The Passion Of The Christ (2004)

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The Passion of The Christ (2004) From EJ Hill & Friends THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST' by EJ Hill (1977-)

Introduction

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Mel Gibson's much anticipated "The Passion of The Christ", officially opened in America theaters on Ash Wednesday, February 25th, 2004. Never in history has any movie so captured the attention and adoration of the Christian public. No movie, no movement, no revival, no event – nothing in modern history has created such a stir within the Christian world. Locally, here in sunny South Africa, the well-known film critic Leon van Nierop, said that The Passion made him as a Christian believe even more than he ever did, "I was so intensely touched by it that I am still upset by what I saw – but in a positive manner" [1] Dr. Isak Burger, President of The Apostolic Faith Mission in South Africa, commented that as far as he was concerned The Passion were "the most authentic graphical representation of the historical suffering of Jesus thusfar." [1] Ds. Jannie Pelser of the Dutch Reformed Church also gave his support. DVD

Even closer to home, here in Hermanus, Ds. Michiel de Kock of the Onrus Dutch Reformed Church also gave his support during a Sunday-morning service, June 27th, 2004. Likewise, Bosko Christian Church has well-meaning, paid for and distributed, more than 100 tickets to individuals

to see Mel Gibson's The Passion. Churches and prominent Christian leaders around the world are heralding The Passion as the greatest evangelical event in modern history – maybe ever. Many are crowning The Passion as the greatest presentation of the crucifixion in history – including the Bible.

But is it Scriptural? Are we witnessing the launch of a great revival across the world as some are already proclaiming? Is The Passion the "fire" that would spark a great moving of the Holy Ghost throughout the world? As Christians we have a divine commission to "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (2 Th. 5v21) And there is nothing that we as God's people should exclude from biblical examination. There is nothing, no matter how "pleasing to the eyes" (Gen. 3v6), that we should by default assume is either Christian or according to God's Will. It was Oscar Wilde that once said, "Life is a comedy to those who think, and a tragedy to those who feel". We should of course also never forget our adversary. For he is crafty beyond imagination. And his ultimate goal – ever was, is, and always will be - "to be like the Most High" (Is. 14v14). He is the master of all counterfeiters. The liar of all liars. His ultimate aim has always been to "act" as Christ (Mt. 24v24). With this in mind, we should always be cautious of Satan's potential injection of poison, especially when the Lord Jesus is the topic, "not to be ignorant of Satan's devices ... lest he should get an advantage of us" (2 Cor. 2v11) As we carefully examine The Passion – let us prayerfully consider the attitude of the noble Bereans who "searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17v11).

The Script

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Christian ministers and the news media paraded The Passion as true to the Bible. Most of the Christians interviewed remarked how true and authentic it appeared. The question however, is it really true to the Word? Or did Mel Gibson, with his loyal Catholic beliefs and creative ability, wander outside the pages of the Bible? Is it possible that The Passion is not entirely based upon the Bible as most seem to believe? Could it be entirely possible that the primary script and inspiration for The Passion is not the Bible at all? Let's see how MSNBC describes some of the scenes from The Passion. "Gibson's movie begins in the Garden of Gethsemane, with the disciples sleeping as Jesus prays for guidance and stomps on a snake that tempts Him to avoid His destiny. There are other horrors: a screeching creature that resembles a beserk monkey, demonic children, who might have wandered in from 'The Exorcist', a bird that plucks out the eyes of crucified men, the gargoyle-like members of King Herod's court..." [2] None of these things are found within the pages of the Bible? So where did Gibson get these things from?

The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

A few years ago, as Mel Gibson was rediscovering and renewing his Catholic faith, Gibson bought a library of hundreds of books from a closed nunnery. Mel claims as he was reaching for a book on the library shelf a supernatural intervention caused another book to "miraculously" drop into his hands. And that "miracle book", not the Bible, not the four Gospels, inspired The Passion. The book was "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Meditations of Anne Catherine Emmerich". Gibson claims like "magic" this book opened a whole new world. "Amazing images", he said. "She supplied me with stuff I never would have thought of". Anne Catherine Emmerich And who exactly is Anne Catherine Emmerich, the mysterious author of The Passion? A famous, mystic, Catholic nun, who possessed some very unusual abilities. Anne was born on the feast of the Virgin Mary's own nativity: September 8th, 1774 in Westphalia, Germany. She became a nun of the Augustinian Order at Dulmen. Emmerich experienced supernatural visions very early on in her life. Legend has it, that by the age of four she prayed for three hours daily while being physically visited by her guardian angel. Even at that early age people around her described a "mysterious power that eminated from her". Emmerich was found frequently practicing the occult art of levitation. Many times when she entered a room, she was clearly seen levitating above the ground.

Anne Catherine Emmerich

She also practiced the occult art of astral projection, claiming to "bilocate" to various places. Astral projection is the psychic ability of the soul to leave the physical body and travel beyond space and time. During her mystical astral projections, she claims to have watched the actual execution of King Louis XVI, and visited Marie Antoinette, queen of France, in prison. Sometimes these astral projection trips actually took her into Purgatory to view the tortured souls. Of course, the Bible does not teach Purgatory. Emmerich experienced just about every satanic supernatural and occult practice known to man.

Emmerich also bore the actual, physical wounds of Jesus Christ, known as the Mystic Stigmata, where the actual wounds of Christ supernaturally appeared on her hands, feet, and head. According to supposedly verified medical reports, her supernatural stigmata wounds were half an inch in size and found in her hands, feet, side, and head – it bled profusely, especially on Fridays (the erroneous Catholic calculation of the day of crucifixion). At times the blood flowed so heavily from the supernatural stigmata wounds, that it would completely soak the bandages and freely flow onto the ground. According to various sources, this was verified by medical doctors. One physician that examined Emmerich said, "There can be no question of imposture in this case. The wounds speak for themselves, at least to a man of science. To ascribe them to natural causes such as imagination, induction, analogy, or similar causes, is simply impossible". According to her biographers, the last twelve years of Anne's life she ate no food except the bread and wine of the Holy Eucharist. In other words, she supposedly lived for twelve years on nothing but the Eucharist or Mass. Catholics believe in what is known as transubstantiation – a form of ritual cannibalism – that the wine of communion actually changes into the blood of Christ and the bread into His flesh, as they swallow the "Wafer God". The short and sweet of Anne Catherine Emmerich is that she was spiritually disturbed. Emmerich experienced common occurrences of supernatural visions. During these visions she claims to have seen the Creation of Heaven, the fall of the angels, the creation of earth, paradise and many other such scenes. During these demonic visions she also claims to have seen the actual crucifixion of Christ. Anne set about writing a book entitled, "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ", based upon these visions. And according to Mel Gibson, demonic visions became the "supernaturally imposed" script and inspiration for The Passion – NOT THE BIBLE. Mel Gibson is so devoted to Emmerich, that one of his most treasured possessions is a piece of cloth that was once part of her habit (garment). Gibson carried this piece of cloth in his pocket. During his PrimeTime™ interview with Diane Sawyer, Mel proudly displayed his miracle cloth for the world to see. I wonder how many Ministers and Christians watching this interview questioned Mel's fanatical devotion to Emmerich? So what else did Emmerich have to say?

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"The Church is the only one, the Roman Catholic! And if there were left upon earth but one Catholic, he would be the one, universal Church, the Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ against which the gates of hell shall never prevail". "Then I had the sweet assurance that Mary is the Church; the Church, our mother; God, our Father; and Jesus, our brother". "I have had a great vision on the mystery of Holy Mass and I have seen that whatever good has existed since creation is owing to it". I am convinced that if Martin Luther, John Calvin, Charles Spurgeon, John Knox or George Whitefield were alive today, they would without a doubt have treated The Passion with the contempt which it deserves. If Emmerich and her writings is not extreme blasphemy, then there is not one shred of truth in the Bible. Christianity Today® magazine writes in regard to Gibson's obsession with Emmerich's Dolorous Passion: "He (Gibson) also recounted a series of divine coincidences that led him to read the works of Anne Catherine Emmerich, a late 18-th, early 19-th century Westphalian nun who had visions of the events of The Passion. Many of the details needed to fill out the Gospel accounts he drew from her book, Dolorous Passion of Our Lord." [3] Much of The Passion is clearly scripted from Emmerich's Dolorous Passion. A simple examination of a couple of scenes will be sufficient to establish the claim: I In one scene as "Jesus" is being flogged, Claudia, the wife of Pilate, approaches Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene. She gives them folded linen. After Jesus is taken away, the two Marys began mopping up the blood on the ground with the linen. Somehow in my Bible reading I missed that scene. Of course so, because it is not in the Bible. It is taken directly from Anne's vision. Here is the same scene from Emmerich's Dolorous Passion: "When Jesus fell down at the foot of the pillar, after the flagellation, I saw Claudia Procles, the wife of Pilate, send more large pieces of linen to the mother of God. I know not whether she thought Jesus would be set free, and that His mother would then require linen to dress His wounds, or whether this compassionate lady was aware of the use which would be made of her present... I soon afterward saw Mary and Magdalene approach the pillar where Jesus had been scourged;... they knelt down on the ground near the pillar, and wiped up the sacred blood with the linen which Claudia Procles had sent." [4] II Another curious scene from Anne Catherine Emmerich's book is Satan (which incidentally played by a beautiful woman in The Passion) tempting "Jesus" within the Garden of Gethsemane as "Jesus" is in agony praying. Here is how one reviewer describes the scene from Gibson's The Passion: "In the darkness, a gaunt, hooded woman appears (Satan). 'Do you really believe one man can bear this burden?' she taunts. No one man can carry this burden. It's too heavy. Saving their souls is too costly.'" [5] Again the above scene is nowhere in the Scriptures. And again it is straight from Emmerich's Dolorous Passion: "He fell on His face, overwhelmed with unspeakable sorrow,... But Satan, who was enthroned amid all these horrors, and even filled with diabolical joy at the sight of them, let loose his fury against Jesus, and displayed before the eyes of his soul increasingly awful visions, at the same time addressing His adorable humanity in words such as these: 'Takest thou even this sin upon thyself? Art thou willing to bear its penalty? Art thou prepared to satisfy for all these sins?'" [4] III Another scene from The Passion coming from Emmerich's Dolorous Passion is "Jesus" crushing the serpent's head: "A snake slithers from her (Satan's) robe toward the man (Jesus) who, for the first time, has diverted his eyes to this enemy. Suddenly, and without warning his foot comes down, crushing the serpent's head." [4] IV Mary wakes up, sensing Jesus' arrest: "During this agony of Jesus, I saw the Blessed Virgin also overwhelmed with sorrow and anguish of soul, in the house of Mary, the mother of Mark. She was with Magdalene and Mary in the garden belonging to the house, and almost prostrate from grief, with her whole body bowed down as she knelt. She fainted several times, for she beheld in spirit different portions of the agony of Jesus." [4] "The Blessed Virgin was ever united to her Divine Son by interior spiritual communications; she was, therefore, fully aware of everything that happened to Him – she suffered with Him, and joined in His continual prayer for His murderers. But her maternal feelings prompted her to supplicate Almighty God most ardently not to suffer the crime to be completed, and to save her Son from such dreadful torments." [4]

