THE PASSION OF CHRIST IS A RELIGIOUS ENACTMENT FOR SOME BUT FOR OTHERS IT IS A HORRIFYING BETRAYING OF AN INNOCENT MAN. Mel Gibson Had The Temerity To Stand Up Against The Propagandists And Graphically Portray, For All To See, The Literal Events Of Jesus Of Nazareth Being Taken To His Death. While Gibson took much flack, he wholeheartedly believes that Jesus Christ died for his sins.

What is the religious message of the Passion of Christ?

Harry Riches requested by anonymous

Personally I do not know what religious message about the Passion of Christ it is that you refer. If you are referring to Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of The Christ, I do know that many people who saw it were powerfully affected by it.

Many people seem to focus on the death of Jesus of Nazareth and speak about being at the foot of the cross. However, the Apostle Paul stated that if Jesus did not rise from the dead then any faith in Him is in vain.

• If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:14)

Mel Gibson states that he is a Roman Catholic. Roman Catholics love to see their Jesus on the cross. Protestants abhor the idea that Jesus is nailed to the cross. They believe that to have a pendant or a picture or a statue of Jesus nailed to the cross and then kneel before it is to commit idolatry. The Ten Commandments speak out against making carvings of any sort, as well.

• You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:4–7)

In the Roman Catholic Herald, Stuart Reid writes:

• The case against Mel is that he is anti-Semitic, homophobic, violent and alcoholic, and, to add insult to injury, a Roman Catholic….Co-stars had decided that they could not appear alongside a man whose wickedness has dragged the good name of Hollywood through the mud….Mel Gibson may be an alcoholic, a sedevacantist and an anti-Semite - but he has my sympathy

From what I can make of the Roman Catholic message to mankind, do whatever you like, to whomever you like, whenever you like, and as long as you say you are sorry, everything will be alright—but if you have any money make sure you leave it to the church and this will help you while you are in purgatory. The more money you give means the higher up the ecclesiastical chain your prayers will go and the lower you will have to descend into purgatory, which means less pain for you. To the worldly-wise only money could work wonders when it comes to wickedness.

In respect to pain, the Bible does point to what the Messiah had to bear on behalf of us all. Jesus suffered with much pain:

• He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3)

One suspects that the suffering of Jesus is really what Mel Gibson was attempting to portray with his film. The fact that Mel Gibson was prepared to risk the ridicule and hostilities from the many debauched hypocrites is commendable. These hypocrites are those would have us believe that they are fantastic individuals—even divinities. If God exists, we are beholding Him, when in their presence. The female versions would like us to believe that we are beholding not a god but a goddess.

Apparently, Mel Gibson is a sedevacantist who believes Pope Francis is not a pope. Maybe Ratzinger is more to Mel’s liking, but then maybe not, after being caught in his broken down BMW with a boy and having to step down. Sedevancantists believe that Paul VI (1963–1978) espoused the heresy of modernism and otherwise denied solemnly defined Catholic dogmas and so became heretic. Others believe Pope Pius XII in 1958 was the last true Pope. Generally though, sedevacantists are Traditionalist Catholics, who believe “the see has been vacant since Pope Pius XII in 1958. A tiny number of these claim the vacancy actually goes back to the death of Pope Pius X in 1914.”

As for what is known as the passion of Christ, the following by Fr. William Sanders tells us what the Roman Catholics really believe about Lord Jesus Christ:

• The Passion Narratives of the Gospels provide the details of our Lord's passion, and at least to some extent, they are corroborated by contemporary Roman historians — Tacitus, Seutonius and Pliny the Younger. Archeological discoveries combined with modern medical examination provide an accurate picture of what our Lord endured. In an age where the "risen" Jesus appears on the cross and "suffering" and "sacrifice" have become unpopular terms, we must not lose sight of the reality of the passion.—The Passion of Jesus Christ

As you can see, the Catholic Priest, Father William Sanders, explains that the risen Jesus is placed back on the cross. Catholics are told to concentrate on the suffering and not the resurrection. This is what the Bible states about those who put the risen Lord Jesus Christ on the cross for a second time:

• For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt. For land which has drunk the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed; its end is to be burned. (Hebrews 6:4–8)

The religious message of the passion of Christ as portrayed by Roman Catholics appears to be that salvation is found in suffering, rather than having a personal encounter with the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ as espoused by the New Testament. This experience of being born from above, many have testified to having had, including myself.

Anyone who places Jesus back on the cross is effectively saying that Lord Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead. This contradicts the teachings of the Bible and is an attempt to lead people astray into another gospel. Jesus rose from the dead. Those who encounter Jesus will tell you this. I know, because I have met the risen Lord Jesus Christ and know that He lives. Lord Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. The resurrected Son of God is not on any cross.

Jesus Rose From The Dead And Was Declared The Son Of God By His Resurrection