This is a little long, but well worth it. I plan to buy the movie in the Future. 
Fw: The Passion
Remarks by Paul Harvey:
Paul Harvey Comments on "The Passion" by Mel Gibson The
majority of the media are complaining about this movie. Now Paul Harvey tells
"The rest of the story"; and David Limbaugh praises Gibson. Most people
would wait and see a movie before giving the reviews that have been issued
by the reporters trying to tell all of us what to believe. Paul
Harvey's words:
I really did not know what to expect. I was thrilled to have
been invited to a private viewing of Mel Gibson's film "The Passion,"
but I had also read all the cautious articles and spin. I grew up in a
Jewish town and owe much of my own faith journey to the influence. I have a
life-long, deeply held aversion to anything that might even indirectly
encourage any form of anti-Semitic thought, language or actions. I
arrived at the private viewing for "The Passion", held in Washington
DC and greeted some familiar faces. The environment was typically
>Washingtonian, with people greeting you with a smile but seeming to
look beyond you, having an agenda beyond the words. The film was very
briefly introduced, without fanfare, and then the room darkened. From the
gripping opening scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the very human
and tender portrayal of the earthly ministry of Jesus, through the
betrayal, the arrest, the scourging, the way of the cross, the encounter with
the thieves, the surrender on the Cross, until the final scene in the
empty tomb, this was not simply a movie; it was an encounter, unlike
anything I have ever experienced. In addition to being a masterpiece of
film-making and an artistic triumph, "The Passion" evoked more deep
reflection, sorrow and emotional reaction within me than anything
since my wedding, my ordination or the birth of my children. Frankly, I
will never be the same. When the film concluded, this "invitation only"
gathering of "movers and shakers" in Washington, DC were shaking
indeed, but this time from sobbing. I am not sure there was a dry eye in
the place. The crowd that had been glad-handing before the film was now
eerily silent. No one could speak because words were woefully
inadequate.We had experienced a kind of art that is a rarity in life, the kind
that makes heaven touch earth. One scene in the film has now been
forever etched in my mind. A brutalized, wounded Jesus was soon to fall
again under the weight of the cross. His mother had made her way along the
Via Della Rosa. As she ran to him, she flashed back to a memory of Jesus
as a child, falling in the dirt road outside of their home. Just as she
reached to protect him from the fall, she was now reaching to touch
his wounded adult face. Jesus looked at her with intensely probing and
passionately loving eyes (and at all of us through the screen) and
said "Behold I make all things new." These are words taken from the last
Book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelations. Suddenly, the purpose
of the pain was so clear and the wounds, that earlier in the film had
been so difficult to see in His face, His back, indeed all over His body,
became intensely beautiful. They had been borne voluntarily for
love. At the end of the film, after we had all had a chance to recover, a
question and answer period ensued. The unanimous praise for the film, from a
rather diverse crowd, was as astounding as the compliments were
effusive. The questions included the one question that seems to follow this
film, even though it has not yet even been released. "Why is this film
considered by some to be "anti-Semitic?" Frankly, having now
experienced (you do not "view" this film"The Passion") It is a question that is
impossible to answer. A law professor whom I admire sat in front of
me. He raised his hand and responded "After watching this film, I do not
understand how anyone can insinuate that it even remotely presents
that the Jews killed Jesus. It doesn't." He continued "It made me realize
that my sins killed Jesus." I agree. There is not a scintilla of
anti-Semitism to be found anywhere in this powerful film. If there were, I would
be among the first to decry it. It faithfully tells the Gospel story in
a dramatically beautiful, sensitive and profoundly engaging way.
Those who are alleging otherwise have either not seen the film or have another
agenda behind their protestations. This is not a "Christian" film,
in the sense that it will appeal only to those who identify themselves as
followers of Jesus Christ. It is a deeply human, beautiful story
that will deeply touch all men and women. It is a profound work of art.
Yes, its producer is a Catholic Christian and thankfully has remained
faithful to the Gospel text; if that is no longer acceptable behavior than we
are all in trouble. History demands that we remain faithful to the story
and Christians have a right to tell it. After all, we believe that it
is the greatest story ever told and that its message is for all men and
women. The greatest right is the right to hear the truth. We would all
be well advised to remember that the Gospel narratives to which "The
Passion" is so faithful were written by Jewish men who followed a
Jewish Rabbi whose life and teaching have forever changed the history of
the world.
