The Catholic League released the following statement:

February 26, 2004

SAINT MEL

Catholic League president William Donohue commented today on the reaction to “The Passion of the Christ”:

“We are at a cultural tipping point. Never has the division between the elites and the masses been more evident. Many good things are happening: the smack-in-the-face that the public awarded Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake; the public revulsion to the anti-marriage campaign; the firing of Howard Stern from many radio outlets; and, most of all, the public’s embrace of ‘The Passion of the Christ.’

“Saint Mel. That’s what he is in the eyes of millions of Americans. But for some, he’s Satan. Leon Wieseltier, the big fan of the Catholic-bashing writer Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, labels the movie a ‘sacred snuff film.’ Ex-Catholics like Maureen Dowd not only mistake the sacred for the profane, they think the film engenders intolerance when, in fact, the intolerance has come almost exclusively from the movie’s most vociferous critics.

“But this is good—the pus has come to the surface. Now we can get on with the real debate: should the culture continue its celebration of self-indulgence or repair to a culture of restraint? If the latter is to be achieved, believing Christians, Jews and Muslims will have to join together to defeat those whose concept of liberty is pure libertinism.

“Already, left-wing censors in Hollywood are out to get Mel. They think they can stop him. But it’s too late for the blacklisters to win. Nothing can stop the public from rallying around Saint Mel.”


Passion prompts murder confession

The film depicts the final 12 hours of Christ's life
A Texas man has been prompted by Mel Gibson's Passion film to confess he killed his girlfriend, a police spokesman has said.
Dan Leach, 21, said he killed pregnant girlfriend Ashley Nicole Wilson, found dead on 18 January, Fort Bend County Sheriff's Department said.

"He mentioned that speaking with a friend and seeing the movie made him feel remorse," police added.

The controversial film is now out in the UK and is a US box office hit.

Leach said he made it look as if the 19-year-old had committed suicide.

Her body was found in her apartment with a suicide note describing her depression. She appeared to have hanged herself.

The first people to see it in the UK give their views
Leach said he wanted to seek redemption after seeing The Passion of the Christ.

He went to police on 9 March and was released while they investigated his claim. Leach was arrested on Tuesday and is being held on $100,000 (£55,500) bail.

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The best daily political cartoons can be found here:

http://www.csmonitor.com/commentary/index.html

In Dutch media this film has mostly been bashed. I've heard comparisons with McDonalds. The only people who seem to like this movie are religious people who want to like the movie, I think. And they (religious people) luckely aren't that common anymore over here, at least not in the post-war (WO-II) generations.

I haven't seen the movie myself though, but my mule is working on it... It's better to talk about something you actually witnessed ;) Maybe a nice movie to watch with friends and some beers while laughing at it? (like other terrible movies like Pearl Harbour. Some fast-forwarding is probably required)

And Mel Gibson, can't he replace the pope? Maybe they'll attract young(er) people then.

I visit Amsterdam at least twice a year and I love the attitude of the Dutch, they seem to have a clear and logical mindset and know when they are being bullshitted.

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Arsenal FC


Gooner Till I Die

mel is neither a saint, nor a satan. he's just an actor who produced a miserable
fictional film, while claiming it to be historically exact. i doublechecked with the bible
(seriously, i did!) and not too much is mentioned about jesus being tortured before
being crucified. and that seems to be the main focus in that snuff flic.

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I saw Gibson do an interview on TV when the movie was first being released. Apparently his wife does not share his extreme religious beliefs, and the interviewer asked Gibson "Do you think your wife is going to get into heaven, since she doesn't share your beliefs?" and he replied "No. She won't get in to heaven. She is damned."

He was dead serious - no joke. He believes his wife is going to hell because she doesn't belong to the same radical branch of the Catholic Church that he does. His church still follows all the pre-Vatican II rules: only fish on Friday, only Latin masses, etc.

It was not until I saw that interview that I saw him for the religious fruitcake that he apparently is.