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V Soldiers throw “Jesus” of a bridge: "I saw our Lord fall twice before He reached the bridge, and these falls were caused entirely by the barbarous manner in which the soldiers dragged Him; but when they were half over the bridge they gave full vent to their brutal inclinations, and struck Jesus with such violence that they threw Him off the bridge into the water." [4] VI Jesus' abuse before the priests: "At this answer of Jesus the countenance of Annas flushed with fury and indignation. A base menial who was standing near perceived this, and he immediately struck our Lord on the face with his iron gauntlet, exclaiming at the same moment, 'Answereth thou the High Priest so?' Jesus was so nearly prostrated by the violence of the blow, that when the guards likewise reviled and struck Him, He fell quite down, and blood trickled from His face onto the floor. Laughter, insults, and bitter words resounded through the hall. The archers dragged Him roughly up again, and He mildly answered, 'If I have spoken evil, give testimony of the evil; but if well, why strickest thou Me?'" [4] VII After thrice denying Jesus, Peter runs to Mary, weeping and calling her, 'Mother': "Mary approached him instantly, and said, 'Simon, tell me, I entreat you, what is become of Jesus, my Son? These words pierced his very heart; he could not even look at her, but turned away, and again wrung his hands. Mary drew close to him, and said in a voice trembling with emotion: 'Simon, son of Jonah, why doest thou not answer me?' ... 'Mother!' exclaimed Peter, in a dejected tone, 'O, Mother, speak not to me – thy Son is suffering more than words can express: speak not to me!'" [4] VIII Mary walks about the now-emptied courtyard and then falls with her face pressed to the floor, directly above the cell in which Jesus was imprisoned in: "John, therefore, led her and the holy women to the front of the prison where Jesus was confined. Mary was with Jesus in spirit, and Jesus was with her; but his loving Mother wished to hear with her own ears the voice of her Divine Son." [4] IX Satan and his minions torment Judas: "I beheld the traitor, Judas Iscariot, wandering about, alone, and a prey to the tortures of his guilty conscience; he feared even his own shadow, and was followed by many devils, who endeavored to turn his feelings of remorse into black despair." [4] X An effeminate Herod is depicted amidst cushions: "Herod was expecting them. He was seated on a pile of cushions, heaped together so as to form a species of throne, in a spacious hall, and surrounded by courtiers and warriors." [4] "... the luxurious and effeminate prince turned away in disgust, uttered the name of God, and said to the priests in a tone of mingled pity and contempt, 'Take him hence, and bring him not back into my presence in such a deplorable state." [4] XI Herod calls Jesus a fool and commands that Jesus be given a fool's homage: "But he spoke in the most contemptuous manner to Jesus, and turning to the guards and servants who surrounded him, and who were about two hundred in number, said: 'Take away this fool, and pay him that homage which is his due; he is mad, rather than guilty of any crime.'" [4]

XII The scourging scene is very similar to that written by Emmerich. Jesus is scourged against a pillar in the center of a courtyard. The scourging culminates with the use of chains with barbs that tear chunks off His back. "Jesus" is then rotated so that the soldiers could scourge the other side. Mary is prominent throughout the scene as if exhorting "Jesus". "This pillar, placed in the center of the court, stood alone, and did not serve to sustain any part of the building." [4] "Jesus trembled and shuddered as he stood before the pillar, and took off his garments as quickly as he could, but his hands were bloody

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and swollen. The only return he made when his brutal executioners struck and abused him was to pray for them in the most touching manner: he turned his face once towards his Mother, who was standing overcome with grief; this look quite unnerved her: she fainted, and would have fallen, had not the holy women who were there supported her." [4] "Two fresh executioners took the places of the last mentioned, who were beginning to flag; their scourges were composed of small chains, or straps covered with iron hooks, which penetrated to the bone, and tore off large pieces of flesh at every blow. What word, alas! could describe this terrible – this heartrending scene! The cruelty of these barbarians was nevertheless not yet satiated; they untied Jesus, and again fastened him up with his back turned towards the pillar. As he was totally unable to support himself in an upright position, they passed cords around his waist, under his arms, and above his knees, and having bound his hands tightly into the rings which were placed at the upper part of the pillar, they recommenced scourging him." [4] "I saw the Blessed Virgin in a continual ecstasy during the time of the scourging of her Divine Son; she saw and suffered with inexpressible love and grief all the torments he was enduring." [4] XIII "Jesus" falls multiple times while carrying the cross (corresponding to the third, seventh, and ninth Stations of the Cross): The Stations of the Cross are a popular Catholic devotion. Each of the fourteen stations represents an event which occurred during Jesus' Passion and Death at Calvary on Good Friday. A person making the Stations of the Cross is to meditate about each event depicted at each station, and pray. The First Fall "When Jesus reached this spot, His strength was perfectly exhausted; he was quite unable to move; and as the archers dragged and pushed Him without slowing the slightest compassion, He fell quite down against this stone, and the cross fell by His side." [4] The Second Fall "Then came her beloved Son. He was almost singing under the heavy weight of His cross, and His head, still crowned with thorns, was drooping in agony on His shoulder. He cast a look of compassion and sorrow upon His mother, staggered, and fell for a second time upon His hands and knees." [4] The Third Fall "The procession had reached an arch formed in an old wall belonging to the town, opposite to a square, in which three streets terminated, when Jesus stumbled against a large stone which was placed in the middle of the archway, the cross slipped from his shoulder, He fell upon the stone, and was totally unable to rise." [4] XIV Mary meets Jesus while on the way to Golgotha (4th Station of the Cross): "Then came her beloved Son. He was almost sinking under the heavy weight of the cross, and His head, still crowned with thorns, was drooping in agony upon His shoulder. He cast a look of compassion and sorrow upon His mother, staggered, and fell for the second time upon His hands and knees. Mary was perfectly agonized at this sight; she forgot all else; she saw neither soldiers not executioners; she saw nothing but her dearly-loved Son; and, springing from the doorway into the midst of the group who was insulting and abusing Him, she threw herself on her knees by His side and embraced Him. The only words I heard were, 'Beloved Son!' and 'Mother!'" [4] XV The scene in which Simon of Cyrene is pressed into service is very similar to that written by Emmerich. One of Simon's children is present. He is initially reluctant, exhibiting great disdain towards Jesus. Simon soon after experiences a change of heart. "At this moment Simon of Cyrene, a pagan, happened to pass by, accompanied by his three children. He was a gardener, just returning home after work in a garden near the east wall of the city, and carrying a bundle of lopped branches. The soldiers perceiving by his dress that he was a pagan, seized him, and ordered him to assist Jesus in carrying the cross. He refused at first, but was soon compelled to obey, although his children, being frightened, cried and made a great noise, upon which some women quieted and took charge of them. Simon was much annoyed, and expressed the greatest vexation at being obliged to walk with a man in so deplorable a condition of dirt and misery; but Jesus wept, and cast such a mild and heavenly look upon him that he was touched, and instead of continuing to show reluctance, helped him to rise, while the executioners fastened one arm of the cross on his shoulders, and he walked behind our Lord, thus relieving Him in a great measure from its weight." [4] XVI

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Veronica wipes Jesus' face (6th Station of the Cross; the cloth with the blood face imprinted within is now a relic known as the Shroud of Turin): "Seraphia was the name of the brave woman who thus dared to confront the enraged multitude; she was the wife of Sirach, one of the councillors belonging to the Temple, and was afterwards known by the name of Veronica, which name was given from the words vera icon (true portrait), to commemorate her brave conduct on this day. Seraphia had prepared some excellent aromatic wine, which she piously intended to present to our Lord to refresh Him on His dolorous way to Calvary. She had been standing in the street for some time, and at last went back into the house to wait. She was, when I first saw her, enveloped in a long veil, and holding a little girl of nine years of age whom she had adopted, by the hand; a large veil was likewise hanging on her arm, and the little girl endeavored to hide the jar of wine when the procession approached. Those who were marching at the head of the procession tried to push her back; but she made her way through the mob, the soldiers, and the archers, reached Jesus, fell on her knees before Him, and presented the veil, saying at the same time, 'Permit me to wipe the face of my Lord.' Jesus took the veil in His left hand, wiped His bleeding face, and returned it with thanks. Seraphia kissed it, and put it under her cloak. The girl then timidly offered the wine, but the brutal soldiers would not allow Jesus to drink it." [4]

