Saturday, March 20, 2004
Luckily for you guys, I'm on the case
So I'm minding my own business reading Jewish newspapers and I get this article. Check out some if it's finer points.
Only someone who is being disingenuous can claim that the "Passion" was born in a vacuum, or that it will not boost anti-Semitism. I understand that even Pontius Pilate is portrayed in the movie as an enlightened ruler, surrounded by cruel, bloodthirsty, long-nosed Jews with rotting teeth - so say people who have seen the movie.
Umm, did we see the same movie? Pontius Pilate ordered a man that he had decided was innocent to have the bloody shit beat out of him because he didn't want to accept responsibility for his actions. Real enlightenment philosopher. Actually. As for the cruel bloodthirsty long-nosed Jews, there were probably a few. There were a few drunk sadistic Romans. There were a few coward apostles who also happened to be Jewish. There was also Simon of Cyrene, Claudia, and the apostle John. Watch the movie, open your eyes.
Now on to point number II!
What is to be gained in the exact reenactment of the crucifixion when the viewers are invited to watch nails being hammered into the palms of a tortured man? If this isn't an attempt to stir up passions, to promote a dispute, and to again cast darkness on Jewish-Christian relations under the heavy shadow of the cross, then what do we have here?
Well, I donno. We have these things in my church called crucifixes where we always look at the beaten and crucified body of Christ. Then we have the stations of the Cross where we go around and meditate on the Via Dolorosa. Then the real sickos like me meditate on all the events of the movie twice a week in this thing called the Rosary. I think, Mr. random Jewish guy, that what we get out of it is a deeper appreciation of our Lord's suffering and a deeper call to follow in his footsteps of leading a life worthy of the name Christian. Other than that, and the fact that our entire religion is based on this Guy getting nailed to the cross, not much.
Who would think that those Catholics had anything to do with that Jesus fellow. What an outrage.
Their friendship is conditional; for the evangelists, the return of the Jews to their land, especially to the Greater Land of Israel, free of Muslims, is a precondition for a complete Christian redemption, which includes, among other things, wiping out the Jews as a people. These evangelicals see the redemption of Israel as a crucial foundation in the return of the messiah Jesus Christ. This is the only reason they encourage Israel and donate a lot of money to it, mainly to the messianic streams within the Jewish state, who view the settlements as the start of the redemption.
If by wiping out the Jews as a people you mean that the Lord will take them all into heaven for an eternity of perfect worship, yeah I guess they'd like to see the Jews cease to exist as a people on this good earth. Of course, the earth will be gone by then in their theology, so if the Jews were still around they would be having problems. I recommend getting a little deeper understanding of the admittadly bizarre end-tmes theology of some people before you talk about it.
With friends like these, who vote en masse for Haider and flock en masse to see Gibson's movie, there's no need for enemies; because enemies such as these friends are hoping to inherit this land in a war of Armageddon, whose advent, if it is taking time, maybe needs to be sped up.
I don't know about this Haider guy. But I'm pretty sure that he's basically calling me an anti-semite of some color. One point first, though. Again, I don't think they hope for the land. They hope for the end of the world. That's kind of a different thing, it seems to me, anyway. Secondly, it's the theology of some, not all. Gibson's is almost certainly quite different, if he's holding to any kind of orthodox Catholicism. I can't know it, of course, and there's no official one as far as this quesetion goes, but I tend to doubt he's one of these pre-rapt post-mill late-fulfilment types (no I'm not sure what that means). Third, how many Evangelicals does he know?
I donno. I'm just amused he's making comments about a movie he hasn't seen and people he hasn't met who believe theology he doesn't understand.
Only someone who is being disingenuous can claim that the "Passion" was born in a vacuum, or that it will not boost anti-Semitism. I understand that even Pontius Pilate is portrayed in the movie as an enlightened ruler, surrounded by cruel, bloodthirsty, long-nosed Jews with rotting teeth - so say people who have seen the movie.
Umm, did we see the same movie? Pontius Pilate ordered a man that he had decided was innocent to have the bloody shit beat out of him because he didn't want to accept responsibility for his actions. Real enlightenment philosopher. Actually. As for the cruel bloodthirsty long-nosed Jews, there were probably a few. There were a few drunk sadistic Romans. There were a few coward apostles who also happened to be Jewish. There was also Simon of Cyrene, Claudia, and the apostle John. Watch the movie, open your eyes.
Now on to point number II!
What is to be gained in the exact reenactment of the crucifixion when the viewers are invited to watch nails being hammered into the palms of a tortured man? If this isn't an attempt to stir up passions, to promote a dispute, and to again cast darkness on Jewish-Christian relations under the heavy shadow of the cross, then what do we have here?
Well, I donno. We have these things in my church called crucifixes where we always look at the beaten and crucified body of Christ. Then we have the stations of the Cross where we go around and meditate on the Via Dolorosa. Then the real sickos like me meditate on all the events of the movie twice a week in this thing called the Rosary. I think, Mr. random Jewish guy, that what we get out of it is a deeper appreciation of our Lord's suffering and a deeper call to follow in his footsteps of leading a life worthy of the name Christian. Other than that, and the fact that our entire religion is based on this Guy getting nailed to the cross, not much.
Who would think that those Catholics had anything to do with that Jesus fellow. What an outrage.
Their friendship is conditional; for the evangelists, the return of the Jews to their land, especially to the Greater Land of Israel, free of Muslims, is a precondition for a complete Christian redemption, which includes, among other things, wiping out the Jews as a people. These evangelicals see the redemption of Israel as a crucial foundation in the return of the messiah Jesus Christ. This is the only reason they encourage Israel and donate a lot of money to it, mainly to the messianic streams within the Jewish state, who view the settlements as the start of the redemption.
If by wiping out the Jews as a people you mean that the Lord will take them all into heaven for an eternity of perfect worship, yeah I guess they'd like to see the Jews cease to exist as a people on this good earth. Of course, the earth will be gone by then in their theology, so if the Jews were still around they would be having problems. I recommend getting a little deeper understanding of the admittadly bizarre end-tmes theology of some people before you talk about it.
With friends like these, who vote en masse for Haider and flock en masse to see Gibson's movie, there's no need for enemies; because enemies such as these friends are hoping to inherit this land in a war of Armageddon, whose advent, if it is taking time, maybe needs to be sped up.
I don't know about this Haider guy. But I'm pretty sure that he's basically calling me an anti-semite of some color. One point first, though. Again, I don't think they hope for the land. They hope for the end of the world. That's kind of a different thing, it seems to me, anyway. Secondly, it's the theology of some, not all. Gibson's is almost certainly quite different, if he's holding to any kind of orthodox Catholicism. I can't know it, of course, and there's no official one as far as this quesetion goes, but I tend to doubt he's one of these pre-rapt post-mill late-fulfilment types (no I'm not sure what that means). Third, how many Evangelicals does he know?
I donno. I'm just amused he's making comments about a movie he hasn't seen and people he hasn't met who believe theology he doesn't understand.
