First long, serious post ahead...


Okay, here's the deal about Mel Gibson. I won't pay to see his movie. I may "flick" it a year from now, but I won't support it with cash. I appreciate what John Kass of the Chicago Tribune has to say, but I just don't agree with it, or the motives behind the movie.

Religion and theology is a tricky thing, but since Cindy and I have become more active in our church, we actually have had a chance to discuss these issues deeply. I guess my belief is that Jesus makes a whole lot more sense to me as an example of how to live, not as a "Get out of Hell Free" card.

I don't believe that God had damned humanity, and that the only way we got out of it was because we were redeemed by a perfect sacrifice. That just seems petty. It also seems manipulative. Many of the Catholics I know talk about the guilt that is built into their faith, and this movie seems designed mostly to play on that guilt. Don't get me wrong -- I am not Catholic and am no expert on Catholic theology -- but since it's mainly Catholics and conservative Protestants hyping this movie, and Mel Gibson actually built his own "old school" Catholic church, I think it makes sense. So showing me two and a half hours of torture and execution just makes me mad about the torture and execution that still exists in our country and world. It doesn't motivate me to tell the world about how great Jesus is.
Show me a Jesus movie where Jesus goes off about how wrong it is to be rich, and I'll show you a movie that would never be made by Mel Gibson or promoted by Republicans...

I'd love to see your comments, or links to other articles about this movie.