Catholics: Mel Gibson is a catholic "hero", so to speak, right? A famous catholic figure, at any rate?

Artistic license. It was put in there as a mystical parallel to the Garden of Eden. Jesus didn't literally crush the head of the snake and bruise his own heel in the Garden of Gethsemane either, according to the Gospel account. There also was no "Satan figure" floating throughout the crowds during Jesus' journey to Calvary recorded in the Gospels either. So what?

I liked what he did there, though, because it shows from the outset that Christ's passion will fulfill a prophecy about that old serpent, who is none other than Satan. The end when the Satan figure is in the pit shows prophecy fulfilled.

And Mel Gibson is a sedevacantist. Sedevacantists are a small group of traditionalist Catholics that believe there isn't a valid Pope, that believes the chair of Peter has been vacant since before Vatican 2. So since Gibson doesn't recognize the Pope, he's not technically Catholic.

But his movie was great, and very Catholic, nonetheless.

<<Catholics: Mel Gibson is a catholic "hero", so to speak, right? A famous catholic figure, at any rate?>>

No one seem to care about his Catholicity until he made "The Passion of the Christ". Said movie is a remarkable theological document.

<<Why, when he made the film "The Passion of the Christ", did he show satan, or a demon there in the Garden of Gethsemane, tormenting the Lord Jesus, when what the Bible actually teaches is that an angel of the Lord came and strengthened Him? (Luke 22:43) Do you feel that this type of falsehood in the movie helps people who do actually read the Bible to accept catholic doctrine as the truth?>>

That's called "artistic license". The point was to give visual representation to an unseen torment that Jesus contended with during His Passion, Crucifixion, and Death.

<<Perhaps it is merely another catholic belief, or doctrine?>>

Artistic license. That's all that was.

<<What is your take on this?>>

You're looking too hard for something that just isn't there.

Mel Gibson is not a Catholic hero. Technically, he's not even Catholic, but part of a heretical sect that has rejected Benedict 16th as a false pope and believes that the office of the papacy is currently empty.

Why did he do it? For artistic license. He did it to make a more entertaining movie.

No, it does not help promote Catholic doctrine as truth. As I said above, he does not represent Catholicism since he is technically not Catholic. Just because a person thinks and may say he speaks for us, it doesn't mean he actually does. There's a fairly popular author named James Carroll (I think) that does pretty much the same thing - claims to the ends of the earth that he is a devout Catholic, but blasts Catholic beliefs in every book he writes.

And no, it is not a Catholic belief or doctrine. Does Mel Brooks depicting Moses dropping and breaking five of the commandments in History of the World Part 1 mean Jewish people really think there were originally fifteen commandments? Of course not.

I wouldn't call Mel Gibson a Catholic "hero." He's just a Catholic guy. He's famous for his movies, not his faith.

When he makes movies, he makes them for the sake of drama. He wasn't filming a documentary when he made "The Passion of Christ." Just a feature film.

I don't know if anybody who watched that particular movie was moved to accept Catholicism or not. I don't think it's all that relevant.

Mel Gibson is not a catholic "hero", but even though the movie the Passion of the Christ had many flaws it still kept true to most of scripture. You forgot to mention that hollywood used Aramaic, Hebrew and Roman instead of the true languages that were spoken by Christ and the Jews which would have been Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek.

For one thing Mel Gibson was never canonized as a Saint, the other thing is that he divorced his wife. There is nothing noble about that being a Catholic.

>>Catholics: Mel Gibson is a catholic "hero", so to speak, right? A famous catholic figure, at any rate?<<

Uh, no. He's not in communion with the Catholic Church. Geographically, he lives within the boundaries of the archdiocese of Los Angeles, and Cardinal Mahony has stated neither he nor his private church are communion with the Catholic Church.

---------------------

Leonel M: Mel Gibson's upcoming movie "The Passion of the Christ" has had more than its share of headlines for the last year or more. But what is the relationship of Gibson's church near Malibu to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles? Is it part of a schismatic group?

Cardinal: I know nothing about the Church in Malibu. It is certainly not in communion with the Universal Catholic Church nor the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

I have never met Mr. Gibson, and he does not participate in any parish of this Archdiocese. He, apparently, has chosen to live apart from the communion of the Catholic Church. I pray for him.

http://www.recongress.org/chat2004.htm

-----------

See also:

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/mel-gi...

How do you feel about Cecile B. DeMille's Ten Commandments? Talk about creative license!

I don't see Mel Gibson's film any worse than any other fictional movie. You cannot depend on Hollywood to get historical accounts like WWII correct, how can you expect them to do a movie according to your religious beliefs? Besides, how do you know what happened at Gethsemane? It was a fictional account also.

I think Mel's anti Semetic comments he made afterward did more to turn people off to Catholicism than the demon in the Passion.

Mel Gibson committed adultery....who wants to pay attention to a douche like that?

Venerable Anne-Catherine Emmerich was given this vision the movie was inspired by God's revelation to her of what actually happened at the passion. She was a mystic