I haven’t been out to see The Passion of the Christ. I don’t really plan on doing so, but I have a question for those of you who are going to see it:
If this movie was directed by someone who wasn’t a Hollywood movie star, would you go to see it?
If the answer is yes, then you can skip on to another entry. But if your answer (look in your heart) is no, then let me ask this followup question:
When did Mel Gibson become our pre-eminent theologian?
Because this movie is about theology, and it comes from a pretty fringe sect of Catholicism, as near as I can gather. I also gather that the grand majority of Americans had no idea what this sect was, prior to Gibson’s movie project.
So, has it become compelling subject matter because it’s being promoted by Mel Gibson? If so, do you realize how absolutely insane that position is? You’re saying, “I want to try to get a better understanding of the Gospels through an interpretation by the man best known for the Lethal Weapon movies.” Why on earth would anyone give credence to that person’s views?
You wanna know why? It’s because we live in a culture of starfucking celebrity-whores, and this is just the most extreme example of that to come along in, oh, a week or two. Sure, we thought that having Congressional hearings about an over-the-hill pop diva’s breast-exposure was bad, but we’re at a point where the national conversation is about Mad Max’s take on Jesus Christ!
How insane can you fucking people get?! Read a motherfucking book! Read the Gospels, if that’s what you want to understand! I’m a Jew, so this stuff isn’t my province, but isn’t the kingdom of God supposed to be within you?
And print this out and pass it on to anyone stupid enough to give a crap about what the star of Bird on a Wire thinks about the redemption of our souls.
–Gil Roth
groth@chimeraobscura.com