We Discuss Everything, Why Not This?

[MyHarley]

I've been waiting on someone to post a thread about "The Passion." My views:

It was a very moving movie. I do think Mel Gibson went overboard in the beatings, blood and gore. It seemed unrealistic at times that the human body could endure and then continue on the road to the crucifixion. I'm a realist and I felt the body would of gone into shock mode at the treatment and wounds that were shown. I feel his point could of been just as effective with a little less violence, blood and gore. To me, he oversold the product. The saying, you can knock someone over the head to get their attention, but you don't have to hit them twice.

The sub-titles were an awesome addition. With the sub-titles, it made you use senses other than speech, you listened, you saw, you felt more freely without the benefit of a lot of speech. But again, at some of the most intense moments, not all audience members were watching the screen and therefore missed the words that were spoken. As for me, I read aloud for my Mother while she buried her face in tears. The words spoken enhanced the moment.

The theater was so quiet throughout the entire movie, really quiet and afterwards, no one moved from their seat for a few minutes.


Just my opinion, would love to hear others............

 

[frolf]

i liked the subtitles. i liked the movie in general, but wasn't nuts about it. one thign that really shocked me about how over rated it was. especially the hype. i was expecting to see something really messed up, but was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be braveheart meets jesus.

just my $0.02, and seriously, my opinion is almost worhtless on this subject.

 

[mrferg]

Meh, I probably won't see it. Then again I said the same thing about the lord of the rings, and well... I ended up seeing it.

 

[epj3]

Yea I probably will rent it, not see it in the theater, that 4 bucks I save could get me 2 gallons of gas.

 

[skandalous]

I'm not the most religious person, but I consider myslef somewhat spiritual. I saw it and was impressed with it. It was pretty intense, but not as intense as I thought it was going to be. It also didn;t make me hate jewish people. It did make me hate the roman soldiers, though.

 

[codex57]

I read he deliberately had them speak in Aramaic and Latin (which most people can't understand) in order to force you to use your eyes more and make the visual impact hit harder.

I'm probably not gonna see it for a while though. Wait til all the fuss has died down. Maybe wait for the DVD. Only Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter (yes, laugh all you want but I'm a big fan) will get me out to the theaters on opening week to face the crowds.

 

[Big Daddy]

I have not seen it but plan to. Without getting flamed or shot down I have to say I believe this is something mankind needs right about now. MyHarley I agree with you in al lot of ways and I too questioned all the violence I have heard about, but then again if he (Gibson) is presenting something factual, as I am sure that crucifixions were not pretty, then I guess that is the reason it was done? And assuming that Jesus was the Christ then he was more than human wasn't he? Should I go on an empty stomach, because honetly I have a weak stomach (I don't do rollar coasters, etc.)

 

[frolf]

and Harry Potter (yes, laugh all you want but I'm a big fan)

i love HP, i listen to Medeski Martin and Wood when i read. i haven't seen the movies though.

 

[Ghost]

I have not seen it but plan to.

Same here.

One point that was raised in conversation was the fact that the movie only shows a small percentage of Christ’s suffering. While he was crucified on Friday, he was in the worst depths of hell until Sunday, when he rose. It wasn’t something I contemplated until someone referred the devil’s role in the movie; Christ knew what was awaiting Him.

 

[Big Daddy]

Same here.

One point that was raised in conversation was the fact that the movie only shows a small percentage of Christ’s suffering. While he was crucified on Friday, he was in the worst depths of hell until Sunday, when he rose. It wasn’t something I contemplated until someone referred the devil’s role in the movie; Christ knew what was awaiting Him.

Good point!

 

[donmbmw]

One point that was raised in conversation was the fact that the movie only shows a small percentage of Christ’s suffering.

That was some small percentage! I've never seen so much suffering. While I disagree with My Harley about what a human can endure, I can understand why she felt that way. I don't think the brutality and gore was overdone. I have been researching "scourging" and "crucifixion" since seeing the film. The whipping with the flesh grabbing metal tips, is historically correct. The Roman crucifixion was a horrible, torturous death. But the real question is "Is the film anti-semitic?" I actually went into the theatre expecting that it was, but after seeing it I don't think so. Yes, it does shows the Jewish leaders demanding crucifixion, but it also shows the Jewish man who helped Jesus carry the cross as a truly heroic figure. The real sadistic demons are the Roman soldiers, and Pilate is nothing more than a scheming politician willing to do anything to stay out of trouble with his boss. I too am a realist. I thought the film was horrific, but very, very real

 

[MyHarley]

Good points Big Daddy and Ghost.........but Mel included many flashbacks to Jesus' youth to give you the human aspect of his life.........it showed him as a mere mortal......playing under a table as a toddler, splashing his Mother with water, he made a table for his mother as an adult (this was actually modern humor in the movie) and then to portray his severe (too mild of a word to describe) beatings, the ground impact of the cross falling forward hitting body/face first, then to portray Jesus as almost a Freddy Kruger look alike just didnt mesh well, imho. Big Daddy, if you have a weak stomach, someone will be reading the sub-titles for you. What was unsettling was I had no problem in watching all aspects of the movie, because I knew it wasnt real, but afterwards we went out to eat and I only ate a dinner salad, then about midnight, experiencing food poison that lasted over 12 hours, thought I was dying..........that is when I kept having flashbacks of the movie...........felt like someone was telling me, "Lisha, it was real!"

 

[MyHarley]

One more point I would like to make since Don brought it up.........why is it wen a group of people are portrayed historically, people feel it brings on hate........if its factual, then shouldnt we accept that as history and hopefully that the future generations have learned from this type of behavior. When you see pictures of the Holocaust, do you hate Germans, when you see Dances with Wolves or any other American Indian movie, should I as an Indian descendant hate the white man........why is it only certain groups can call out hate and others it just passes on by..........I am not responsible for past generations nor do I hold any group accountable for their ancestors actions..........I am certainly only responsible for my own actions or lack of actions in this lifetime.

