I had hoped to never be forced to watch Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ” by a well-meaning believer. Tonight my luck ran out on me. Well, sort of. I left the room within the first half-hour or so. As a person of faith (that’s Christianity, not whatever bizarre S&M-based religion Mel Gibson apparently practices), I don’t blame anyone for watching the film. I will blame people for failing to remember the cardinal rule of movie watching — if it’s a story based on a book, read the book — it’s always much better. That’s definitely true in this case. Specifically there’s a lot of dramatic representation that rubs non-Catholics the wrong way. For the record, I’m not saying that this is wrong or not (although I definitely have my opinions). Biblical literacy being what it is now-a-days, though, I suspect most people will have accepted the dramatic license as being accurate Scripturally-speaking.
Additionally, many have claimed (and will continue to claim) that the violent depiction of Jesus’ torture and crucifixion has strengthened their personal faith and commitment in being a Christian. Without appearing to support “the ends justify the means” ideology, this is a good thing. However, the real peril is that such thinking places too much emphasis on the bizarre way Jesus died (to us in this place and time, since crucifixion was quite common in those times). In reality, that was just a brief snapshot of the amazing thirty-three years of this man’s life. In his life, he did things that we all do — loved, laughed, feared, and cried. He also taught some of the simplest, yet right-to-the-point teachings the world has ever heard. Focusing too much on scourging, pools of blood, and crowns of thorns causes us to miss the final lesson going on right in front of our eyes — the conquest of death, the powers of this world, and any piss-ant trouble life can throw at you.
A couple hours after leaving the room, I came back to find out well the rest of the movie was received. Hope said it was only two stars. I questioningly joked, “You didn’t like ‘The Passion’?” like so many people have done as if not liking a movie was a problem associated with a person’s level of faith (particularly as in South Park’s parody of people’s reaction to this movie). As long as we remember that transient things like film and fashion do not indicate faith in those things that are permanent and ultimate, we can surely feel free to disagree on Mel Gibson’s vision and interpretation of Jesus’ message and still explore and experience the deep meaning of the Christian faith. Not only is that a five star rating, but that’s a free drink and up-size on the tub of popcorn.
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