| About this site |
| About us |
| Our beliefs |
| Your first visit? |
| Contact us |
| External links |
| Good books |
| Visitor essays |
| Our forum |
| New essays |
| Other site features |
| Buy a CD |
| Vital notes |
| Spiritual/ethics |
| Spirituality |
| Morality/ethics |
| Absolute truth |
| Peace/conflict |
| Attaining peace |
| Religious tolerance |
| Religious hatred |
| Religious conflict |
| Religious violence |
| Laws and news |
| Religious laws |
| Religious news |
|
 | 78.2% "Go see it;" |
| 11.8% "I didn't watch it;" |
| 5.6% "Proceed with caution;" |
| 4.3% "It's too brutal." 1 |
Response of visitors to the Beliefnet web site:
Beliefnet asked a general question: "What do you think of 'The Passion of the Christ'." They gave three options:
| 82% indicated "Thumbs up." |
| 10% indicated "Thumbs down." |
| 8% had "mixed feelings." |
They asked a rather loaded question: "My main concerns about 'Passion' involve:" In doing so, they assumed that the visitor to their site had concerns. They gave four options, but only permitted the voter to select one:
| 47% said that they "don't have any concerns." |
| 20% were concerned about biblical accuracy. |
| 17% were concerned about anti-semitism. |
| 5% were concerned about violence/gore. 3 |
Response of a poll conducted by ChristianWebSite.com:
CWS conducted a poll of visitors to their web site. They asked the question: "Do you believe Mel Gibson's, 'The Passion of the Christ' was inspired by God?" Responses were:
| 80.3% said yes. |
| 19.7% said no. |
This essay continues below
Sponsored link:
Response of visitors to the Yahoo! web site:
On 2004-FEB-26, the average rating given by 16,261 visitors to the Yahoo! web site was an "A minus." 2
Listed below are excerpts from a dozen out of the 4,079 user reviews on the Yahoo! web site. 2 Spelling and grammar have been corrected:
| Currahee1983: A+ rating: "This film was so well done. Mel Gibson took a great risk to make a film version of a historical event that is so well known and cherished. There were times that I could not restrain myself from weeping....The directing was honest and true...the violence was accurate and necessary in a true telling. The acting was absolutely phenomenal and believable....This film will change lives. It is by far the most accurate and honest representation of the Biblical passion of Christ." |
| Eflyg: B+ rating: "Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ will leave you emotionally tired. The film portrays the brutal torture and suffering of Jesus. The film uses some flashbacks to allude to Jesus' teachings and sermons; I would have liked to see more. The flogging scene last 30-40 minutes and the constant abuse becomes ridiculous. On the up side, the acting is incredible, the visuals are artfully done, and Mel Gibson's direction shows his faith and character. Concerning the graphic violence, I believe that the movie may be too much for some 13 year olds." |
| WoodlandHeights: C+ rating: "Overall I was a little disappointed with the direction that Mel took with this movie. Granted, he wanted to visualize the last 12 hours of Christ, but I feel that in doing so the movie dragged in some areas and the violence was definitely over kill. (i.e. how many times can you watch Christ walking in slow motion and fall?) And by doing it in this manner, I also feel that the true message of Christ and why he died was TOTALLY lost. Only Christians could possibly understand this movie, and maybe it would have been a better movie if it's point was aimed at a broader audience." |
| ImAIdiot99999: B rating: "If you have any problems with the way this movie portrays Christ and his last 12 hours, put 25 million of your own money on the table and tell it the way you think it should be told. If you think this movie will offend you, don't go see it. Look deeper than your own emotion and views, and see the movie as a movie; the telling of a story. We seem to be able to fathom the fact that superheroes can fly, fairies exist, and battles to determine intergalactic peace reign, but we have a hard time believing the possibility that a man suffered, and suffered quite brutally, for what he believed, and died as a result of that." |
| Dipak_Nambiar: A+ rating: "I am a Hindu and i found this movie absolutely stunning. Irrespective of your faith, i believe that one needs to watch this movie simply because this is a great film. Watch it, this movie will have a profound impact on you." |
| Il_Michael_Padrino: A+ rating: "This is the most powerful
movie I have ever seen in my life. Ultimate acting, ultimate directing and
ultimate film. All my favorite films such as Godfather and Scarface will
pave way for this heavenly film. No wonder God made his own approval by
casting His lighting onto Jim Caviezel during the shooting of the sermon.
Through this movie you will save lots of lives. "As for anti-semitic accusation, that is a cop out, the only person I feel like smacking are the critics and those who are trying the destroy Mel Gibson without even seeing the film." |
| Mattchi: D rating: "Mel Gibson....is self-obsessed and so is his film. I don't believe extreme violence is necessary in ANY film. My imagination is vivid enough to get the picture. Just like the old black-and-white films -- when a man was shot and fell down, I did not need red blood and splattered guts to understand that the character was dead." |
| CynthiaHintz: A+ rating: "Every year during the last few days of Lent we as Christians hear and read the passion of Christ, but never ever did it come home to roost until this film. This film is soul shaking! It hits you right in the gut and when you try to take a deep breath to recover, it hits you again and again. Every human being needs to see this film, no matter what faith they follow. The only thing that seems to go around in my mind and heart is, 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.' Please see this film. It will change you." |
| NavyAngelsB: A rating: "Beautifully done! A lot of talk about the violence, and yes it is extremely violent but for a just cause. It is what truly happened, and people sometimes seem to forget how much He suffered for us. For those who are not religious (and this is not said in a mean way, for I know many who aren't and still love them to death) it is also historically accurate. I love how gory movies about killing innocent people and ravishing whole towns are barely ever thought twice about or condemned for their brutality, but a movie with truth and a moral behind it is. Unbelievable, isn't it? Anyway, highly recommended to all." |
| RSorrell2002: A+ rating: "I truly believe God allowed this movie to be rebirth [sic] because of what the world has become today. The world is out of control and he needs to remind us of his death. He didn't have to do it but, he did. He is warning us. GET IT TOGETHER OR DIE IN YOUR SINS. Jesus died for our sins so that we could ask for forgiveness,. For us to sin knowingly is wrong. But we continue to live our live not fearing God's wrath. Take heed to this movie and examine yourself." |
| Adore771: A+ rating: "The Passion of the Christ, which I just saw today, changed me. Almost everyone in the theatre room were crying or weeping. This movie will change the world." |
| RyanMcUSA: A rating: "Yes, I saw it. Yes it moved me. Go see it. Leave everything you've heard about it beforehand at home. Experience the film for what it is, not what you want it to be or what you are afraid it will stir in others. It is a magnificent piece of art that will provoke thought and discussion more than any film I can recollect. This film is one man's interpretation of the basis of his faith." |
Response of visitors to the Focus on the Family web site:
Focus on the Family is a fundamentalist Christian agency with head office in Colorado. It asked visitors to its web site to write in with their experiences while watching "The Passion of the Christ." Almost 1,500 did. Most loved the movie; a very few did not. You can read their responses at: http://www.family.org/
References:
- Phil Kloer, "The Passion of the Christ," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2004-FEB-25, at: http://www.accessatlanta.com/
- "The Passion of The Christ," Yahoo! Movies, at: http://movies.yahoo.com/
- "Beliefnet polls: Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ'," at http://www.beliefnet.com/
|
Copyright © 2004 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Originally written: 2004-FEB-27
Latest update: 2004-MAR-9
Author: B.A. Robinson
|
|
|
Page Translator: