Mel Gibson's "The Passion"

[rosyred45]

adhdtimes4, I would take your 2 oldest too. That would actually be a good bonding type of thing. When I was that age, I always liked to debate things, for that matter, I still like to debate things.

But I think that, as long as they can handle it, that is a good age to let them think about what the Jesus has gone through for us. It would seem to hit a little more realistically since they are able to handle it.

Have a great day
Kaiti

[adhdtimes4]

I saw the movie this morning. There are so many adjectives, none of which come close to describing the film.

It was thought provoking. It was beautiful. It was symbolic. It was terribly real. It was disturbing.

It was intensely personal. The heartbreak and agony of Mary was as hard to watch as His. My heart literally hurt as I watched them both.

It was violent. I couldn't watch the beating, nor the nails in the crucifixion. It was very, very bloody, and His body was mutilated.

I'm still taking it in and I need to see it again.

I don't think I would take a child under 12.

[Jorgy]

would you believe that the news said that peopel are actually picketing the movie theaters?! Some people just don't have enough to do.

[adhdtimes4]

"...and blessed are you, when people revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake..."

[lofo]

I'm planning on seeing the movie, just have to arrange the sitter for the kids. I have seen "The Making of the Passion of Christ," which I highly recommend to everyone interested in the movie. It has Holly McClure interviewing with Mel, Jesus, and Mary. I'll let you know Mel's fingers were used in the special affect with the nails.

Isn't it amazing that "The Last Temptation of Christ" was accepted by many in the world? It showed Christ as an immoral prophet!

And now the world is crying against it's own messenger of love, our Savior Redeemer. Well, Revelation says on the last day every knee shall bow. I can't wait to see that!

Popcorn sales will be down at this movie!

[swgiles]

I just saw the movie tonight. With respect to taking little kids to the movie, there was a boy of about 9 years old behind us and I was tormented through the whole movie about how inappropriate I felt it was for him to be there. It had nothing to do with what my personal religious beliefs are but this movie is intense from start to finish, it is extremely graphic and I don't think it's possible for a child that age to grasp the historical context of the time or the underlying class/religious/ethnic struggles that were at play at the time.

That being said, the movie is amazing. It took about 45 minutes for my fists to unclench. I didn't cry as much as I thought I might because I spent so much time with my eyes closed. There were beautiful moments in between the horror which showed Jesus' words of love for his disciples that gave you a little breather. One of the things as a frazzled parent of a challenging child was seeing the portrayal of Jesus' mother (a definite Catholic slant there). The intimacy of the relationship was so beautiful that it reminded me of the potential of the mother/child relationship. It certainly gave me hope!

I do recommend it, but I suggest some planned "debriefing" time after--maybe a day or two later. I think it's important to talk about this film and how it makes us feel. Then it can really do it's work. Otherwise, it's very easy I think to get overwhelmed by the violence. There are many websites which offer suggested questions for discussion by groups.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I'm still digesting it myself but I do recommend it!

Shannon

[sierra]

I thought a long time about this one because we've been hearing about it for months. Bean Sprout is very religious. But he finds onscreen violence to be extremely disturbing. He suffers from nightmares sometimes. Even though he's 15 I think this movie would bother him for a long time. Emotionally this just isn't a good time to run him through the wringer.

Li'l Sprout's only 12. No way I'd take him to an R rated movie no matter what the subject.

I have an argument on my hands with Bean Sprout. He really wants to see it. I've reminded him of other terribly violent movies. Reminded him of some of the other movies Mel Gibson has been involved in. He thought about "Patriot". They played a toned down version of that for his class in school and he still was upset at the violence. So far he's going along with me.

[shelli]

Saw The Passion tonight. Very moving and brings home the reality of what Jesus did for us. It was bloody and violent and very moving. Many people cried in the theater. It brought me to tears, I felt like I was having an anxiety attack by the time we left. I felt like I just could not catch my breath and was exhausted. But now I am wide awake and thinking about it. We took our fifteen year old and I saw him tear up a few times, so he was getting the message of what a great sacrafice had been done for him. I did not think it was as gory and violent as some have protrayed it to be. But then again if your familiar with the events that took place you are more prepared I think for what you are going to
see. It was very hard to watch Mary and the pain she was going through. There are some beautiful flash backs through out the movie of Jesus and his life. good things!!!!!!!! The movie moves very quickly and is over before you know it. The sub titles are easy to read, no problem keeping up or following what is happening. A lot of it is left to the imagination. I do not reccomend taking anyone under 12 or an older child that will not understand the message of the film.
Shelli

[camismom]

We saw The Passion Saturday night, and it was the talk of our church Sunday morning. Though the movie was very hard to watch, yes violent, and yes gory, it to me was a beautiful movie. What makes it beautiful is the love portrayed by Jesus throughout His torture. He endured it for me, and that's what makes it beautiful. I had heard so much about it I kind of knew what to expect, and that helped. Plus, if you have read the story, you know what happens anyway, so how do you downplay that? Anything less would have been disappointing because it's not telling it as it tryly happened. There were many crying and sobbing (myself included) during the movie and when it was over I found myself "paralyzed" in my seat. I sat there blankly staring at the screen in a state of shock almost. Relieved it was over, relieved to know His suffering was over and He is alive and well. Overcome by guilt for my own sins and knowledge that I put him through that. But still, happy that I had seen it and amazed at the beauty of His love and sacrifice for all of us.

