Monstrous
Apocalypse Soon => Religions, Cults & Sects => Topic started by: Devious Viper on August 06, 2006, 09:17:21 AM
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Mel Gibson’s Anti-Semitic Outburst
by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
Gibson has shown his true colors, a point of view reflected in "The Passion of The Christ". But here's how he can make amends.
The Talmud famously says that a man is known in three ways. What he says when he is drunk, what he says when he is angry, and what he spends his money on. On all three counts, it appears that Mel Gibson has sadly shown his true colors. Upon getting arrested for drunk driving, in his inebriated state, he allegedly said something to the effect that "f—ing Jews are responsible for all the world’s wars." In his anger, he asked the arresting deputy if he himself was Jewish. And, of course, he spent $25 million of his own money arguing that the Jews killed Jesus. Well, there you have it. Drink, anger, and money all lead Mel Gibson to alleged acts of anti-Semitism.
Those of us who strongly opposed "The Passion of the Christ" as defamatory of Jews should feel no sense of vindication now that Mel has shown what he really thinks of Jews. On the contrary, this story is a tragedy all around. Who would have thought that in Hollywood of all places there could be personalities so filled with Jew-hatred? The tragedy is compounded by the fact that Mel Gibson largely established his career in the role of a white detective who has the warmest possible relationship with his black partner in the "Lethal Weapon" movies. Turns out that all along good ol' Mel was a racist.
Not that we should have been all that surprised, given the Holocaust-denying remarks Mel's father has always made publicly, with Mel saying in his defense, "My father never lied to me."
Still, there are a number of things to be learned from this sad event. Firstly, all those who defended "The Passion of the Christ" as a benign movie about the death of Jesus ought to do some real soul-searching. This defamatory movie repeated the oldest and most destructive lie ever told, that the Jews killed God. Millions of Jews throughout history have been murdered over this lie. And yet, when a modern movie appeared portraying the Jews as bloodthirsty and desperate to see a dead Jesus, it became one of the biggest box office successes of all time. Worse, so many of our evangelical brothers and sisters promoted the movie as a modern Christian triumph. Churches around the country who normally love and support Israel rushed to show the movie to their flocks, as if doing so were a sacrament. They defended Mel Gibson especially as having made a film that promoted Christianity rather than defamed Jews. I hope that they will now reconsider their attitude toward the film and stop showing it at churches, as it perpetuates the stereotype of Jews as perfidious Judases.
Likewise, I especially hope that the many Jewish conservatives who defended Mel Gibson and even heavily promoted the movie will rethink their support.
I debated many of my colleagues on national TV, including my friends Michael Medved and Rabbi Daniel Lapin. I hope they too will now reconsider their inexplicable action of highlighting a film that was a grotesque distortion of the true historical record of how Jesus died. I do not write these lines to gloat or say "I told you so." I have deep respect for both Medved and Lapin and have probably been wrong about far more things than they. Rather, I write this because the idea that committed Jews could have become defenders of Mel Gibson's big-screen hate fest was always a shock and caused a deep and unnecessary division in the Jewish community.
However, Mel Gibson has now apologized, and I am a great believer in apologies. So his apology ought to be accepted, even though it was not courageous enough to apologize to the Jewish community directly. For those who would say that his apology was not even sincere, I would answer that apologies should not be examined as to their sincerity. Rather, if a man apologizes, he should be taken at his word.
I honestly hope that Mel Gibson will find the healing that his body needs from alcoholism and that his soul needs from racism. I honestly hold no ill will toward him. He is clearly a troubled man. Why someone that successful would need to hate a whole group for no reason is something that we will probably never understand. And I pity him, just as I pity any man whose inexplicable hatred compromises his humanity.
Having said this, it is proper that Mel Gibson's apology be coupled with action. He should make it up to the Jewish community by re-releasing "The Passion of the Christ" with an important disclaimer at the very beginning of the film detailing the undisputed historical fact that the Romans killed Jesus, and that any of the Jewish leadership, like Caiaphas the High Priest, who called for Jesus' death were all in the employ of Rome, and indeed served as the Roman police enforcers in Judea.