Straight from Emmerick's Dolorous Passion

XVII The scene of Jesus and Simon of Cyrene is very similar to that written by Emmerich. Simon threatens to stop helping if the soldiers continue the cruelty, saying that he will do so even if the soldiers kill him. Simon then places Jesus' arm across his shoulders, supporting Him. "Their cruelty to Jesus so exasperated Simon of Cyrene that he at last exclaimed, 'If you continue this brutal conduct, I will throw down the cross and carry it no farther. I will do if you kill me for it." [4] "Jesus was on the point of again falling, but Simon, who was behind, perceiving that he could not stand, hastened to support him; he leant upon Simon, and was thus saved from falling to the ground." [4] XVIII The scene in which Jesus is nailed to the cross is also similar to Emmerich's writings. After the first hand is nailed, Jesus' other arm is stretched out with a sickening crunch to reach the hole provided for the nail. The soldiers also subject Jesus to more agony as they stretch His body out to the wooden footrest that they placed to low. "The Blessed Virgin stood motionless; from time to time you might distinguish her plaintive moans; she appeared as if almost fainting from grief, and Magdalene was quite beside herself. When the executioners had nailed the right hand of our Lord, they perceived that His left hand did not reach the hole that they bored to receive the nail, therefore they tied ropes to his left arm, and having steadied His feet against the cross, pulled the left hand violently until it reached the place prepared for it. The dreadful process caused our Lord indescribable agony, His breast heaved, and His legs were quite contracted." [4] "The executioners had fastened a piece of wood at the lower part of the cross under where the feet of Jesus would be nailed, that thus the weight of his body might not rest upon the wounds of His hands, as also to prevent the bones of His feet from being broken when nailed to the cross. A hole had been pierced in this wood to receive the nail when driven through his feet, and there was likewise a little hollow place for His heels. These precautions were taken lest His wounds should be torn open by the weight of His body, and death ensue before He had suffered all the tortures which they hoped to see Him endure. The whole body of our Lord had been dragged upward, and contracted by the violent manner with which the executioners had stretched out his arms, and his knees were bent up; they therefore flattened and tied them down tightly with cords; but soon perceiving that His feet did not reach the bit of wood which was placed for them to rest upon, they became infuriated. Some of their number proposed making flesh holes for the nails which pierced his hands, as there would be considerable difficulty in removing the bit of wood, but the other would do nothing of the sort, and continued to vociferate, 'He will not stretch Himself out, but we will help him;' they accompanied these words with the most fearful oaths and imprecations, and having fastened a rope to his right leg, dragged it violently until it reached the wood, and then tied it down as tightly as possible. The agony which Jesus suffered from this violent tension was indescribable; the words 'My God, my God,' escaped His lips, and the executioners increased His pain by tying his chest and arms to the cross, lest the hands should be torn from the nails. They then fastened His left foot onto His right foot, having first bored a hole through them with a species of piercer, because they could not be placed in such a position as to be nailed together at once. Next they took a very long nail and drove it completely through both feet into the cross below, which operation which was more than usually painful, on account of His body being so unnaturally stretched out." [4] XIX Jesus is depicted as having long hair and being generally pleasing to the eye. "The complexion of Our Lord was fair,like that of Mary,and slightly tinted with red; but his exposure to the weather during the last three years had tanned him considerably. His chest was wide,but not hairy like that of St. John Baptist; his shoulders broad, and his arms and thighs sinewy; his knees were strong and hardened,as is usually the case with those who have walked or knelt much, and his legs long, with very strong muscles; his feet were well-formed,and his hands beautiful,the fingers being long and tapering, and although not delicate like those of a woman,still not resembling those of a man who had laboured hard. His neck was rather long, with a well-set and finely proportioned head; his forehead large and high; his face oval; his hair, which was far from thick, was a golden brown colour, parted in the middle and falling over his shoulders; his beard was not any great length, but pointed and divided under the chin." [4]

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XX Mary begs, "Flesh of my flesh, heart of my heart, my son, let me die with you." "When our Lord announced to his Blessed Mother what was going to take place, she besought him, in the most touching terms, to let her die with him." [4] "... the Blessed Virgin, filled with intense feelings of motherly love, entreated her Son to permit her to die with him ..." [4] XXI A soldier is showered by Jesus' blood after piercing his side. "He seized his lance and rode quickly up to the mount on which the Cross was planted,stopped just between the cross of the good thief and that of our Lord, and taking his lance in both hands,thrust it so completely into the right side of Jesus that the point went through the heart, and appeared on the left side. When Cassius drew his lance out of the wound a quantity of blood and water rushed from it, and flowed over his face and body. This species of washing produced effects somewhat similar to the vivifying waters of Baptism: grace and salvation at once entered his soul. He leaped from his horse,threw himself upon his knees, struck his breast, and confessed loudly before all his firm belief in the divinity of Jesus." [4] XXII Jesus' body is lowered into Mary's arms and the camera focuses on Mary in the "Pieta pose" before panning and fading out (this suggests Mary as a co-redeemer). "When the body was taken down it was wrapped in linen from the knees to the waist, and then placed in the arms of the Blessed Virgin, who, overwhelmed with sorrow and love, stretched them forth to receive their precious burden." [4] "The Blessed Virgin seated herself upon a large cloth spread on the ground, with her right knee, which was slightly raised, and her back resting against some mantles, rolled together so as to form a species of cushion. No precaution had been neglected which could in any way facilitate to her - the Mother of Sorrows - in her deep affliction of soul, the mournful but most sacred duty which she was about to fulfill in regard to the body of her beloved Son. The adorable head of Jesus rested upon Mary's knee, and his body was stretched upon a sheet. The Blessed Virgin was overwhelmed with sorrow and love. Once more, and for the last time, did she hold in her arms the body of her most beloved Son, to whom she had been unable to give any testimony of love during the long hours of his martyrdom. And she gazed upon his wounds and fondly embraced his blood-stained cheeks, whilst Magdalene pressed her face upon his feet." [4] An article in Christianity Today™, titled "The Passion of Mel Gibson" had the curious subtitle, "Why Evangelicals are cheering a movie with profoundly Catholic sensibilities". And then continue, "This evangelical enthusiasm for The Passion of the Christ may seem a little surprising, in that the movie was shaped from start to finish by a devout Roman Catholic and by an almost medieval Catholic vision." A review of The Passion by TV Guide™ also recognizes Emmerich's influence: "Like all filmmakers inspired by the Bible, Gibson picks and chooses his lore, guided in part by the lurid visions of 18th-century stigmatic nun Anne Catherine Emmerich." [6] Dr. James C. Dobson's teen guide, Plugged In® gives a glowing approval for The Passion while readily acknowledging Emmerich's guidance: "The script is based primarily on New Testament accounts of the gospel, but also draws upon Catholic works including St. Mary of Agreda's The Mystical City of God and the diaries of St. Anne Catherine Emmerich as collected in the book The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This may explain a few extra-biblical elements." [7] As always - Satan Sells! According to one report, Emmerich's Dolorous Passion sold less than 3,000 copies in all of 2002. But since Gibson's Passion, in just one month, it has sold more than 17,000 copies! Franklin Graham recommends The Passion but readily admits that it wanders from Scripture: "Although there are some exceptions, what I call 'Hollywood's artistic liberties,' the film is for the most part an accurate, biblical portrayal of Christ's suffering." [8] Those who peddle The Passion should really consider Scripture for a change. Those "Hollywood artistic liberties" are strongly condemned: "Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it,..." (Deut. 4v2) "Add thou not unto His words,..." (Prov. 30v6) And just in case you missed God's Last Warning: "If any man should add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (Rev.22v18-19)

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The following are obvious extra-biblical incidents from The Passion. Any Christian who has even slightly read their Bible should immediately recognize the perversion of the Gospel Narrative: Satan is shown talking to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Satan as a beautiful woman. Jesus stomps a snake in the Garden that slithers from Satan's cloak. In the Garden of Gethsemane, a guard punches, kicks and slaps Jesus. After Judas betrays Jesus, Judas is attacked by children whose faces morph into demons. These demonic children then bites Judas. After viewing Jesus' bloody body, Pilate asks the Sanhedrin if they always beat prisoners prior to trial. Pilate discusses with his wife his relationship with Tiberius Ceasar, emphasizing orders Ceasar gave him to avoid uprisings in Judea. Jesus falls three times while carrying the cross. Once when Jesus falls, Mary runs to Him, and He says, "See, mother, I make all things new." Mary later asks Jesus, "When, how, where, will you choose to be delivered from this?" Pilate's wife brings linen to Jesus' mother and Mary Magdalene so that they can wipe up his blood. A woman, the Catholic Saint Veronica gives Jesus a cloth to wipe His face. Jesus' cross levitates. [9] There should be no question that The Passion is NOT true to the Bible. "... ye have perverted the words of the living God..." (Jer. 23v36)