 

[Big Daddy]

MyHarley, thanks for the further input, I may watch it with my eyes part closed! As far as you comments about "history" I could not agree with you more. There seems to be a lot of that in this country right now and some people prefer to attempt to re-write history.

 

[Kirby]

MyHarley, thanks for the further input, I may watch it with my eyes part closed! As far as you comments about "history" I could not agree with you more. There seems to be a lot of that in this country right now and some people prefer to attempt to re-write history.

Agreed.

Definition of marriage, Georgia Flag, Pledge of Allegiance, Master/Slave becoming unacceptable in ANY context (i.e. hard drives), banning doing business with companies that supported Nazism in WWII, etc. These are all part of the history of the country and world, why must people over analyze it, or take it personally all these years later, and try to rewrite it?

Not to change the thread topic, but marriage is defined as man and woman. I have nothing against creating a new legal term for same sex marriage and giving equal rights, but why do they insist on redefining marriage after how many thousand years???

 

[Bryan330i]

I have nothing against creating a new legal term for same sex marriage and giving equal rights, but why do they insist on redefining marriage after how many thousand years???

Okay, so here I go way off topic. I am truly undecided on the gay marriage issue. Why? Because after working with 7 children without family at all, and seeing so many that appear so hopeless in “Child Haven” here, a state INSTITUTION where so many kids reside. Initially, 5 or so years ago, I questioned if gay people should adopt; however, after seeing the crisis in this country and witnessing the suffering first hand, so many of these gay people are providing so much hope for some of these kids no one else wants. So is it better to have them live in an institution, or a nice home, and some are VERY nice, with stability and educational consistency? I am convinced the stable home wins out even if it is not considered “ideal.” Some of these institutionalized kids move so often they never get to complete a full year at the same school.

Likewise, I am not sure about abortion. It costs 1.5 million to raise one FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) child. And these kids still very often grow up to have criminal tendencies and this 1.5 million for these cases is most often tax money.

I am not saying agree or disagree with gay marriage or abortion, but just please consider the consequences. There are currently 565,000 kids deemed largely as difficult to place. Furthermore, some of the more conservative sections of the country have some of the biggest problems and the lowest adoption rates for difficult to place children. There are no easy answers. I think we all need to think about the consequences of our decisions. Are we willing to pay for the growing number of kids in state custody? Is a gay home better than no home? Not easy questions. Yet the problem continues to grow more serious.

PS-The adoptive parents of the year here was a gay couple with a few very difficult kids.

 

[Ghost]

I am not responsible for past generations nor do I hold any group accountable for their ancestors actions..........I am certainly only responsible for my own actions or lack of actions in this lifetime.

I couldn't agree more.

 

[MyHarley]

I totally agree with gay adoptions, nothing would please me more to see a child who needs love find love, whether conventional or unconventional. But, I don't think this qualifies as changing the definition of marriage. The gay couple who adopts a child is a home with two mommies or two daddies, what does it matter if the couple is legally married. The law that is needed is that these two people take legal steps to ensure the protection and welfare of the child. This is the oath that they should be taking and this oath should be allowed by all states. Take it one step further and single people should be given the same opportunities to adopt without all the bureaucracy. The goal here is to find a good home for every child.

As for abortion.........what a topic.........since women on this board are few.

In my opinion, the question of abortion being right or wrong is not the correct question, nor a question that should be asked. The answer to that question is between me and my higher power. The question should only be, does a woman have the right to make that decision for herself. This is what constitutes Pro-Choice..............its not a movement that says abortion is right or wrong, but that a woman has the right to choose. After a woman makes that choice, it is not up to the rest of us to judge her decision.

Does this make sense?

If the world was a perfect place, I think all girls who begin menstruating should be put on permanent birth control until such a time is established that she is capable of being responsible for a child. Now I know this will never happen, but in a dream world, there would be no neglected children, no abortions..................only wanted children. What a concept for the world to embrace.

 

[indy_85stariones]

After watching the movie, I felt a strong urge to go out and buy a Bible. Then, I read the last two chapters of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Anyone else feel this way?

 

[Big Daddy]

Ok lets all remember this is a discussion with opinions and we are each entitled to ours. Please!

That said I believe that when families began to come apart, divorce etc. that is when the Pandora's Box of domestic issues swelled. I know that my parents and grandparents helped their children out in times of troubles. My Mom and Dad raised two of their grandshildren. Why do Americans believe the Government needs to solve all their domestic issues and owes them?

With regard to gay couples we have no history or experience with raising children in these types of enviroments. What are the issues going to be 20 or 30 years from now after numerous children have been raised in same sex couples homes? I do not know but I cannot believe it is going to get better. And this ties in with the family issue above, we have destroyed "marriage" in that "everybody" gets divorced, and why not "just live together". Now throw in the 3rd componet, gay marriage. I have no idea where this is all headed?

As far as abortion I personally oppose it with few exceptions. Some of the reasons I feel this way is I believe "we" gave up our choice when we failed to use birth control, after all that child is human and a life. And what happens to the "father's right's" in an abortion. I know a young couple, married, but seperated at the time and the female went and had an abortion with out the males knowledge. Did he not have a say, he was the father? And if the female decides to have the child, the father in on the hook for child support for the next 19 years with out a say. There are some serious issues and legal issues that have not been resolved.

Sometimes I feel we are on a path to self destruction! Please accept this as some of my thoughts and questions, not preaching or slamming, or being closed minded. Your thoughts?