The problem is not the message but those who have distorted
it and used it for hate rather than love. The solution is not to censor
the message, but rather to promote the kind of gift of love that is Mel
Gibson's filmmaking masterpiece, "The Passion." It should be seen
by as many people as possible. I intend to do everything I can to make
sure that is the case. I am passionate about "The Passion." You will be
as well. Don't miss it!
> > > This is a commentary by DAVID LIMBAUGH
about Mel Gibson's very controversial movie regarding Christ's crucifixion.
It, too, is well worth reading.
> > MEL GIBSON'S passion for "THE
PASSION"
How ironic that when a movie producer takes artistic license with
>historical events, he is lionized as artistic, creative and
brilliant, but when another takes special care to be true to the real-life
story, he is vilified. Actor-producer Mel Gibson is discovering
these truths the hard way as he is having difficulty finding a United States
studio or distributor for his upcoming film, "The Passion," which depicts the
last 12 hours of the life of Jesus Christ. Gibson co-wrote the script
and financed, directed and produced the movie. For the script, he and
his co-author relied on the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John, as well as the diaries of St. Anne Catherine Emmerich
(1774-1824)and Mary of Agreda's "The City of God." Gibson doesn't want this to
be like other sterilized religious epics. "I'm trying to access the
story on a very personal level and trying to be very real about it." So
committed to realistically portraying what many would consider the
most important half-day in the history of the universe, Gibson even shot
the film in the Aramaic language of the period. In response to
objections that viewers will not be able to understand that language, Gibson
said, "Hopefully, I'll be able to transcend the language barriers with my visual
storytelling; if I fail, I fail, but at least it'll be a
monumental failure."
To further insure the accuracy of the work,
Gibson has enlisted the counsel of pastors and theologians, and has
received rave reviews. Don Hodel, president of Focus on the Family, said, "I
was very impressed. The movie is historically and theologically
accurate."
Ted Haggard, pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo.,
and president of the National Evangelical Association, glowed: "It
conveys,more accurately than any other film, who Jesus was." During the
filming, Gibson, a devout Catholic, attended Mass every morning because "we
had to be squeaky clean just working on this." From Gibson's perspective,
this movie is not about Mel Gibson. It's bigger than he is. "I'm not
a preacher, and I'm not a pastor," he said. "But I really feel my career
was leading me to make this. The Holy Ghost was working through me on
this film, and I was just directing traffic. I hope the film has the
power to evangelize." Even before the release of the movie, scheduled
for March 2004, Gibson is getting his wish. "Everyone who worked on
this movie was changed. There were agnostics and Muslims on set converting
to Christianity...[and] people being healed of diseases."
Gibson wants people to understand through the movie, if they don't already, the
incalculable influence Christ has had on the world. And he grasps that
Christ is controversial precisely because of WHO HE IS - GOD
incarnate. "And that's the point of my film really, to show all that turmoil
around him politically and with religious leaders and the people, all because
He is Who He is." Gibson is beginning to experience first hand just
how controversial Christ is. Critics have not only speciously challenged
the movie's authenticity, but have charged that it is disparaging to
Jews, which Gibson vehemently denies. "This is not a Christian vs. Jewish
thing. '[Jesus] came into the world, and it knew him not.' Looking
at Christ's crucifixion, I look first at my own culpability in that."
Jesuit Father William J. Fulco, who translated the script into Aramaic and
Latin, said he saw no hint of anti-Semitism in the movie. Fulco
added, "I would be aghast at any suggestion that Mel Gibson is anti-Semitic."
Nevertheless, certain groups and some in the mainstream press have
been very critical of Gibson's "Passion." The New York Post's Andrea
Peyser chided him: "There is still time, Mel, to tell the truth." Boston
Globe columnist James Carroll denounced Gibson's literal reading of the
biblical accounts. "Even a faithful repetition of the Gospel stories
of the death of Jesus can do damage exactly because those sacred texts
themselves carry the virus of Jew hatred," wrote Carroll. A group of
Jewish and Christian academics has issued an 18-page report slamming
all aspects of the film, including its undue emphasis on Christ's passion
rather than "a broader vision." The report disapproves of the movie's
treatment of Christ's passion as historical fact. The moral is that
if you want the popular culture to laud your work on Christ, make sure it
either depicts Him as a homosexual or as an everyday sinner with no
particular redeeming value (literally). In our anti-Christian culture,
the blasphemous "The Last Temptation of Christ" is celebrated and "The
Passion" is condemned. But if this movie continues to affect people
the way it is now, no amount of cultural opposition will suppress its
force and its positive impact on lives everywhere. Mel Gibson is a model of
faith and courage.