The Roots "Put it this way. My wife is a saint. She's a much better person than I am. Honestly, She's, like, Episcopalian, Church of England. She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it's just not fair if she doesn't make it, she's better than I am. But this is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it." [10] The "pronouncement from the chair" Gibson is referring to is the declaration of the Pope, which to Catholics, is literally the voice of God and infallible. The "chair" has more authority than Scripture. The Catechism of the Catholic Church number 780 says: "The Church in this world is the sacrament of salvation, the sign and the instrument of the communion of God and men" [11] The Stations of The Cross In an effort to comprehend the Catholic inspiration and foundation of The Passion we need to take a closer look at the Catholic Stations of the Cross. "The Stations of the Cross", also known as "The Way of the Cross" or Via Dolorosa, is the Catholic sacred ritual of tracing the footsteps of Jesus while praying and meditating along the 14 "stations" or scenes of the last 12 hours leading up to the crucifixion. The Stations of the Cross are normally practiced during Lent (beginning on Ash Wednesday). It is vital to the Catholic faith. Most Catholic Churches have plaques or pictures along their walls of the 14 "stations". Like Gibson's movie, "The Stations of the Cross" are commonly referred to by Catholics as The Passion. And indeed Gibson's Passion is the Roman Catholic "stations" visually portrayed. For instance, Station Number 6 represents the Roman Catholic Saint Veronica wiping the face of Jesus as He carries the cross. James Dobson's teen guide, Plugged In™, which lovingly endorsed The Passion, recognizes the sixth Station: "... a woman (the Roman Catholic Saint Veronica) gives Jesus a cloth to wipe his face (legend has it that that imprint survived, and became a 'relic of the crucifixion.')" [12] In an interview with James Dobson, Mel Gibson relates that it was The Stations of the Cross that renewed his Catholic faith: "Gibson had drifted away from his devout Roman Catholic roots; his 'early' midlife crisis caused him to consider his faith. He meditated on The Stations of the Cross, which Catholics use to mark the hours of Christ's passion. 'I got on my knees,' Gibson said. 'I realized that His wounds could heal my wounds.'" [12] There remains no doubt that Gibson's The Passion is a subtle (Gen.3v1) reenactment of the Catholic “Stations of the Cross” of which stations 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9 are extra-biblical: Station 01 Jesus is condemned (Lk. 23v24) Station 02 Jesus carries His cross (Jn. 19v17) Station 03 Jesus falls the first time (extra-biblical) Station 04 Jesus meets His mother (extra-biblical) Station 05 Simon of Cyrene helps carry the cross (Mt. 27v32) Station 06 Veronica wipes Jesus' face (extra-biblical) Station 07 Jesus falls a second time (extra-biblical) Station 08 Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem (Lk. 23v27-31) Station 09 Jesus falls the third time (extra-biblical) Station 10 Jesus is stripped of His garments (Jn. 19v23)

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Station 11 Jesus is nailed to the Cross (Mk. 15v24) Station 12 Jesus dies on the cross (Mk. 15v37) Station 13 His body is taken down from the Cross (Lk. 23v53) Station 14 His body is laid in the tomb(Mt. 26v70) "Gibson gives the Catholic Church ... the version they can love ... This is a literal Passion, with all the major Stations of the Cross covered. It's as literal as the scene in which a woman gives Him a cloth to wipe His face as He's creeping through the streets of Jerusalem dripping blood and flesh. The Veil of Veronica is thus created (Station number 6). No quibbling here about whether this event, which is not in the Bible, ever happened. In Gibson's film, it's a fact, as real as the blood on Caviezel's face." [13] "Finally, though, when we get to the point where Christ is arrested by the Temple Guard, brought before the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate, and scourged at the stake, it suddenly becomes absolutely clear what Gibson is doing: He's illustrating the 14 Stations of the Cross." [7] "Gibson,who co-wrote the screenplay,has said he took much of his inspiration for the torture and crucifixion depictions not only from the Gospel accounts, but from the writings of a 19th-century German catholic nun. The film features much from Catholic tradition that is not based directly on Scripture œ such as Jesus passing through the Stations of the Cross and His mother, Mary, being by His side much of the way." [14] "The Passion does not simply translate a single Gospel narrative onto the screen. Rather it is a composite of The Passion narratives in the four Gospels embroidered with non-scriptural traditions as well as the imaginative inspiration of the filmmaker. The result is a deep personal work of devotional art œ a moving Stations of the Cross ..." [15] "Catholics will find themselves on familiar ground:they,at least,have retained the ritual of praying 'the stations of the cross' – a Lenten practice that, like Gibson's movie, focuses on the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus." [16] It is no coincidence that the 'official' start of the Catholic observation of The Stations of The Cross coincided with the 'official' launch of The Passion on Ash Wednesday. It is also very rare that the 'official' launch of any movie occur on a Wednesday, except if a public holiday.

The Chalice The Passion is Roman Catholic through-and-through. Gibson pulled no punches in confessing his utter devotion to his Catholic faith. In an interview with the Australian paper, The Herald Sun®, he proudly admits: "There is no salvation for those outside the [Catholic] Church. There is no salvation for those outside the Church, I believe it." Gibson then goes on to calmly condemn his own wife to hell. He admits that she "believes in God" and "she knows Jesus" - but that is not enough. According to Gibson's own words, "knowing Jesus" will not save a person. "There is no salvation for those outside the Catholic church." And let us not forget the chalice. One preview of The Passion shows Jesus in agony praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Of course, He was praying in Aramaic or Latin but the English subtitles quoted him as saying, "Father if it be possible let this chalice pass from me." Chalice? As far as I knew it read cup. It does in every translation I could find, except one - The Roman Catholic Douay-Rheims. And what is a chalice? According to www.infoplease.com chalice 1. Eccles. a. a cup for the wine of the Eucharist or Mass. b. the wine contained in it. 2. a drinking cup or or goblet 3. a cup-like blossom. The chalice is the sacred cup used in the Roman Catholic Mass or Eucharist. The Passion contains no English whatsoever. It is all in Latin or Aramaic. Fact however, Jesus never spoke Latin. Most scholars agree that the dialog between Pilate and Jesus, between Jesus and the Roman Authorities were in Greek. And almost all Christians know that the New Testament was originally written in Greek, not Latin. Why Latin then? Simple. Latin is the sacred language of the Catholic Mass. The Passion is a Catholic film. Gibson openly told the Catholic Eternal Word Television Network®, the goal of The Passion was to brashly perform the Latin Holy Eucharist: "The goal of the movie is to shake modern audiences by brashly juxtaposing the 'sacrifice of the cross with the sacrifice of the altar (Holy Eucharist) - which is the same thing." The Catholic News organization Zenit®, writes that The Passion is actually the Catholic Mass secretly (via Latin) performed. "This film, for its author, is a Mass: Let it be, then, in an obscure language [Latin], as it was for so many centuries. If the mind does not understand, so much the better." [17] Syndicated religious journalist Terry Mattingly, details Gibson's hidden purpose for The Passion: "It is crucial to realize that the images and language at the heart of 'The Passion of the Christ' flow directly out of Gibson's personal dedication to Catholicism in one of its most traditional and mysterious forms - the 16th-century Latin Mass." [18]

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To emphasize and connect Catholic Transubstantiation (the false teaching that the Lord's Supper changes into the actual blood and flesh of Jesus - a form of ritual cannibalism) with Jesus on the cross, Mel flashes scenes from the Lord's Supper. One Catholic reviewer picked upon this subtle form of Catholic propaganda: "The juxtaposition of the wounded and bleeding body of Christ on the cross with scenes of the Last Supper compellingly underscores how the Eucharist is truly the body and blood of Christ." [15] There is no doubt that The Passion is a subtle Catholic mystic film cunningly teaching and promoting the Catholic religion. The Catholic Passion Outreach™ web site, proudly proclaims: "The Passion of the Christ offers an unprecedented cultural opportunity for you to spread, strengthen, and share the Catholic faith with your family and friends. Unlike any other, this movie will inspire hearts and change minds. And it will invoke questions." [20] The Catholic Passion Outreach™ even offers Passion booklets, Passion Diocese/Parish Action Plan, and Passion group manuals to instruct Catholics how to utilize The Passion to convert curious viewers to Catholicism.

The Heresies of Roman Catholicism See, Purgatory

Bizarre Incidents A bizarre incident occurred in one of the theaters showing The Passion. Strangely the number "666" began appearing on the movie tickets. The theater was in Rome, Georgia. Guess what is in Rome, Italy? Did I fail to mention that The Passion was filmed in Rome, Italy? Do you know who "sits" in Rome, Italy? Have you ever ready Revelation 17?

Movie Ticket

It describes a CITY that sits on 7 mountains (Rome). A city that is connected to a WOMAN (Rev.17v8). This woman dresses in PURPLE and SCARLET with a golden cup in her hand (Rev.17v4). And she is called Mystery, Babylon the great, and the MOTHER (Rev.17v5). And forth from her will spring the "666" Beast (Rev.17v7). Those tickets might not be so bizarre after all.

"Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils..." (1Cor.10v21)

The Scenes Watching a movie in a modern day theater is to experience being blown away with images and sound. Huge screens covering a complete wall, larger than life; living color, super-duper surround sound. We must however never forget "The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness." (Lk.11v34-35) What you watch will greatly influence you. Whether it be good or evil, not only will it influence you, but according to Jesus it will fill you either with "light" or "darkness". We are often warned to "be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12v1-2), to "gird up the loins of your mind" (1 Pet. 1v13), and to "bring into captivity every thought" (2 Cor. 10v5). It was Jessie Penn-Lewis who wrote in her classic, "The Battle of the Mind": "The stronghold of the mind is therefore the strategic center of the 'war' with the 'god of this age', because it is primarily through the mind that he holds captives in his power... The mind of the Christian is also the strategic center of the 'war on the saints' which Satan wages with ceaseless and fiendish skill. And for this reason. The mind is the vehicle for the Spirit of God, dwelling in the spirit of the Believer..." [21] In 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verses 3-4 we read that Satan "blinded the minds of them which believe not." The battle is for the mind. "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." (2 Cor. 11v3) Perhaps the greatest spiritual damage The Passion inflicts is to plant "imaginations" preventing the Holy Spirit from clarifying the true picture. One reviewer of The Passion acknowledges that "Once the images and subscripts are embedded in the mind by the relentless musical theme, they will be unable to read Scripture or hear preaching without mental recall of false images of a false Christ portrayed by Hollywood actors." Don't believe me, read the testimony of other Christian ministers after viewing The Passion. Del Tackett, Executive Vice President of Focus on the Family® "It has been nearly three weeks since I saw the rough cut of The Passion. It is still impacting my life. I can't stop thinking about it nor can

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I stop talking about it. I have never seen a film that has so affected my life." Franklin Graham, writes in The Decision® "Whatever your perspective, if you watch Mel Gibson's new movie, 'The Passion of the Christ,' you will never look at the cross the same way again." [8] (Yes, Franklin and that's exactly what I am afraid of. ) One Passion reviewer made this incredibly startling comment: "I felt as I came out of the screening that there is a great amount of detail in the movie that you don't read in the Bible.. until you read the Bible again." [22] Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago "I've read The Passion narratives of the Lord and contemplated them and prayed over them many, many times, and I've never thought of the crucifixion with the images that I received while watching this, I'll never read the words the same way again." [23] Pat Boone, Singer/Actor "It's a monumental accomplishment. It continues to impact me in ways I couldn't have imagined." [24] Donald Hodel, President and CEO, Focus on the Family® "The Passion will penetrate the mind, heart and soul in ways that can only be memorable and positive." Greg Davis, Executive Director of First Priority of Alabama "I know the images it left in my mind, it would be very difficult for an elementary-age kid to see it and deal with it." [25] Max Lucado, Pastor and Best-Selling Author "Thank you for allowing our congregation to preview the movie trailer of The Passion. In just four short minutes, the images and the authenticity left our members 'spell bound'. Something went right to the heart of those who watched the trailer." Billy Graham Graham makes another startling statement concerning The Passion: "I feel as if I have actually been there. I was moved to tears. No one who views this film's compelling imagery will ever be the same. Every time I preach or speak about the Cross, the things I saw on the screen will be on my heart and mind." What a sad confession from a man I used to respect a great deal. And it is especially troubling in light of Anne Catherine Emmerick's demonicly-inspired images, used of Mel Gibson. "Amazing images, She supplied me with stuff I never would have thought of". But Scripture says "I will set no wicked thing before my eyes..." (Ps. 101v3) "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." (Is.26v3) As Terry Watkins would say, "I have avoided them like a pit bull with aids". [26]

The Seduction "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;..." (1Tim.4v1) What is it about The Passion that makes Christians close their eyes to the blatant doctrinal error? Most Christians want to know more about Jesus. They believe that if they can just "see" the scourging, the beating, the pain, and the anquish - then they could love Him more. If they could somehow "see" the blood, the torn flesh and what the Lord Jesus suffered on their behalf - oh, how they would love Him then! It sounds logical. Their motives are certainly well intentioned. They want to know more about Jesus. They want to draw closer to Him. They want to love Him more. No problem over in the Motive Department. Unfortunately, while their motives are exceptional, their methodology's skew.

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We find in Matthew chapter 16 a very inspirational dialog. A popular conversation between Jesus and Peter. It starts in verse 13 with the simple question, "Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?" And they answer, "Some say that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets" Then Jesus responds, "But whom say ye that I am?" Peter answers in verse 16, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And the Lord Jesus replies "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." (Mt. 16v17) Peter apparently received a direct revelation of the nature and person of Christ from the Father. There is no doubt that Peter loved the Lord. And there is no doubt that at this point the Lord was pleased with Peter. It would be safe to say that Peter were in the perfect will of God. Everything is fine, but only four verses later, the Lord starts informing His disciples of what is to come upon Him. "Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee. But He (Jesus) turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offense unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." (Mt.16v22-23) Jesus addressed Peter as Satan. And what is even more amazing is that Peter's motive was his love for the Lord. Peter did not want Jesus to be beaten. Six verses earlier God the Father provided direct revelation to Peter - yet six verses later Satan does the same. And in both cases the motive was love! And what was the difference? The first was the will of God, the second the will of man. But how can I move closer to God? How can I have a deeper understanding of Him? How can I love Him more? Well, let me first tell you what not to do. Do not attempt to serve God in your flesh. "God is Spirit: and they that worship Him MUST worship Him in spirit and truth." (Jn. 4v24) There is no alternative. There is no "Plan B". God is Spirit. You meet Him, know Him, love Him, worship Him - spiritually. In fact, Galatians chapter 5v17 says "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:and they are contrary to one another." It was John Owen who once wrote: "Lord open their eyes that they may see and know that walking with God is a matter, not of the outward appearance, but of the inward reality." [27] The Passion appeals to, and touches, the flesh. The Passion shows in very graphic detail a man tortured and beaten to death. For about 45 minutes non-stop a man is beaten, torn flesh flying in "bullet-time", groans of pain and agony searing through the sound system - of course it will touch you. It will bring tears to any sane person's eyes. In fact, if you beat Mel Gibson (or the Pope for that matter) for 45 minutes, it might even bring tears to mine. The Passion feeds, and speaks, to the flesh. The Holy Spirit feeds, and speaks, to the spirit. A.W. Tozer in his book, Tozer on Worship and Entertainment, addresses how movies touch our emotions, but cannot touch our spirit: "Religious movies are mistakenly thought by some people to be blessed of the Lord because many come away from them with moist eyes. If this is a proof of God's blessing, then we might as well go the whole way and assert that every show that brings tears is of God. Those who attend the theater know how often the audiences are moved to tears by the joys and sorrows of the highly paid entertainers who kiss and emote and murder and die for the purpose of exciting the spectators to a high pitch of emotional excitement. Men and women who are dedicated to sin and appointed to death may nevertheless weep in sympathy for the painted actors and be not one bit the better for it. The emotions have had a beautiful time, but the will is left untouched. The religious movie is sure to draw together a goodly number of persons who cannot distinguish the twinges of vicarious sympathy from the true operations of the Holy Ghost." [28] Many were saddened by screenings of Cry, the Beloved Country™, The Oprah Winfrey Show™, 50 First Dates™ and Doc™ - yet; remain racist, or unfaithful, or inattentive. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?" (Jer. 13v23) Do you really believe that Mel Gibson's Anne Emmerick-inspired Passion could do for you what neither the inspired Word, nor the Holy Spirit could? The reason why millions of people are flooding the theaters? They are desperately searching for something from God. Some are watching it repeatedly, in the hope of seeing just one glimpse of God. They are spiritually starving for a Word from God. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: ..." (Am. 8v11) For some this will always speak of a future event. Those who characterize the "last days" as days without any existing churches, and bible schools, Christian books and videos. But biblical narrative paints a different picture of the "last days" - a picture of 'growing churches heaping false leaders' (2 Tim. 3v1-13). And the famine? It is here. Yet the Lord gave us a spiritual feast, but we refuse to taste. Like small children refusing to eat our vegetables, we complain. They'd rather crawl in the garbage dumps of Hollywood and Catholicism for whatever scraps they can find. But they will find none. "How sweet are Thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Ps. 119v103) A.W. Tozer writes of the Miracle Plays of the Middle Ages, "... they were futile attempts to bring spiritual revival through the art of drama and acting. But they produced the Dark Ages. The darkest

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hours in the history of the Church. Those who would appeal for precedent to the Miracle Plays have certainly overlooked some important facts. For instance, the vogue of the Miracle Play coincided exactly with the most dismally corrupt period the Church has ever known. When the Church emerged at last from its long moral night these plays lost popularity and finally passed away. And be it remembered, the instrument God used to bring the Church out of the darkness was not drama; it was the biblical one of Spirit-baptized preaching. Seriousminded men thundered the truth and the people turned to God. Indeed, history will show that no spiritual advance, no revival, no upsurge of spiritual life has ever been associated with acting in any form. The Holy Spirit never honors pretense." [28] "But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Mt.4v4) "O taste and see that the Lord is good:..." (Pr.34v8)

The Sensational God's chosen channel of communication is His Word. It is His Word that brings about salvation (1 Pet. 1v23), produces faith (Rom. 10v17), and nurtures spiritual growth (1Pet.2v2). The enemy knows that if he can somehow weaken the appeal and appetite for the Word, his battle is easily won. The evangelist Dwight L. Moody once said of the Bible, "This Book will keep me from my sin, and my sin will keep me from this Book." It is therefore no coincidence that Satan's very first attack on humanity was to strike out against God's Word: "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said..." (Gen.3v1) Satan planted that seed of doubt in the mind of Eve. And as Eve questioned the truthfulness of God's command - the fall of man was but one bite away. And Satan has not changed his scheme since. And why should he, for he has been very successful in his enterprise. "The seed is the Word of God... then cometh the devil, and taketh away the Word..." (Lk. 8v11-12) The Passion clearly overshadows the appeal to Scripture. If we consider the experiences of Christian leaders, remember these are not star-struck teenagers but 'seasoned veterans of the ministry'. Pastor Ed Young Jr, Dallas-Area Fellowship Church "I have no doubt that the movie will be one of the greatest evangelistic tools in modern-day history. I think people will go to it and then flood into the churches seeking to know the deeper implications of this movie." Greg Laurie, Harvest Crusades® "I believe The Passion of the Christ may well be one of the most powerful evangelistic tools of the last 100 years, because you have never seen the story of Jesus portrayed this vividly before." Paul Crouch Jr, Trinity Broadcasting Network® "This will do for 'Jesus' movies what 'Saving Private Ryan' did for war pictures. Every Christian must go and see this movie and hold Mr. Gibson up in prayer. He's going to take a lot of heat for this project, but if we'll support him, this movie could have a profound spiritual effect on millions of people." Roger Cross, President, Youth for Christ/USA "From a ministry perspective I tried to imagine what young people would think and how they would respond. My hope is that they would also be captured by the presentation. I believe they will because it is simply the telling of God's story. I am most encouraged by the fact that they will see a true representation of Jesus: fully God and fully man." Paul Cedar, Chairman and CEO, Mission America Coalition® "I was moved deeply by the film. In fact, it was a deep spiritual experience for me. Without a doubt, it was the closest experience I have ever been to actually witnessing the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus Christ." Matt Drudge, The Drudge Report "... this film, I tell you, is magic. It's a miracle. It's a miracle..." [29] Now I ask you - how can the simple, written words of Jesus compete with that? It seems almost as if something took hold (captured or possessed) these men. Maybe it did, for one serious emailer sent the following unbelievable email to Dial-The-Truth Ministries™: "I seen the movie. If you do not like it or appreciate it, you are lost." The 'hands-down' acceptance of The Passion in this Laodicean Church Age, is mostly due to the surgical removal of the Word from the presence of God's people. It has been dethroned and replaced with movies, music, jewelry, productions, drama, and various other appealing inventions. We are once again selling doves in the Temple Court. A.W. Tozer writes, "One thing might bother some earnest souls: why so many good people approve the religious movies. The list of those who are enthusiastic about it includes many who cannot be written off as borderline Christians. If it is an evil, why have not these denounced it? The answer is,

