A Bad game of telephone
There is a game called telephone that starts with a group of people sitting in a circle. One person is told a fact and each person whispers it along with the last person telling the group what the fact was. The message usually gets distorted and twisted as each person adds their own interpretation.
I can't believe how people repeat the same lies over and over again. Mel Gibson has repeatly said on the record this is not an anti-semitic film and that main message is that all our sins nailed Christ to the cross. Yes - The villians and heroes in this film are Jewish. It is a Jewish story filled with Jewish people from beginning to end - some good and some bad.
Many reviews of this film concur that its thrust is not a Jewish deicide but a global (everyone) deicide.
A number of Jewish conservative rabbis have now jumped ship from Abe Foxman's (ADL) position that this film is anti semitic.
Rabbi Eugene Korn and Rabbi Dainiel Lapthum have both shared concerns over this mantra - this rant that this is an anti-semitic film. They are concened that people will see the film and not see any anti-semitism and remember the groundless rants of a few ignorant people.
To say this film is anti-semitic is the equvalent of saying what goes on every Sunday in churches is anti-semitic.
Mel Gibson has remained faithful to the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. He is so concerened he went back to the orignal languages of Aramaic and Hebrew.
As individual, free thinking people I believe you cannot judge the film until you have seen it. Going on heresay is mind numbing. If you let someone else tell you what this movie "is" than you might as well plug into the matrix because you have stopped thinking for yourself.
If it has one hint of anti-semitism I will lead the ticket stub burning protest outside the theatre. I am very pro-Israel and believe there is a rising tide of Anti-semitism however this is one of those cases where a deep breath and smelling salts may allow the Movie to be judged on its merits.
Peace,
Wake up and Smell the Coffee
Here are a few articles about some free thinking Rabbis on Mel Gibson's "the Passion"
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2003/11/13/180156.shtml
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/11/10/143546.shtml