The "Passion" Controversy Continues

Apparently, the attacks regarding "The Passion" have been ramping up, presumably because of the subject matter that is being approached with reverence, rather than satire, from a Hollywood darling that dares to express his faith in the saving atonement of Jesus Christ. The two main camps from which the criticism appears to be coming from are from a) the leftist media and b) some from the Jewish community. Below is a list of the growing controversies that will be added as they occur, including the date they arise, a brief synopsis of the issue, the link where the information was reported, and any defenses of the issue by others.

3/11/03:

Attack on Mel Gibson Continues (James Hirsen)

Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Jewish organization the Simon Wiesenthal Center has expressed concerns that he thinks Mel's traditionalist Catholic views--which eschew Vatican II that absolved the Jews (past and present) of being responsible for the death of Christ--will cause his movie to include blame towards the Jews for killing Christ. “What concerns me, however, is when I read that the film's purpose is to undo the changes made by Vatican II.” The rabbi went on to say, “If the new film seeks to undo Vatican II ... it would unleash more of the scurrilous charges of deicide directed against the Jewish people, which took the Catholic Church 20 centuries to finally repudiate.” There are no indications from Gibson’s production group that the purpose of the film is to undo anything.

3/26/03:

Crucifying Mel Gibson (Phil Brennan)

The New York Times journalist Christopher Noxon has written an article attacking Mel about his movie by tracking down his 85-year-old father to interview and reporting that he is a "Holocaust denier" in order to damage Mel's credibility. Apparently Noxon's father lives in the area where Mel is building a Catholic Church on his land, so Noxon is attempting to retaliate against Mel's Catholic views as expressed through his church and his movie.

8/3/03:

Mel Gibson's Martyrdom Complex (Frank Rich)

The author, who is Jewish, fears that Mel's movie may resurrect anti-Semitism, particularly based on his traditionalist Catholic views, as well as his incorporations/influence by nuns whose writings he thinks are anti-Semitic. He has not seen the movie, but he also makes the point that he thinks not enough Jewish people have been invited to the advanced screenings of the film for their feedback to Mel. This article additionally echoes Frank Rich's views, stating that the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) Abraham Foxman also fears that "Passion" will be anti-Semetic, particularly since Gibson is using Emmerich's "Dolorous Passion" book.