Because claiming to love Jesus and simultaneously hating Jews are deeply contradictory, since Jesus was not a Catholic or a Christian, but a Jew.
Finally, a word to Mel: I have long been impressed by your devotion to your father, especially since he appears to have a screw loose. Even so, you stuck by him. But the Commandment that instructs us to honor our parents does not mean that we ought to honor their racism. On the contrary, we honor our parents by becoming better people than they and righting their wrongs.
(Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, named by Talkers Magazine as one of the 100 most important radio hosts in America, is a nationally syndicated talk show host, the international best-selling author of 15 books, and an acclaimed syndicated columnist.
A winner of the London Times highly prestigious "Preacher of the Year" award, Rabbi Shmuley has lectured and appeared in print, radio, and TV all over the globe. His radio show, "Rabbi Shmuley's Passion," airs daily on Bonneville Broadcasting in afternoon drive-time.
He is the author of a number of books, including "Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy," "Dating Secrets of the Ten Commandments," "Why Can't I Fall in Love," "Judaism for Everyone: Renewing your Life through the Vibrant Lessons of the Jewish Faith," and most recently, "Hating Women: America's Hostile Campaign Against the Fairer Sex." A winner of the annual "preacher of the year" contest sponsored by the Times of London, he was formerly rabbi of Oxford University.)
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Should we throw out Van Gogh's art because he was obviously disturbed, maybe had schizophrenia?
We can appreciate the work, but don't have to revere the artist and look up to him as a capable leader of men.
I think that's what people did to Mel Gibson when he made "The Passion". The public expected Christ-like behavior from him and some even felt he was annointed by God to make this movie.
Mel Gibson is a human, with human faults and frailties. To add to this, he's also a very rich man who is able to expound his views to a large part of the world's population.
I didn't feel that "The Passion" was anti-semitic. The Jewish leaders who called for Jesus's death were the ones in power in the church. I've seen what a quest for power has done in my own church.
Jesus's loyal followers were also believers that "He is who He says He is." They believed Him because the God put it into their hearts to know it was the truth.
It all comes back to FAITH.
The public has had to learn that Mel Gibson is a flawed human just like the rest of us.
~Morticia
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More fun pouring over Mel Gibson and Amish :|
"I do agree that (the) Amish cause most of the wars in the world today. I hate the Amish severely." Funnyman Will Ferrell poking fun at Mel Gibson after the movie star upset Jewish community groups with an anti-Semitic rant during a drink driving arrest at the end of July.
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*<:)
Quality.
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I'm not sure I agree with that axiom about what is said when drunk and mad. In those states speaking from experiece (sometimes very painful experience) I have said things that I truely didn't mean. Especially when mad. i know my weaknesses and try to avoid situations that exploit them but eventually I get pissed off about something and spout off at the mouth saying hurtful things that I don't mean. I say them simply because I know that they will hurt the other party. Does that make me an a**hole?
Mel Gibson may very well be an anti-semite. I don't know enough about him to say one way or the other. One instance of stupidity doesn't make him one IMO.
I'll ask the question again and look for your opinions, knowing what you know of me. this isn't a loaded question and honestly would like other opinions on the matter.
Does it make me an a**hole if I lose control from time to time and say hurtful things?
ZRY
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Does it make me an a**hole if I lose control from time to time and say hurtful things? ZRY
Yes, but not as much as an ?s?h?l? as Mel Gibson.
Certain privileges come with responsabilities. He should have been more careful.
I'm not saying he meant what he said (though I'm so wicked I think he actually did, but it's just my opinion), only that if he's so powerful to create such a mayhem he should pay much more attention to his words than you (or me, or whoever is going to post next :crazy: ).
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Does it make me an a**hole if I lose control from time to time and say hurtful things? ZRY
Yes, but not as much as an ?s?h?l? as Mel Gibson.
Certain privileges come with responsabilities. He should have been more careful.
I'm not saying he meant what he said (though I'm so wicked I think he actually did, but it's just my opinion), only that if he's so powerful to create such a mayhem he should pay much more attention to his words than you (or me, or whoever is going to post next :crazy: ).
she's got a point, people in a position of power and influence should have some standards and whether they want to or not set certain standards for behavior by those who, idolize them...there's a lot of poeple with anitsemetic views and opinions, but they are rarely in a position to influence people on a mass scale and that paparrazi pay attention to.
