Christianity’s harshest critics denounce it as "a religion of death." Clearly, at some point objections of this sort must be regarded as a case in point of what the scriptures call the "scandal" of the cross. In its most extreme form, the charge of morbidity has been laid at the feet of the Christian faith itself. Even the observance of Good Friday, or the display of a simple crucifix, has been viewed with suspicion and hostility by some both inside and outside the faith. Similar charges could be found against such devotional exercises as the way of the cross (or stations of the cross) and the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary, which involve prolonged contemplation of the specifics of Christ’s suffering and death. Nor is Gibson’s film the first work of Christian art to be accused of excessive morbidity. Coren’s expression of anti-Catholic, anti-European, anti-medieval bias and corresponding Evangelical fastidiousness speaks candidly for many who may not be so candid themselves.īut it doesn’t stop with backlash within the believing world.
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There is something almost refreshing about encountering an objector so candid about his cultural and religious prejudices (though Coren, who was raised Catholic and since writing those words has returned to the Catholic Church, may not be the most representative example).Īlthough countless non-Catholic Christians have responded with great enthusiasm to The Passion of the Christ, much (not all) of the anti- Passion backlash is rooted in prejudice against a form of piety that is foreign to the objectors. If it’s European medievalism we’re seeing rather than death-dry, God-drenched ancient Judea, we could be in trouble. The medieval church was obsessed with gore, and even today in southern Europe we see quite repugnant fetishes with sacred blood, holy blood, miracle-giving blood. But, again, with all due respect to Catholicism, there has in the past and to an extent still is a virtual blood cult within it.
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For example, writing before the film’s release in 2003, then-Evangelical writer Michael Coren commented: It’s certainly a relief to see an attempt at the grotesque reality of violent death rather than the diluted depictions of some film portrayals. Other critics, including some Christians, have gone still further, charging not only Gibson but certain forms of Christian piety with a morbid obsession with blood and death.