My dd is still very adamant about seeing it, despite my warnings of what she will see, so we will be going again it looks like to see it with her. Despite the warnings of the violence and comparisons to other movies that are violent (she too has seen The Patriot and Braveheart movies and been bothered), she has said she feels she can handle it because it's different, "it's different because it's Jesus, and I know He did it for me." So, I think if the movie is something your child truly wants to see, they know the "story" and believe in it, and you feel they can handle it, then take them.

I'll let you know how it goes...

[jdmom]

I plan on going to see this movie. My MIL and I got into an argument because she wants to take my 7 year old. Not happening. Jarrett freaked out over Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. He is an emotional child anyway. He still cries over my cousin that died two years ago from leukemia, and he didn't even go to the funeral nor did he see Chris during those last few days when he was so miserable. I just don't think he has the maturity to absorb the impact of the film. He wouldn't be able to keep up with the subtitles, so the impact on him would just be the violence flashing on the screen. I don't think so! I plan on buying the video when it is available and he can watch it sometime in the future when I feel that he is ready.
"Regular people" haven't even been able to see the movie here yet, because all of the large churches bought tickets in advance for all their congregations. Last I heard, it was booked 3 weeks solid, and that was a week or so ago. I figure that it will be at the theaters for a long time, though. I really want to see it on the big screen.
I have never gone to see a movie by myself in my entire life, but I think that's how I want to see this one. It just seems so...personal, for lack of better words.
I heard from one friend who went with her church that the movie theater had tissue boxes on every third seat. She asked someone working the concession about it and they told her it was because the concession stand kept running out of napkins. She couldn't believe that there were that many people who were able to get up and walk out to get napkins.

[Dad2Brooke]

I saw the movie last night. It was graphic, and I wouldn't take a child.

It is a very thought provoking film. and very hard to watch at times.

I, too, want to see it again. And I also want to read my bible in regards to His cruxificion prior to seeing it again.

I am by no means a bible scholar, but there where things in that movie that I had never heard before.

Finally, and I do not mean to start controversy, but although I know Christ died for my sins, so that I may be saved. I don't really feel that the movie did a good job getting the message out.

I left the theater drained and uplifted, but I didn't feel like I had just witnessed a battle for all mens souls, I felt like I had witnessed a battle of wills between Pontius Pilate and the temple priests.

[stew4me]

My DH and I went with another couple last night to see it. No WAY would I take a child under 12-13 to this. I bet there was at least 30min of nothing but solid torture of the abuse Jesus took. It was very moving. I can't help but think I might have been even more moved if it hadn't have been so grousom.(sp?)
We made the comment after we left about how after it was over there was dead silence. Nobody said a word in the whole theatre. We also thought they did a good job of very casually making it shown how satan had been defeated after His resurrection.

[Dad2Brooke]

OK, In my earlier post I mentioned there were things I had never heard before in the movie.

I didn't mention what they were because I wanted time to check them out for myself.

But tonight, I found all of the pertinent passages in the Bible in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

I didn't know that Judas hung himself (Matthew 27:5)

I didn't know that Jesus healed the guard's ear in Gethesemane (Luke 22:51)

I didn't know Pilate sent him to Herod to be judged (Luke 23:7)

I didn't know that Simon from Cyrene help Him carry to cross (Luke 23:26, Mark 15:21,Matthew 27:32)

Finally, I never realized how hard it seemed that Pontius Pilate tried not to have Jesus crucified.

But the film faithfully followed the Bible.

Now 24 hours after seeing the film, I find that I have been thinking about it since I stepped out of the movie theater.

Plus, I pulled out my Bible tonight, which is something I haven't done in quite a while. So maybe Mel Gibson is accomplishing what he set out to accomplish.

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

[swgiles]

Dad2brooke,

It's funny you went and checked out all those things. Our church had a discussion group the Sunday after a group of us went to see it and we had a bunch of the same questions. It seems some of us had gone years thinking we knew the crucifixion story and when we got a chance to watch it, we realized we weren't as sure of the details as we thought. We kept coming up with questions and having to turn to the Bible for the answers.

I think you're right about Mel accomplishing what he set out to. If he can do something that makes that many people turn to the Bible for answers, he's doing something right.

Shannon

[camismom]

Well, we took Cami to see the movie Saturday. I had warned her in detail of what she was up against and yet she was insistent that she still wanted to see it. I told her once it started if it got to a point where she couldn't handle it anymore to let me know and we would leave right then and there. Well, it was expectantly hard for her to watch. She cried throughout the flogging scenes, but didn't want to leave (I asked her several times). She of course cried again when they were nailing him to the cross, and comforted me through the Mary scenes, but she made it through and when it was over she said she was glad she went. She also said she thought the movie to be "good", and made a comment on how "beautiful" a man she thought Jesus to be. Funny, though he is beaten down and bloody, I couldn't help but think that myself.

Ralph, I am glad you read your bible to see that this movie is indeed very accurate. I made a point of rereading all four gospels before I went to the movie the first time to refresh my memory on the details and "test" if you will the movie's accuracy. I was quite pleased in what I saw. We have had many discussions with folks who didn't remember a certain thing they saw, but it takes reading all four of the gospels to get the whole story. For instance, the healing of the guards ear is only mentioned in one gospel (Luke I believe) but not the other three. Only one gospel mentions the dream of Pilate's wife, and only one gospel mentions Pilate washing his hands. So you have to read all three to get it all.

I'm glad that this movie is inspiring so many to read. I hold fast to my belief that though brutal, it is a beautiful movie and Jesus is a beautiful man. He did it all for us, and that my friends, is what it's all about....

This Easter ought to be extra special!