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lack of spiritual discernment. Many who are turning to the movie are the same who have, by direct teaching or by neglect, discredited the work of the Holy Spirit. They have apologized for the Spirit and so hedged Him in by unbelief that it has amounted to an out-and-out repudiation. Now we are paying the price for our folly. The light has gone out and good men are forced to stumble around in the darkness of human intellect." [28] As legend would have it, evangelist Brother Lester Roloff were once asked: "Brother Roloff, wouldn't your faith be strengthened if they found Noah's Ark?" Roloff simply replied, "My faith is not in a piece of wood, but the Word of God." "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby:..." (1 Pet. 2v2)

The Shame The problems we have already discussed are severe. They certainly deserve careful consideration before any Christian indiscriminately recommends this film to anyone. There, however, remains another. The children? The one group Jesus explicitly warns to welcome are not. Rated "R"

"Then were there brought unto Him little children, that He should put His hands on them, and pray:and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Mt. 19v13-14) The Passion is not a movie for children. The Passion is rated "R" meaning "Restricted for under 17 years of age". One article advising parents before taking their children to see The Passion asks the following questions: "Ask yourself if you want to show a child the reality of what flesh looks like after it's been scourged or what a Roman Crucifixion looks like. Do you want your children to see a crow pick out a man's eyes? Or see a man hang himself, hear the rope clinch and his neck snap." [30]

Darrell Bock Darrell bock, Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary® says: "If they were between 13 and 18, I would take them only if I was sure they could handle it." [30] Riley Powell Riley Powell, Senior Pastor of the First Church of the Nazarene, said the violence is the sole reason for the R rating and suggested that children younger than 12 or 13 not see the film. [31] Nell Minow Nell Minow, Columnist and "Movie Mom" for Yahoo! Movies, warns: "That's no reason to subject youngsters to Passion's adult themes. Disturbing images can be what sticks with a child, not the message behind it. I would have severe concerns about exposing children to that kind of violence." [31] Doris Davis Doris Davis, Theater Manager for Lewiston Flagship Cinemas™ in Maine warns: "A lot of parents are bringing their children to see this movie, I'm not so sure about that." [32] James C. Dobson "First, although accurate to the biblical account, you need to know that The Passion of the Christ is excruciatingly violent in its depiction of our Saviour's scourging and crucifixion. As such, it is wholly inappropriate for young children." [33] Rev. Russel Cotnoir Jr Rev. Russel Cotnoir Jr of Fayette Baptist Church™ in Maine says: "I would caution people, the film is not for everybody. It is very graphic and not for the squeamish. I suggest no one under 13 watch it..." [32]

Kirk Honeycutt Kirk Honeycutt of the Hollywood Reporter™ referred to The Passion as "near pornographic violence".

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Richard Corliss Richard Corliss of Time™ Magazine calls it "The Goriest Story Ever Told". [32] Larry Poland Larry Poland, Chairman of Mastermedia International™, who met with Mel Gibson after viewing an earlier release of The Passion, says: "I'm very concerned about people taking children. You're basically watching a guy being tortured to death... I know the images it left in my mind, It would be very difficult for an elementary-age kid to see it and deal with it." [25] Don Ankembrandt Don Ankembrandt, Regional Director of YoungLife™: "I don't see the benefit to a kid that's under 13." [25] With glow-in-the-dark endorsements from hundreds of Christian leaders claiming The Passion is "true to the Gospels", "factual", "like it really happened", and "bringing the Bible to life" this begs an important question. Since the Gospels are a "real" representation - and since virtually every Christian leader recommending The Passion are "forbidding" children from view it - does that mean they are also forbidden to "view" and "read" the Bible? You might laugh at the thought. But when Jay Leno asked Mel Gibson on NBC's The Tonight Show™ about the R-rating, Mel replied: "The Bible is R-rated. I mean, look at that book... that's a hot book." [34] "R" rated. Hmmm.. so then I guess no one under the age of 17 should read the Bible. Sorry, but that is not acceptable. It is amazing how many times the age of 13 are pushed as "The Forbidden Age". So you mean, no one under the age of 13 should see the "greatest evangelistic tools in modern day history"? No one under 13 should see the "most powerful evangelistic tools of the last 100 years"? "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hung about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Mt. 18v6)

The Sleaze Mel Gibson Mel Gibson isn't exactly the "poster boy" for good, clean G-rated movies. He has appeared in many films, including Mad Max™, Payback™, and the extremely violent Lethal Weapon7trade; series. Most of his movies are streaming with profanities, vulgarity mixed with a lethal dose of "Follywood" sexuality. Gibson played a leading role in the sexually charged comedy, What Women Want™, in which he stared as Nick, who after a freak accident possessed the ability to read the minds of women. (Now wouldn't we all like that ;-) Nick's only “goal in life was to bed all the women his lustful heart desired.” Screenit's review of What Women Want™ reads: "There's also some brief fooling around between a 15-year-old-girl and her older boyfriend and related comments that she plans to lose her virginity to him after their prom, other kissing and gazing at body parts of the opposite sex, and various instances of cleavage and some brief, partial nudity in a flashback." Monica Bellucci

Mel Gibson

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Monica Bellucci, the actress who plays Mary Magdalene, posed for the "2001 GQ Italia Totally Nude" calendar. The French film, Irreversible™, in which Monica plays a leading role, features total male and female nudity with violent and filthy perverted sex scenes, including homosexual S&M acts. The Scoop™ news agency writes "...the film delivers a stomach-churning opening punch set in 'Rectrum,' a sado-masochist gay club." Bellucci performs in a ten minute long perverted-sex, graphic and violent sodomy rape scene. Jack Mathews of The New York Post™, a veteran movie critic of 25 years, were so provoked by the sleaze that he wrote:

Monica Bellucci

"You may feel debased.. I won't be surprised if an audience member somewhere leaves his seat in the midst of the rape scene and tries to get at the projectionist.” The movie, Irreversible™, premiered at last year's Cannes Film Festival™, Irreversible™, proved so shocking that 250 people walked out, some needing medical attention... Fire wardens had to administer oxygen to 20 people (at the Cannes Festival) who fainted during the film “which depicted a 10-minute depiction of sodomy (of Monica Bellucci), and also contains graphic scenes of rape and murder." (Scoop)

Mathews, adds his frightening professional opinion, that in "France, where mainstream filmmakers have been taking sexuality and sexual violence to unprecedented extremes in recent years, the elevated shock quotient of 'Irreversible' is nearly a demonic achievement." And what did Monica Bellucci have to say about Irreversible™? "This is a film that people love or they hate, but it's good to have these kind of extremes." No wonder Mel Gibson chose Monica. "Birds of a feather, flock together". "Can two walk together, except they be agreed." (Am. 3v3) Rosita Celentano Rosita Celentano, who plays Satan, also stared in The Diaries of a Porn Star™ (a gay porn star). She also stared in Pasaj™ (1990), Nostradamus™ (1994), and Ulysses' Gaze™ (1997). Maia Morgenstern Maia Morgenstern, who played the Virgin Mary is no saint either. Born in Bucharest, Romania in 1962. She studied at The Film and Theater Academy of Bucharest (1981-1985). She performed as actress at the Piatra Neamt National Theater™ between 1985 and 1988, at the State Jewish Theater™ between 1988-1990, and since 1990 at the National Theater™ in Bucharest.

Maia Morgenstern

Morgenstern stared in The Whitman Boys™ - "which is about the increasingly bizarre experiments performed by two teenage brothers in 1914 Hungary as they strive to reach maturity in a fatherless household. The two boys have no real identities in this film - they're —mouthpieces for writer/director Janos Szasz to express certain ideas about the corruption of innocence (and the corruption is pretty thorough, including sadism, masochism, cruelty to animals, sexual 'perversion', and murder)." [35]

Rosita Celentano

Claudia Gerini Claudia Gerini, who plays Pilate's wife in The Passion - most popular in the Internet "Hall of Scum". More than 6,000 hits of pure porn in Google™. Oh, and guess where she was born? Rome, Italy in 1971. Gerini also stared in Night Club™ (1989), Femme de Passions™ (1995), Lucignolo™ (1999), Under the Tuscan Sun™ (2003), and Non Ti Muovere™ (2004). I consider James Dobson's recent praise of The Passion as "the most powerful and important (film) ever made" as utter hypocrisy. Was it not Dobson who not long ago viciously fought pornography - even on the Attorney General's Commission On Pornography. But now he lavishly promotes a porn star infested film to the general Christian public? Some food for thought. Your son just watched The Passion. He jumps on the Internet searching for more information on the actors. Google® provides him with 44,100 hits on Monica Bellucci's graphic filth! 6,000 hits of the same on Claudia Gerini. "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay,they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: ..." (Jr. 6v15) "Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness." (Pr.30v20)

Claudia Gerini

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"Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled." (Tit. 1v15)

The Budget The Passion cost $25 million to make. Before Newmarket Films' mega-blockbuster launch of The Passion, insiders were speculating that the controversial film might just bring an end to Gibson's acting career. Although some wondered whether he'll ever work again, as it turns out the real question is whether Gibson will ever need to work again. The very first day The Passion grossed over $26.5 million US dollars. And there appeared to be no end. After 5 months, it has now earned over $220 million US dollars. The Passion also generated an unbelievable $10 billion in advance sales. Many churches leased complete movie theaters to show The Passion. In the US, some churches has rented theaters until the end of March. Some have seen it twice. Others up to six times. God only knows what these millions could have done for the missionaries around the world in advancing the Gospel. For the poor.

