Hi all, tell me what you think of this I got.Lelia
----- Original Message -----
From: "thea ramsay" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "robert ramsay" <[log in to unmask]>;
<[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 5:43 PM
Subject: [BlindWomen4Christ] Another Angle on "The Passion"


> Don't mean to polay devil's advocate here, but thought this man's views
> worth thinking about.
>
> BIG SCREEN JESUS
>
> By Paul Proctor
>
> February 23, 2004
>
> NewsWithViews.com
>
> Many Christians have been in an uproar of late over the removal of the Ten
> Commandments from many of our nation's public places. Eluding to the idea
> that
> we may no longer be worthy of them, I concluded a recent article of mine
> entitled, The Ten Commandments Controversy, with the following statement:
>
> "If the church doesn't really care what God demands, why should anyone
else?
> And if His commandments aren't written on our hearts, why bother having
them
> chiseled in stone?"
>
> There seems to be a sustained willingness among many Christians, even in
our
> current moral decline, to have those Commandments on hand in one form or
> another
> but little or no desire to actually keep them. For example, the second of
> those Commandments has something vitally important to say that the church
at
> large appears to be ignoring for what can only be described as
opportunistic
> reasons.
>
> "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any
> thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is
> in the
> water under the earth." - Exodus 20:4
>
> In spite of this clear directive from the Lord Himself forbidding any
> reproduction of the Divine, there is a frenzied rush underway by the 21st
> century
> church to, not just celebrate, but also promote Mel Gibson's brutal
> extravaganza called, The Passion Of The Christ. What's fascinating to me
is
> that so
> few Christians are willing or even able to judge this effort from a
> biblically discerned perspective, choosing instead to run frantically
> alongside the
> hyperbolic herd to the Next Big Thing just because it is being called
> biblical - when, in fact, it is an R-rated film of unrelenting bloodshed,
> torture
> and trauma contrived by human imagination that people, including children,
> will be dealing with for years.
>
> Did the writers of the New Testament somehow forget to include all the
> horrific details of that day in the life of our Savior or might Mr. Gibson
> be adding
> to what God has written in His Word simply for shock value? If it were
> necessary that we see and hear such extreme gore and suffering to
appreciate
> His
> sacrifice, don't you think the Lord would have included it in the
> scriptures? Or, was it an oversight on His part? Just what are we being
sold
> here? This
> is not the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. This is the Gospel of
Mel,
> and he wasn't even there to see it! Shall we believe his extrabiblical
> account
> over the other four simply because his is much more disturbing?
>
> In his interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, Gibson said, "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... of that sacrifice...."
>
> You see, what Mel wanted is in on the screen. What God wanted is in your
> bible. And, there is a distinct difference.
>
> I mentioned to a friend over the phone a couple of weeks ago that one of
the
> unfortunate results of this film may well be people closing their eyes to
> pray
> unwittingly to the ingrained image of an actor hired to play God long
after
> the movie has had its run. Traumatic events leave lasting impressions on
the
> hearts and minds of onlookers that can psychologically scar them for the
> rest of their lives. Just ask anyone who has witnessed some horrendous
> event.
> They live with reoccurring images that may never go away.
>
> Only today I saw a quote by Billy Graham, addressing the impact viewing
the
> film has had on him, saying, "Every time I preach or speak about the
Cross,
> the things I saw on the screen will be on my heart and mind." How could
that
> not include the bloody face of James Caviezel?
>
> Even before the film's opening, fans are reportedly bowing down before the
> actor who portrays the Christ - a man who claims to have been confronted
by
> a
> stranger long before the audition, who told him "You'll be playing Jesus",
> as if receiving such a message meant that it was God's will. But why would
> the
> Lord contradict His own Second Commandment? He wouldn't. Add to that
> Caviezel's claim that he is the same age Jesus was when He was crucified
> (33) and
> that he shares Jesus' initials (JC) - like that gives his "calling" added
> credibility. Apparently no one has informed Mr. Caviezel that "Christ" is
> not
> Jesus' last name.
>
> As if John 14:6 didn't exist, Mr. Gibson has gone from saying in one
> interview that only Catholics can be saved to saying in another interview
> that one
> doesn't even have to be a Christian to get into Heaven! How is anyone
> supposed to ascertain the truth of the Gospel from a movie when its
> scripturally
> confused screenwriter/producer/director apparently doesn't even know
> himself?
