Also, lots of other people have suffered horrible deaths, some much more horrible than the Christ of the bible. In my opinion, focusing too much on the death of Christ cheapens the good things attributed to him during his life. His message of peace, caring for the poor, etc. is drowned out by the violence.

I think it's also possible that the movie is designed to make people feel guilty. In fundy school we sang lots of songs about how we were personally responsible for the death of Christ. That's a lot of shame to lay on somebody.

A snippet from "The Day He Wore My Crown":

I'm the one to blame.
I caused all the pain.
He gave himself
The day he wore my crown.

Sorry, but I'm not going to take the rap anymore for something I didn't do.

[PsychoDad]

16. It's scarry enough....

That the man talked about selling everything you have and giving it to the poor and Discribed the kingdom of God as virtualy unobtainable by the rich. A man who stood shoulder to shoulder with the lowest in society and decried the Falwells and Robertsons of his day.

On top of that you are going to darken his hair and skin? Heavens! He'll end up looking like the disposable folks we bomb or send to fight our wars!

Nope, It just won't sell in middle america....

[phrenzy]

17. Hate To Break It To You..

Hate To Break It To You..

But, Christ didn't exist any more than Frodo Baggins existed. And for that matter you may as well worship Gandalf or study 'The Force' if you are going to take the stories of the Bible literally.

In case you didn't know - Jesus' name was not mentioned in ANY text up until nearly 200 years after his 'death'

Civilization was already pretty advanced in terms of recording significant events and persons of the time - This makes it impossible to believe somebody that did such things would take 4 generations to have his story told. Unless, of course, it was made up.

Not to knock the concept of Jesus and the sentiment behind what he mostly represented - But you can't ignore the facts.

The New Testament is every bid as fictitious in terms of it's literal 'story' as 'Lord Of The Rings.

[Forkboy]

18. Even the virgin birth is lifted from other,pagan,beliefs

long before Christianity.

Some examples;

Horus,the child of the Virgin Mother, Isis.

Another Egyptian god,Ra was said to have been born of a virgin mother Net had no father.

Jason,who was slain by Zeus,was said to have been another son of the virgin Persephone,and had no father.

A Chinese legend that tells how,when there was but one man with one woman upon earth,the woman refused to sacrifice her virginity even in order to people the globe and the gods,honoring her purity,granted that she should conceive beneath the gaze of her lover's eyes,and a virgin-mother became the parent of humanity.

Krishna was born of the virgin Devaki.

Savior Dionysus was born of the virgin Semele.

The old Teutonic goddess Hertha was a virgin impregnated by the heavenly Spirit and bore a son.

Scandinavian Frigga was impregnated by the All-Father Odin and bore Balder,the healer and savior of mankind.


How is these other myths explained? Justin Martyr, the second-century Christian "Father of the Church" claimed they were an invention of the Devil,who,knowing that Christ would subsequently be born of a virgin,counterfeited the miracle before it really took place.

Kind of like the dinosaurs bones which were put here to fool us.That God is such a prankster.

[regnaD kciN]

19. Predictable nonsense...

In case you didn't know - Jesus' name was not mentioned in ANY text up until nearly 200 years after his 'death'

Wrong, of course. We have the letters of Paul, which all date from points in the mid-first century. The Gospels were written somewhere between then and the beginning of the second century. Not to mention the references in Josephus and Tacitus.

Hate to break it to you...but your opinion should really come with a tinfoilhat attached.

[Solomon]

21. Ha Ha. LOL! That's rich.

You telling somebody to wear a tinfoilhat for not believing fantasy.

[Forkboy]

22. lol...ah the irony

:)