Analysis Of Religion, Media And Movies: The Passion Of The Christ
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3085 Words
Religion, Media, and Movies: A Passion for Theatrics
Introduction: A Road Map
For decades, media sources have long been a dictator of how people perceive the world around them. People, events, opinions, and beliefs have played center stage in media outlets such as movies, TV shows, news broadcasts, radio, and various literary platforms. Religion, its history, and its people are frequently portrayed in the media through the means listed above. Some of the most famous and infamous interpretations of religion have stemmed from the media. Such media interpretations lead to questions surrounding the importance and consequences of such presentations and how they impact greater religious discussions.
In this paper I will …show more content…
What happens when this sole contact turns into the foundation for one’s position when they enter into a larger conversation concerning a religious matter? Media interpretation of religion can drastically affect one’s beliefs about said religion. In the following case examining Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, a media interpretation can be shown to be harmful and clouding to a broader conversation.
The Passion of the Christ: A Background
A useful case for understanding the harmful relationship between media interpretation of religion and broader religious conversations is the film The Passion of the Christ, written by Benedict Fitzgerald and Mel Gibson, and directed by Mel Gibson.
The controversial film was released in the United States on Ash Wednesday, February
25, 2004. The R-rated film focuses on the last day of Jesus’ life, from his betrayal in the
Garden of Gethsemane, his trial and conviction, and his scourging, to his ultimate crucifixion. In Christianity, such a depiction of the last 12-hours of Jesus Christ’s life is
5 refereed to as Christ’s “Passion.”a In an attempt to stay true to the historical …show more content…
However, further investigation concludes that this is not true. While Mel Gibson never claimed his movie was historically accurate, he did cite that his aim was to make the movie as true to the gospels as possible. When asked “How do you find the balance between staying true to
Scripture and your creative interpretation?” Gibson replied,
“Wow, the Scriptures are the Scriptures—I mean they’re unchangeable, although many people try to change them. And I think that my first duty is to be as faithful as possible in telling story so that it doesn’t contradict the scriptures.” (Webb, 2).
Following the release of the movie, Gibson was forced to allude to another text from which he claims he drew “filler.” This other text is the controversial book The Dolorous
Passion of Our Lord. While the German text does not outright contradict the Gospels as
Gibson points out, the images chronicled in the text are so graphic, violent, and detailed in nature that they dispute the writings of the Gospel. While the main thread of the
3085 Words
Religion, Media, and Movies: A Passion for Theatrics
Introduction: A Road Map
For decades, media sources have long been a dictator of how people perceive the world around them. People, events, opinions, and beliefs have played center stage in media outlets such as movies, TV shows, news broadcasts, radio, and various literary platforms. Religion, its history, and its people are frequently portrayed in the media through the means listed above. Some of the most famous and infamous interpretations of religion have stemmed from the media. Such media interpretations lead to questions surrounding the importance and consequences of such presentations and how they impact greater religious discussions.
In this paper I will …show more content…
What happens when this sole contact turns into the foundation for one’s position when they enter into a larger conversation concerning a religious matter? Media interpretation of religion can drastically affect one’s beliefs about said religion. In the following case examining Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, a media interpretation can be shown to be harmful and clouding to a broader conversation.
The Passion of the Christ: A Background
A useful case for understanding the harmful relationship between media interpretation of religion and broader religious conversations is the film The Passion of the Christ, written by Benedict Fitzgerald and Mel Gibson, and directed by Mel Gibson.
The controversial film was released in the United States on Ash Wednesday, February
25, 2004. The R-rated film focuses on the last day of Jesus’ life, from his betrayal in the
Garden of Gethsemane, his trial and conviction, and his scourging, to his ultimate crucifixion. In Christianity, such a depiction of the last 12-hours of Jesus Christ’s life is
5 refereed to as Christ’s “Passion.”a In an attempt to stay true to the historical …show more content…
However, further investigation concludes that this is not true. While Mel Gibson never claimed his movie was historically accurate, he did cite that his aim was to make the movie as true to the gospels as possible. When asked “How do you find the balance between staying true to
Scripture and your creative interpretation?” Gibson replied,
“Wow, the Scriptures are the Scriptures—I mean they’re unchangeable, although many people try to change them. And I think that my first duty is to be as faithful as possible in telling story so that it doesn’t contradict the scriptures.” (Webb, 2).
Following the release of the movie, Gibson was forced to allude to another text from which he claims he drew “filler.” This other text is the controversial book The Dolorous
Passion of Our Lord. While the German text does not outright contradict the Gospels as
Gibson points out, the images chronicled in the text are so graphic, violent, and detailed in nature that they dispute the writings of the Gospel. While the main thread of the