The Soundtrack No review I have read, made any mention of the soundtrack. This is also why the first edition of this review didn't provide any. However, the Spirit kept me up tonight (it's now 2:27 AM) and I discovered that John Debney, who also composed the music for Liar, Liar™, Spy Kids™ and I know what you did last Summer™, was instrumental in the development of the soundtrack. The Gweilo Diaries™ on BlogRunner™ said of Debney: "... he did battle with Satan while scoring the flick... he says he was visited by the devil while writing the score for the film..." Debney says "I had never before subscribed to the idea that maybe Satan is a real person, but I can attest that he was in my room a lot and I know that he hit everyone on the production,..." [36] Debney claims that Satan's image kept appearing on his computer screen while trying to compose the music. "The first time it happened, it scared me," he said. "Once I got over the initial shock of that, I learned to work around it and learned to reboot the computers and so I would start talking to him... The computers froze for about the tenth time (one) day and it was about nine o'clock at night so I got really mad and I told Satan to manifest himself and I said, 'Let's go out into the parking lot and let's go. 'It was a seed changed in me. I knew that this was war. I am not a physical person, but I was really angry on this occasion." [36]

The Semitism The ten Boom Holocaust Center™ in Haarlem, Holland, dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism, has launched a prayer and letter campaign appealing Mel Gibson to add a postscript to the movie that will be shown in anti-Semitic countries to prevent anti-Semites from using The Passion to incite Jewish hatred. The campaign were Internet driven, appealing Gibson to add the following postscript: DURING THE ROMAN OCCUPTAION OF ISRAEL, MORE THAN 250,000 JEWS WERE CRUCIFIED BY THE ROMAN EMPIRE, YET ONLY ONE ROSE FROM THE DEAD. Throughout history, anti-Semites fueled anti-Semitism by using the story of the Crucifixion. The ten Boom Foundation believes the film will incite violence against Jews in the former U.S.S.R., in Muslim countries and in Europe. Mike Atkins, spokesman for the Foundation, said their board believes this statement would counter the "blood libel myth" that millions of non-Christians believe, especially in Muslim countries where 800,000 Jews fled due to anti-Semitism; and in the former U.S.S.R., where one million fled in just over a decade; and in Europe where anti-Semitism has risen to an all-time high - since Hitler's Nazi regime. In 1934 Hitler said: "It is vital that the Passion play be continued at Oberammergau; for never have the menaces of Jewry been so convincingly portrayed as in this presentation of what happened in the time of the Romans. There one sees Pontius Pilot, a Roman, racially and intellectually so superior, that he stands out like a firm, clean rock in the middle of the whole muck and mire of Jewry." [37]

The Saviour For those who wondered – contrary to popular belief - Jim Caviezel is not Jesus.

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Caviezel claims he got a "sign" six months before he even auditioned for the role of Christ when a complete stranger just came up to him and said, "You'll be playing Jesus." Caviezel has proudly noted that his initials are J.C. and he is 33, the same age Jesus Christ was when he was crucified. Caviezel also claims that he has fans who had bowed down in worship before him. According to reports there were many strange and bizarre incidents during the filming of The Passion. Jim Caviezel was struck by lightning twice. "I was lit up like a Christmas tree! I was doing the Sermon on the Mount. I knew it was going to hit me about four seconds before it happened. I thought, 'I'm going to get hit.' And when it happened, I saw the extras grab the ground. What they saw was fire coming out the right and left side of my head. Illumination around the whole body... I looked like I went to see Don King's hair stylist." [38] Caviezel even makes this incredible admission in an interview with The 700 Club™, "And let me tell you, I was on that cross. Many people who looked up there, I may be playing Christ but a lot of times I felt like Satan. I had obscenities wanting to come out of me... I felt like a great presence came within me at times when we were filming..." [38]

Jim Caviezel

Interestingly Caviezel also starred in the movie, Ride with the Devil™. Caviezel, a fanatical Roman Catholic "asks Mary to guide him": "I asked Mary to guide me and my career... This film is something that I believe was made by Mary for her Son. Because it was made by her, it will be attacked by the enemy" [19] Caviezel also carries in his pocket a piece of wood believed to be from the 'original' cross Jesus died on. Yet, James Dobson, who is known for his anti-Biblical, pro-Catholic support, publishes in Focus on the Family™ that Caviezel is a "devout Christian". "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." (2 Cor. 11v3-4)

The Scourging Mel Gibson's intention are expressed in his own words: "I wanted it to be shocking. And I also wanted it to be extreme. I wanted it to push the viewer over the edge... so that they see the enormity - the enormity of that sacrifice." According to every review I have read, he certainly succeeded: Ebert Roger Ebert Roger, Film Critic for the Chicago Sun Times™: "... the film is the most violent I have ever seen. It will probably be the most violent you have ever seen." [39] James Berardinelli James Berardinelli of Reelviews™: "The torture of Jesus is presented in such a brutal, unflinching manner that it's almost impossible not to look away as chunks of flesh are ripped out by a scourge, and the bloody, mangled skin is shredded to appear like a grotesque parody of ground meat. This is tough stuff, capable of unsettling adults and potentially traumatizing young viewers." But, what was The Passion of Jesus really like? Was it really this violent? It was worse. Much worse. The Bible describes the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus "as a lamb to the slaughter" (Is. 53v7) "I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that pluck of the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting." (Is.50v6) "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord have laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth." (Is.53v3-7) "As many were astonished at Thee; His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men:..." (Is.52v14)

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There is no question that the Lord Jesus were brutally beaten before He was crucified. But it wasn't performed with eight hours of make up with polyurethane simulating torn flesh and fake blood --- He died for real. And that was such a day of darkness that the sun refused to shine. (Mt. 27v45) "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent." (Mt. 27v51) "Oh the shame of it My sins crucified Him that day My sins were to blame Forgive Lord I pray" I'll live so the world can know I love Him for nailing my sins to His cross. When Jesus was praying in that Garden, "let this cup pass from Me" (Mt.26v39), He was referring to much more than His physical death on Calvary. That "cup" of which He had to "drink" was filled to the brim with humanity's sins. No wonder Jesus was in such agony. He was to pay for "the sins of the world" - for as John the Baptist saw Him, he proclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (Jn. 1v29). As Jesus hung on that cross, upon Him came the punishment for every sin, every imaginable perversion, every abortion, every murder, every rape, every thought of hate, every single sin ever committed by man in all of history. 6,000 years of human filth, violence and hate. "For He hath made Him to be sin for us,Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor. 5v21) Charles Spurgeon writes, "The central event around which all of human history revolves was about to unfold. God would take the mass of guilt, blood-soaked sin which had accumulated against His people and placed it on the body of His Beloved Son. But that's barely half of it. This One who had never known anything except the presence, fellowship, and communion of God would be heard to cry out, 'My God, My God! Why hast Thou forsaken Me?!' This One who had lived as eternal Spirit had taken on a body which would be so racked with pain that Isaiah would declare, 'His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men' (Isaiah 52:14). His body was torn and distorted as God poured out the cup of Holy wrath. He was beaten, bruised, and abused by men and God. As it loomed before Him, He feared. The more amazing side of this story, though,is that He knew it was coming. He cried out to the One who could save Him, 'if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me.' Yet, He submitted Himself. You're not getting it... I'll say it again... Yet, He submitted Himself!!! In humility and obedience to the Will of His Father, knowing the horror that lay ahead of Him, our eternal Priest acquiesced, 'nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.'" [40] DURING THE ROMAN OCCUPTAION OF ISRAEL, MORE THAN 250,000 JEWS WERE CRUCIFIED BYTHE ROMAN EMPIRE, YET ONLY ONE ROSE FROM THE DEAD. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Rom.10v13)

