In March 2004, Mel Gibson is hoping to air his latest film, entitled "The Passion." The film documents the biblical account of the last hours of Jesus' life. As with most films involving Christ, reaction has been fervent. But this time, it's not Christians making the noise.
New York Assemblyman Dov Hikins charged last week that the film could incite violence against Jews. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is also on the offensive saying the film unfairly portrays Jews as "blood-thirsty" and raises the specter of "deicide," or Jewish culpability in Jesus' execution. This view was part of Catholic doctrine until the Vatican II Council (rightly) repudiated it. Part of their attack stems from Gibson's membership in a Catholic church that rejects the Vatican II edicts.
Hikins was especially strident in his view that Jews have been murdered for two thousand years because of the deicide doctrine. Hikins took pains to invoke several historical events, including the Inquisition and the Crusades, apparently forgetting the Crusades were about killing Muslims, not Jews.
The interesting thing is that Hikins' scathing remarks came despite not seeing the whole film. Hikins admitted he'd only seen a small clip, but took pains to say that the Jewish crowd screaming for crucifixion frightened him. Apparently Jews calling for the death of a Jew constitutes anti-Semitism now. The ADL's protestations were based on an early copy of the script, since revised. Interestingly, Gibson notes that early script was stolen.
Gibson has also publicly stated the film is meant "to inspire, not offend," and several confidants say Gibson is not anti-Semitic.
The problem with this whole brouhaha is that if some of the complainers would calm down, they'd realize the film isn't what they think it is. Several people intimate with the project believe this is the case.
In a Christian Science Monitor interview, Alan Neirob, second-generation Holocaust survivor and Gibson's publicist, said that he felt the rushed conclusions were unjust. Jesuit Father William Fulco also said he saw no hint of anti-Semitism in the film. Fulco merely translated the entire script into Latin and Aramaic, the tongues used for the movie's dialogue.
Others who have seen the film concur with Neirob and Fulco. The National Evangelical Association, the Catholic League and Focus on the Family all stated the film is not anti-Semitic. Another person with that opinion is Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America.
The major problem is people often resort to hysterics any time a film with biblical leanings comes out. Nobody bothers to wait and think; they simply rant and pant until blue in the face.
The idea that a film portrayal of Jesus' death would cause anti-Semitism is supercilious at best. Christians who understand the Gospel message's meaning will not blame Jews for calling for Christ's death. Jews shouldn't be worried since they don't believe Jesus was the Messiah anyway; His death would be viewed as the correct execution of a blasphemer under Jewish law.
The only people who will be inflamed by the film will be those already anti-Semitic. These people's hatred is already cast in stone; nothing can be done to change it.
Before overreacting, the best thing in these matters is to get the facts first, then form an informed conclusion. It may save the blue faces from turning red with embarrassment.
Write to Jeff at mannedarena@yahoo.com
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