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Does it make me an a**hole if I lose control from time to time and say hurtful things? ZRY
Yes, but not as much as an ?s?h?l? as Mel Gibson.
Certain privileges come with responsabilities. He should have been more careful.
I'm not saying he meant what he said (though I'm so wicked I think he actually did, but it's just my opinion), only that if he's so powerful to create such a mayhem he should pay much more attention to his words than you (or me, or whoever is going to post next :crazy: ).
she's got a point, people in a position of power and influence should have some standards and whether they want to or not set certain standards for behavior by those who, idolize them...there's a lot of poeple with anitsemetic views and opinions, but they are rarely in a position to influence people on a mass scale and that paparrazi pay attention to.
Using that logic the whole world is full of a**holes.
While humankind has fallen I don't think all the people of the earth are a**holes. Perhaps this is a matter of the operation definition of an a**hole. I think a series of purposeful, unrepentent events qualifies a human to be an a**hole. For example, one of the local NNs I grew up with I consider and a**hole because he consistantly gives a diatribe on his views (wether you want to hear it or not). I may say some a**hole things, let's say to my wife, out of anger but will repent and apolologize there after, and because of those differences (repenting and # of occurences), I don't view myself an a**hole.
If you don't agree with that GO *&^% YOURSELF!
just kidding! *<:)
ZRY
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What he said, regardless of his state of sobriety, doesn't make him a cornhole. Whether he was drunk or sober doesn't make him a cornhole. Whether, while influenced by alcohol, he is able to control his mouth or not, doesn't make him a cornhole.
These are all human weaknesses, and we have all, I'm sure, shown our weaknesses at some point.
What makes him a cornhole is:
1. his fundamentalist Roman Catholic anti-Semitism (it's well documented, Zak)
2. the fact that a married man with seven children is out carousing drunkenly at 3am then taking to the wheel of his high performance car
3. the fact that, in the pursuit of the mighty dollar his next movie was scheduled to be about the Holocaust, which, it now has become public knowledge, he denies ever occurred
Drunk, sober, angry, whatever. On the basis of these three points alone, he is guilty of being one Class A cornhole. :|
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Using that logic the whole world is full of a**holes.
It is :-D
I may say some a**hole things, let's say to my wife, out of anger but will repent and apolologize there after, and because of those differences (repenting and # of occurences), I don't view myself an a**hole.
What about your wife? It would be interesting to know if SHE thinks of you as an a**hole in those occasions :-D
Yet again, we are not discussing ordinary hot-blooded outbursts, which are common as well as physiological. We are talking about a man whose deeds, bad and good, get covered by all the mass media means, as well as become of public property.
If you don't agree with that GO *&^% YOURSELF!
:-D I adore the vernacular, can't help it :roll:
ZRY
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What he said, regardless of his state of sobriety, doesn't make him a cornhole. Whether he was drunk or sober doesn't make him a cornhole. Whether, while influenced by alcohol, he is able to control his mouth or not, doesn't make him a cornhole.
These are all human weaknesses, and we have all, I'm sure, shown our weaknesses at some point.
What makes him a cornhole is:
1. his fundamentalist Roman Catholic anti-Semitism (it's well documented, Zak)
2. the fact that a married man with seven children is out carousing drunkenly at 3am then taking to the wheel of his high performance car
3. the fact that, in the pursuit of the mighty dollar his next movie was scheduled to be about the Holocaust, which, it now has become public knowledge, he denies ever occurred
Drunk, sober, angry, whatever. On the basis of these three points alone, he is guilty of being one Class A cornhole. :|
Now that I can understand and will have to agree
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I may say some a**hole things, let's say to my wife, out of anger but will repent and apolologize there after, and because of those differences (repenting and # of occurences), I don't view myself an a**hole.
What about your wife? It would be interesting to know if SHE thinks of you as an a**hole in those occasions :-D
a**hole is one of the many "pet" names my wife has for me. Some others would be Idiot, Moron, and (although simply a varient) F*^%ing A**hole.