>
> "Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of
> similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the
midst
> of the
> fire: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the
> similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female." - Deuteronomy
> 4:15-16
>
> As this verse so clearly points out, manufacturing any and all likenesses
> for use in worship or praise is corruption - period - whether it is for
> evangelistic
> purposes or not. As I have said countless times before, "The end never
> justifies the means." But that idealistic notion doesn't play well in the
> seeker-sensitive,
> purpose driven pulpits of America whose methodology is, "whatever works".
> Taking pragmatic detours around God's commands, even for a good cause, is
> nothing
> short of sin. Unfortunately, many no longer know or even care to remember
> God's Word, much less believe it or obey it but instead choose to believe
in
> an experience - something this motion picture is sure to provide.
>
> Gibson rationalized the film's usefulness to the church saying he hoped
that
> those who saw the movie would want to read the book (bible). Mr. Gibson
> doesn't
> seem to understand that today's literately lazy go to see movies so they
> don't HAVE to read books. And I'm quite sure that with this horribly
> embellished
> rendition of the "gospel", it will be no different.
>
> The fact is, Christians are being bombarded like never before with
countless
> distractions and deceptions of all kinds - anything to keep them away from
> the actual Word of God - from corrupt translations to Christian novels to
> Christian self-help books to Christian movies to Christian concerts to
> Christian
> CDs to Christian "ministries", programs, activities and psychotherapy -
> anything that will free us from having to sit down and read what God has
to
> say
> to a lost and dying world. One can almost hear the church cry from within
> their new state-of-the-art entertainment venues. "Give us music! Give us
> drama!
> Give us movies! Give us laughter and tears! More bread and circus!!!"
>
> "To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may
be
> like?" - Isaiah 46:5
>
> Well, it seems Mr. Gibson has likened the Lord to a strikingly handsome
> James Caviezel, in spite of the fact that Isaiah 53:2 says:
>
> ".He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no
> beauty that we should desire him."
>
> Still, his is the image that will forever remain in the psyche of
captivated
> viewers worldwide when they think of Jesus Christ and close their eyes to
> pray
> in His name. What they will see in their mind's eye will be a lie - an
> idol - yes, a false Christ. And whatever that actor says or does, from
that
> day
> forward, good or evil, on or off the screen, will subtly affect each
> moviegoer's overall view of God, whether they want it to or not. That's
why
> stereotyped
> actors have such a difficult time making themselves believable in any
other
> role. The audience has psychologically and emotionally bonded with that
> actor's
> fixed image and persona rendering them unacceptable as anyone else.
>
> "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that
> the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and
man's
> device."
> - Acts 17:29
>
> Even in the New Testament, after Jesus' birth, life, death and
resurrection
> we are warned yet again not to confuse any man-made image with God. But,
> there's
> no persuading today's short-sighted church who will soon rally around
> Gibson's Christ, clamoring for their own DVD copy of The Passion to show
on
> their
> church's own big screen for all to see; jaded souls who'd rather
experience
> an exciting lie than "worship in spirit and in truth."
>
> "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the
glory
> of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man." -
> Romans
> 1:22-23
>
> Am I going to see the movie? Don't need to. I've got the book and it
doesn't
> cost a thing to read it. Besides, I'll take the simple Word of God over
the
> compelling images of men any day because I know His Word is true. I just
> can't say the same for Mel's Passion.
>
> A lot of folks may walk the aisles to receive Christ after seeing this
> movie. But, all things considered, one has to wonder what Christ they will
> be following,
> the Living Word of God or Big Screen Jesus.
>
> "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." -
> Psalms 119:11
>
> Related articles:
>
> Mel Gibson Says His Wife Could Be Going To Hell
> Gibson's Words Fuel Controversy Already Sparked By 'Passion'
> Five Reasons Not To Go See The Passion Of Christ
>
> © 2004 Paul Proctor - All Rights Reserved
>
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>
> Paul Proctor, a rural resident of the Volunteer state and seasoned veteran
> of the country music industry, retired from showbiz in the late 1990's to
> dedicate
> himself to addressing important social issues from a distinctly biblical
> perspective. As a freelance writer and regular columnist for
> NewsWithViews.com,
> he extols the wisdom and truths of scripture through commentary and
insight
> on cultural trends and current events. His articles appear regularly on a
> variety
> of news and opinion sites across the internet and in print.
>
>
>
>
>
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