The Outreach Not surprisingly, many Catholics are also using the movie as an opportunity to evangelize. Ascension Press and Catholic Exchange provided a Catholic guide and witnessing companion to the film entitled, "A Guide to the Passion: 100 Questions About The Passion of The Christ." President and author Matthew Pinto shared with Zenit™ news agency how the book will "help Catholics and non-Catholics understand the Eucharist and Marian significance show in the movie, know the case for Christ,learn about the Church Jesus instituted and respond accordingly in their faith lives." [41] In this interview, Zenit™ asked author Matthew Pinto - "Why is a particular Catholic guide book important in order to understand the movie?" Pinto replied: "A Catholic guide is necessary because the Gospels are completely Catholic, as is the movie. Even still, many will not see or understand the more sublime teachings that the director and writers are putting forth through this epic film. A secular viewer, for instance, will probably not understand that the image of the serpent's head being crushed is a reference to Genesis 3:15. Likewise the heavily Eucharistic and Marian emphasis of the film is something that a well-catechized Catholic will easily see, but many uncatechized Catholics and many Protestants will not deeply grasp. As stated in the introduction to the book, understanding the profound Marian and Eucharistic imagery and theology really requires a deep understanding of Catholicism. Our Protestant brothers and sisters, who are to be commended for their evangelical fevor and creativity in promoting this film, are generally not schooled in these issues." [41] Pinto also explained that this "witnessing tool" would provide a "scene-by-scene commentary on the theological and artistic aspects of the film" to help Catholics educate and evangelize non-Catholics. When asked "Does the guide anticipate Protestant skepticism about the Eucharistic elements?" he replied: "We simply explain the connection between the sacrifice of Calvary and the sacrifice of the Mass. The director uses a cross cutting technique in the movie that draws a parallel between the Last Supper and the crucifixion, and we explore this connection in the book." [41] The interview finished with the question - "What response have you gotten from [Catholic] parishes and the faithful?" Pinto concluded the interview with these words: "We were confident that the response would be strong, but it has been far stronger than we expected. People love it. Someone proposed to me that this book is likely the fastest selling book in Catholic history - with advanced sales of nearly140,000 in two weeks - thanks to the power of the Internet and the timeliness of the book in relation to this major Catholic cultural event. I believe that the film presents one of the greatest watershed evangelization opportunities of our generation." [41]

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Be Ye Separate The Bible is crystal clear. God's people are to be separated from the world. "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,..." (2 Cor. 2v17) "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 Jn. 2v15) "Abstain from all appearance of evil." (1 Th. 5v22)

Objections Michael J. Meiring Michael Meiring of Defending the Faith Ministries ("DFM") in South Africa declared that he is "... not so strongly opposed to the film... I do not believe that we need to 'denounce' the film as being 'IDOLATROUS, DEMONIC and BLASPHEMOUS' because the heresies of Roman Catholicism (which you listed) are not taught in the film, for example, the infallibility of the Pope, transubstantiation, justification by works, purgatory, Mary as co-redemtrix or mediatrix, etc.... In the end, I believe that we should ... not prevent them from viewing it." [42] It grieves me to respond publicly to Michael. However, I have a responsibility both as a Christian and as a Minister to dispel error. The Passion of The Christ are indeed idolatrous. See, Iconography While the infallibility of the Pope, transubstantiation, justification by works, purgatory, and Mary as co-redemptrix or mediatrix, might not be "explicitly taught in the film" – but, Mary as co-redemptrix, is at least implied. Nathan Gernetzky Gernetzky, formerly of Live The Life Church, Hermanus, rejected the review and warned members of his congregation against the Editor. Why, I do not know!? "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Is. 5v20)

Alignments Those in defiance of The Passion Barbara Wilhelm [46] - Pastor David J. Meyer [50] - David W. Cloud [47] - Pastor Gary E. Gilley [44] - J. Virgil Dunbar [42] - James Jacob Prasch [48] - Mike Gendron [49] - Paul Proctor [52] - Former Roman Catholic priest, Richard Bennett [42] - Sandy Simpson [51] - Former Roman Catholic, T.A. McMahon - Dave Hunt - Terry Watkins [26] - Deter de Wet - Dieter Thom - Ignatius du Plessis - Stephen Diederichs Vicky [45] Those in defense of The Passion Mario Marchio - Michael J. Meiring [43] - Nathan Gernetzky

Scripture References Gen. 3v1, v6, v15; Deut. 4v2, v12-16; Ps. 101v3, 119v103; Pr. 30v6, v20, 34v8; Is. 5v20, 14v14, 26v3, 50v6, 52v14, 53v3-7; Jer. 6v15, 13v23, 23v36; Am. 3v3, 8v11; Mt. 4v4, 5v25, v40, 16v13-17, v22-23, 18v6, 19v13-14, 23v9, 24v24, 26v39, v70, 27v5, v32, v45, v51; Mk. 15v24, v37; Lk. 8v11-12, 11v34-35, 23v24, v27-31, v53; Jn. 1v29, 4v24, 6v45, 14v6, v15, v23-24, 19v17, v23; Acts 4v12, 17v11; Rom. 1v21-25, 10v13, v17, 12v1-2; 1 Cor. 6v1, 10v21; 2 Cor. 2v11, v17, 4v3-4, 5v16, v21, 10v5, 11v3-4; Gal. 5v17; Ep. 5v23; 1 Th. 5v22; 2 Th. 5v21; 1 Tim. 2v5, 4v1; 2 Tim. 3v1-13; Tit. 1v15-16; 1 Pt. 1v8, v13, v23, 2v2; 1 Jn. 2v15; Rev. 17v4-8, 21v27, 22v18-19

Bibliography 1

Passie van Liefde of Geweld?; Kruispunt (25-27/03/2004); http://www.christians.co.za/

2

John Hartl; Gibson's 'Passion' Is Blood Empty; MSNBC; http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4360558

3

Mel, Mary and Mothers; Christianity Today™; March 2004; http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/commentaries/passion-melmarymothers.html

4

Anne Catherine Emmerich; The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ; North Bay Books®; El Sobrante, 2003; pp.23, 45, 58, 71, 82, 84,

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McDonag; Death Trip; Maitland. http://www.tvguide.com/

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church; Nr. 780, 882.

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Paul Byrnes; Blood As Fact; Sydney Morning Herald™; 26 February 2004; http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/25/1077676819387.html

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Robert Marus; 'Passion' reviews take issue with violence, lack of context; 26 February 2004; Volume 04-20. http://www.abpnews.com/abpnews /story.cfm?newsID=4115 15

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Terry Matingly; The Passion of Mel Gibson. http://www.sacbee.com/24hour/opinions/story/1126365p-7837060c.html

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Catholic Exchange®; 28 June 2004. http://passion.catholixexchange.com/

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Jessie Penn-Lewis; The Battle of The Mind; p.4.

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28 June 2004; http://www.1way2god.net/passionotc.html

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Cardinal Francis George; Chicago Sun Times™; 3 August 2003.

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Greg Garrison; Most Ministers feel 'Passion' not for Kids; The Birmingham News™; 27 February 2004, p.H1.

26

Terry Watkins; The Poison in The Passion Movie; Dial-the-Truth Ministries™. http://www.av1611.org/Passion/passion.html

27

Dr. John Owen; Communion With God (The Treasures of John Owen); Abridged and made easy to read by R.J.K. Law; (Pennysylvania: The Banner of Truth Trust®, 3 Murrayfield Road, Edinburgh, EH12 6EL, 1991); p.37. ISBN 0-85151-607-6 28

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29

In an interview with MSNBC, 23 July 2003.

30

Mike and Michele Wamble Holtzclaw; Don't Let 'Passion' violence come as a surprise; Daily Press™; 24 February 2004. http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-64970sy0feb24.story 31

Riley Powell; Is 'Passion' for Children; The Marion Star™. http://www.marionstar.com/news/stories/20040225/localnews/17560.html

32

Felix Doligosa Jr.; 'Passion' called Gory; not for Children; Blethen Maine Newspaper, Inc. http://www.centralmaine.com/news/local/442710.shtml

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34

Mel Gibson; In an interview with Jay Leno of The Tonight Show™; NBC; 26 February 2004.

35

James Berardinelli; 1997 Toronto International Film Festival Daily Update for 5 September 1997. http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/tiff97_up /0905.html

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37

Michael D. Evans; Needed One Million Christians to Write Mel Gibson; 10 February 2004; WorldNetDaily™; © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com. http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37035 38

Scott Ross; Jim Caviezel talks about Playing Christ in the 'Passion'. http://cbn.org/700club/features/ScottRoss-Jim_Caviezel_1.asp

39

Ebert Roger; Chicago Sun Times®. http://www.datelinealabama.com/article/2004/02/26/5422_arts_art.php3

40

Charles Haddon Spurgeon; Commentary On Hebrews.

41

Matthew Pinto; A Guide to The Passion of The Christ; 23 February 2004. http://www.zenit.org/

42

Richard Bennett and J. Virgil Dunbar; The Passion of Christ: Mel Gibson's Vivid Deception. http://www.bereanbeacon.org/

43

Michael J. Meiring; In An Email; 19 July 2004.

44

Gary E. Gilley; The Passion of The Christ; Southern View Chapel. (15/04/2008) http://www.svchapel.org/resources/articles/read_articles.asp?id=33

45

Vicky; A Different View of Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of The Christ'; (Seek God, 25 February 2004). (15/04/2008) http://www.seekgod.ca /gibson.htm 46

Barbara Wilhelm; Dolorous Passion Excerpts: In Line With the Passion Movie But Not the Bible; Deception In The Church. (15/04/2008) http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/dolorouspassion.html 47

David W. Cloud; Mel Gibson's Film 'The Passion of The Christ'; Way of Life. (15/04/2008) http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/melgibsonthepassionofthechrist/melgibsons-film.html 48

James Jacob Prasch; The Passion of The Christ: Moriel's Response to new Mel Gibson film; Moriel Ministries. (15/04/2008) http://www.moriel.org/articles/discernment/church_issues/passion_of_the_christ.htm 49

Mike Gendron; The Passion of The Christ; Proclaiming The Gospel Ministries. (15/04/2008) http://web.archive.org/web/20040401130705/http: //www.pro-gospel.org/2003-Main/Topics/topic-026.php 50

Pastor David J. Meyer; The Truth About Mel Gibson's The Passion of The Christ; Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam , WI 53916, USA . (15/04/2008) http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract12.html

51 Sandy Simpson; Mel Gibson's 'Anointing' (Deception In the Church, 10 March 2004). (15/04/2008) http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com /melgibsonsanointing.html 52

Paul Proctor; Big Screen Jesus (NewsWithViews.com, 23 February 2004) (15/04/2008) http://www.newswithviews.com/PaulProctor/proctor40.htm

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