Luckily these don't happen very often (about once a year we get into a good one)
Oddly enough I don't call her names....(but I'm thinking them! :wink:)
ZRY
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a**hole is one of the many "pet" names my wife has for me. Some others would be Idiot, Moron, and (although simply a varient) F*^%ing A**hole
LoL. She rocks :-D
Oddly enough I don't call her names....(but I'm thinking them! :wink:)
Of course, you *have to* be a gent, Zak.
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I wouldn't exchange her for the world!
:focus:
If Mel honestly repents, recognizing his thoughts as wrong, and reforms does he cease to be an a**hole?
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Of course - so long as he converts :wink:
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Gibson has shown his true colors, a point of view reflected in "The Passion of The Christ".
I never got all the publicity that Passion got for "anti-semitic" viewpoints. Unless the Bible is anti-semitic, all he did was make a movie out of the death of Jesus. How is that anti-semitic when its in the Bible the way the Jews themselves wrote it?
They sold Christ out, and the Romans put him to death. Not that i personally believe that things happened the way they are told in the Bible, or any other religious book..
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with an important disclaimer at the very beginning of the film detailing the undisputed historical fact that the Romans killed Jesus, and that any of the Jewish leadership, like Caiaphas the High Priest, who called for Jesus' death were all in the employ of Rome, and indeed served as the Roman police enforcers in Judea.
all he did was make a movie out of the death of Jesus. How is that anti-semitic when its in the Bible the way the Jews themselves wrote it? They sold Christ out, and the Romans put him to death
There are a number of scenes which do not appear in the Bible but which were added to flesh out the movie. This was a necessary task, because a blending of the Gospel accounts of Jesus's arrest, trial, flogging and execution would only provide material for perhaps a half-hour movie. Some additional scenes had to be created to extend the film to a feature length.
The diaries of St. Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) provided much of the content of the screenplay. These visions were collected into book form by a noted German writer of the time, Brentano, entitled "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ." Although at times Emmerick simply speaks of Jesus' "malicious and cruel enemies", at other times she refers to "the cruel Jews" and other disparagements - reflected in Gibson's The Passion in the sinister countenances and action of Caiaphas's followers. Emmerich was a particularly vicious anti-semite who wrote that "Jews in our country and elsewhere strangled Christian children and used their blood for all sorts of suspicious and diabolical practices."
The writings of a second anti-semitic nun, Mary of Agreda, were also used to pad ot the screen play. She wrote, in reference to Jews: "Although they did not die, they were chastised with intense pain. These disorders consequently upon shedding the blood of Christ, descended to their posterity and even to this day continue to afflict this group with horrible impurities."
Jesus is repeatedly beaten by the Temple guard after his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane for no apparent reason. Pontius Pilate, the Procurator of Judea, is consistently portrayed as a weak-willed governor, frightened of the power of the Jewish priests, and lacking in confidence. In reality, he was harsh and vicious in his treatment of Jews. He had thousands of them crucified. Philo, writing at the time, said that Pilate was calculating, cruel and brutal. He probably had a typical Roman's disdain for any other culture, thinking the Jews not nearly as civilized as the Romans. He was eventually recalled to Rome to be tried for his brutal treatment of Jews.
In one scene, Judas is emotionally distraught at his prior betrayal of Jesus. He is tormented by some Jewish children whose faces morph into demons.
Through most of the history of Christianity, Christian Churches taught that all "the Jews" - whether they lived in the 1st century or 20th century or sometime in between - were responsible for Jesus's death. The Roman Catholic Church didn't officially abandon this doctrine until the mid 1960's. With thousands of years of tradition behind it, it isn't surprising that the belief is still circulating among part of the public. It rises to the surface regularly like a bloated corpse.
Gibson could have displayed a pro-active disclaimer, as Cecil B DeMille did in his epic movie, King of Kings, that would state directly that the Jewish people are not responsible for Jesus's death.