Fw: The Passion
Remarks by Paul Harvey:
Paul Harvey Comments on "The Passion" by Mel Gibson The
majority of the media are complaining about this movie. Now Paul Harvey tells
"The rest of the story"; and David Limbaugh praises Gibson. Most people
would wait and see a movie before giving the reviews that have been issued
by the reporters trying to tell all of us what to believe. Paul
Harvey's words:
I really did not know what to expect. I was thrilled to have
been invited to a private viewing of Mel Gibson's film "The Passion,"
but I had also read all the cautious articles and spin. I grew up in a
Jewish town and owe much of my own faith journey to the influence. I have a
life-long, deeply held aversion to anything that might even indirectly
encourage any form of anti-Semitic thought, language or actions. I
arrived at the private viewing for "The Passion", held in Washington
DC and greeted some familiar faces. The environment was typically
>Washingtonian, with people greeting you with a smile but seeming to
look beyond you, having an agenda beyond the words. The film was very
briefly introduced, without fanfare, and then the room darkened. From the
gripping opening scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the very human
and tender portrayal of the earthly ministry of Jesus, through the
betrayal, the arrest, the scourging, the way of the cross, the encounter with
the thieves, the surrender on the Cross, until the final scene in the
empty tomb, this was not simply a movie; it was an encounter, unlike
anything I have ever experienced. In addition to being a masterpiece of
film-making and an artistic triumph, "The Passion" evoked more deep
reflection, sorrow and emotional reaction within me than anything
since my wedding, my ordination or the birth of my children. Frankly, I
will never be the same. When the film concluded, this "invitation only"
gathering of "movers and shakers" in Washington, DC were shaking
indeed, but this time from sobbing. I am not sure there was a dry eye in
the place. The crowd that had been glad-handing before the film was now
eerily silent. No one could speak because words were woefully
inadequate.We had experienced a kind of art that is a rarity in life, the kind
that makes heaven touch earth. One scene in the film has now been
forever etched in my mind. A brutalized, wounded Jesus was soon to fall
again under the weight of the cross. His mother had made her way along the
Via Della Rosa. As she ran to him, she flashed back to a memory of Jesus
as a child, falling in the dirt road outside of their home. Just as she
reached to protect him from the fall, she was now reaching to touch
his wounded adult face. Jesus looked at her with intensely probing and
passionately loving eyes (and at all of us through the screen) and
said "Behold I make all things new." These are words taken from the last
Book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelations. Suddenly, the purpose
of the pain was so clear and the wounds, that earlier in the film had
been so difficult to see in His face, His back, indeed all over His body,
became intensely beautiful. They had been borne voluntarily for
love. At the end of the film, after we had all had a chance to recover, a
question and answer period ensued. The unanimous praise for the film, from a
rather diverse crowd, was as astounding as the compliments were
effusive. The questions included the one question that seems to follow this
film, even though it has not yet even been released. "Why is this film
considered by some to be "anti-Semitic?" Frankly, having now
experienced (you do not "view" this film"The Passion") It is a question that is
impossible to answer. A law professor whom I admire sat in front of
me. He raised his hand and responded "After watching this film, I do not
understand how anyone can insinuate that it even remotely presents
that the Jews killed Jesus. It doesn't." He continued "It made me realize
that my sins killed Jesus." I agree. There is not a scintilla of
anti-Semitism to be found anywhere in this powerful film. If there were, I would
be among the first to decry it. It faithfully tells the Gospel story in
a dramatically beautiful, sensitive and profoundly engaging way.
Those who are alleging otherwise have either not seen the film or have another
agenda behind their protestations. This is not a "Christian" film,
in the sense that it will appeal only to those who identify themselves as
followers of Jesus Christ. It is a deeply human, beautiful story
that will deeply touch all men and women. It is a profound work of art.
Yes, its producer is a Catholic Christian and thankfully has remained
faithful to the Gospel text; if that is no longer acceptable behavior than we
are all in trouble. History demands that we remain faithful to the story
and Christians have a right to tell it. After all, we believe that it
is the greatest story ever told and that its message is for all men and
women. The greatest right is the right to hear the truth. We would all
be well advised to remember that the Gospel narratives to which "The
Passion" is so faithful were written by Jewish men who followed a
Jewish Rabbi whose life and teaching have forever changed the history of
the world.
The problem is not the message but those who have distorted
it and used it for hate rather than love. The solution is not to censor
the message, but rather to promote the kind of gift of love that is Mel
Gibson's filmmaking masterpiece, "The Passion." It should be seen
by as many people as possible. I intend to do everything I can to make
sure that is the case. I am passionate about "The Passion." You will be
as well. Don't miss it!
> > > This is a commentary by DAVID LIMBAUGH
about Mel Gibson's very controversial movie regarding Christ's crucifixion.
It, too, is well worth reading.
> > MEL GIBSON'S passion for "THE
PASSION"
How ironic that when a movie producer takes artistic license with
>historical events, he is lionized as artistic, creative and
brilliant, but when another takes special care to be true to the real-life
story, he is vilified. Actor-producer Mel Gibson is discovering
these truths the hard way as he is having difficulty finding a United States
studio or distributor for his upcoming film, "The Passion," which depicts the
last 12 hours of the life of Jesus Christ. Gibson co-wrote the script
and financed, directed and produced the movie. For the script, he and
his co-author relied on the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John, as well as the diaries of St. Anne Catherine Emmerich
(1774-1824)and Mary of Agreda's "The City of God." Gibson doesn't want this to
be like other sterilized religious epics. "I'm trying to access the
story on a very personal level and trying to be very real about it." So
committed to realistically portraying what many would consider the
most important half-day in the history of the universe, Gibson even shot
the film in the Aramaic language of the period. In response to
objections that viewers will not be able to understand that language, Gibson
said, "Hopefully, I'll be able to transcend the language barriers with my visual
storytelling; if I fail, I fail, but at least it'll be a
monumental failure."
To further insure the accuracy of the work,
Gibson has enlisted the counsel of pastors and theologians, and has
received rave reviews. Don Hodel, president of Focus on the Family, said, "I
was very impressed. The movie is historically and theologically
accurate."
Ted Haggard, pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo.,
and president of the National Evangelical Association, glowed: "It
conveys,more accurately than any other film, who Jesus was." During the
filming, Gibson, a devout Catholic, attended Mass every morning because "we
had to be squeaky clean just working on this." From Gibson's perspective,
this movie is not about Mel Gibson. It's bigger than he is. "I'm not
a preacher, and I'm not a pastor," he said. "But I really feel my career
was leading me to make this. The Holy Ghost was working through me on
this film, and I was just directing traffic. I hope the film has the
power to evangelize." Even before the release of the movie, scheduled
for March 2004, Gibson is getting his wish. "Everyone who worked on
this movie was changed. There were agnostics and Muslims on set converting
to Christianity...[and] people being healed of diseases."
Gibson wants people to understand through the movie, if they don't already, the
incalculable influence Christ has had on the world. And he grasps that
Christ is controversial precisely because of WHO HE IS - GOD
incarnate. "And that's the point of my film really, to show all that turmoil
around him politically and with religious leaders and the people, all because
He is Who He is." Gibson is beginning to experience first hand just
how controversial Christ is. Critics have not only speciously challenged
the movie's authenticity, but have charged that it is disparaging to
Jews, which Gibson vehemently denies. "This is not a Christian vs. Jewish
thing. '[Jesus] came into the world, and it knew him not.' Looking
at Christ's crucifixion, I look first at my own culpability in that."
Jesuit Father William J. Fulco, who translated the script into Aramaic and
Latin, said he saw no hint of anti-Semitism in the movie. Fulco
added, "I would be aghast at any suggestion that Mel Gibson is anti-Semitic."
Nevertheless, certain groups and some in the mainstream press have
been very critical of Gibson's "Passion." The New York Post's Andrea
Peyser chided him: "There is still time, Mel, to tell the truth." Boston
Globe columnist James Carroll denounced Gibson's literal reading of the
biblical accounts. "Even a faithful repetition of the Gospel stories
of the death of Jesus can do damage exactly because those sacred texts
themselves carry the virus of Jew hatred," wrote Carroll. A group of
Jewish and Christian academics has issued an 18-page report slamming
all aspects of the film, including its undue emphasis on Christ's passion
rather than "a broader vision." The report disapproves of the movie's
treatment of Christ's passion as historical fact. The moral is that
if you want the popular culture to laud your work on Christ, make sure it
either depicts Him as a homosexual or as an everyday sinner with no
particular redeeming value (literally). In our anti-Christian culture,
the blasphemous "The Last Temptation of Christ" is celebrated and "The
Passion" is condemned. But if this movie continues to affect people
the way it is now, no amount of cultural opposition will suppress its
force and its positive impact on lives everywhere. Mel Gibson is a model of
faith and courage.