While the mob pressure Procurator Pilate to crucify Jesus, Gibson has the mob say: "His blood be on us, and on our children." This one verse is probably responsible for more murders of innocent people than any other in the Bible. A. James Rudin, senior inter-religious adviser for the American Jewish Committee writes: "That curse appears only in Matthew, and is the religious taproot for the horrific charge that because the Jews killed Jesus, that they merited eternal divine punishment for their 'crime.' " It has been used as theological justification to the charge of deicide - the belief that the entire Jewish people were and continue to be responsible for the murder of God. Like other statements by actors portraying Jews in the movie, the line was spoken in Aramaic. Gibson sneakily made sure there is no English sub-title, so that only those viewers who are familiar with Aramaic or theology would be able to understand the statement.
From Wikipedia:Many Jews, such as the High Priest, are portrayed as physically ugly. "The priests have big noses and gnarly faces, lumpish bodies, yellow teeth; Herod Antipas and his court are a bizarre collection of oily-haired, epicene perverts. The "good Jews" look like Italian movie stars (Magdalene actually is an Italian movie star, the lovely Monica Bellucci); Mary, who would have been around 50 and appear 70, could pass for a ripe 35."
The High Priest is shown as if he a were a member in good standing of the Jewish community, and as having control over the Roman occupation; historians note that the Jews were not allowed to appoint their own High Priest according to Biblical law, and that the High Priest at the time was in the service of the Roman government.
Pontius Pilate is portrayed as a thoughtful, temperate man who ultimately agrees to crucify Jesus because he does not want to risk a Jewish rebellion on the one hand and a Christian rebellion on the other; but historians, including his contemporary Josephus, describe his savage treatment of Jews in general, crucifying many Jews during his reign.
Leon Wieseltier stated in New Republic's March 8, 2004 issue: "In its representation of its Jewish characters, The Passion of the Christ is without any doubt an anti-Semitic movie, and anybody who says otherwise knows nothing, or chooses to know nothing, about the visual history of anti-Semitism, in art and in film. What is so shocking about Gibson's Jews is how unreconstructed they are in their stereotypical appearances and actions. These are not merely anti-Semitic images; these are classically anti-Semitic images."
The New York Daily News said: "Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ is the most virulently anti-Semitic movie since the German propaganda films of World War Two. It is sickening" They added: "[The movie] feels like a propaganda tool rather than entertainment for a general audience... Jews are vilified, in ways both little and big, pretty much nonstop for two hours, seven minutes. Gibson cuts from the hook nose of one bad Jewish character to the hook nose of another in the ensuing scene."
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DV, please take no offense, but it is ironic that your name is Devious Viper and promote Biblical text so much..... :-P
The New York Daily News said: "Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ is the most virulently anti-Semitic movie since the German propaganda films of World War Two. It is sickening" They added: "[The movie] feels like a propaganda tool rather than entertainment for a general audience... Jews are vilified, in ways both little and big, pretty much nonstop for two hours, seven minutes. Gibson cuts from the hook nose of one bad Jewish character to the hook nose of another in the ensuing scene."
I saw nothing anti-semitic about the film at all.. Basically, it was what happened in the Bible, aside from, as you mentioned, a few cinimatic inclusions to help fill the film out to a full length motion picture..
I think the anti-semitic remarks came mostly because of the known beliefs of Mel's father, Hutton Gibson..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutton_Gibson
I think the real propaganda was using the anti-semitism in order to promote Passion of the Christ..
And, in it's own way, i bet Mel's recent arrest is just a publicity campaign for his new movie "Apocalypto"..
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DV, please take no offense, but it is ironic that your name is Devious Viper and promote Biblical text so much..... :-P
:lol: None taken, MAD
British humour, I'm afraid - it relies heavily on irony!
:spy: It is also a code of sorts... Anybody figure out who/what it actually refers to..?
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Mel speaks for himself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47ehDf5BHwI
Caution - contains some adult language
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DV, please take no offense, but it is ironic that your name is Devious Viper and promote Biblical text so much..... :-P
:lol: None taken, MAD
British humour, I'm afraid - it relies heavily on irony!
:spy: It is also a code of sorts... Anybody figure out who/what it actually refers to..?
I know but that's cheating since you told me a long time ago!
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:wink:
By the way, did you like the Braveheart spoof? It still has me in tears!
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I loved the Braveheart movie, but that was great Viper! I'm still giggling. :lol:
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Wasn't bad at all, athough the guys Gibson impression was terrible!