April 09, 2004

Paisley on the Passion

Reverend Ian Paisley, MP MEP MLA, has come out against the Passion. Not against the actual historical event, at least as far as I am aware. He believes the film is being "aggressively marketed by the Church of Rome" to win converts.

This is a strange position to take, considering that Mel Gibson isn't in communion with Rome (albeit because Rome isn't Roman enough for him). He probably hasn't noticed that Catholic leaders in France and Germany have publically distanced themselves from the film. I'm sure he's much more disturbed by the fact that the film is doing very well in the Republic of Ireland (which he probably considers that rebellious part of the Emerald Isle that has rejected its rightful Protestant overlords).

And despite its Catholic imagery, the film has been most aggressively marketed by evangelical Protestants. Perhaps what disturbs Rev. Paisley the most is that the Pope is right when, in his non-endorsement, he said, "It is as it was." If the Pope simply notes that it is an accurate representation of historical events, then it must not be.

Paisley will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief that the Passion is no longer at the top of the box office in the UK. After only a week at number one, it has been supplanted by the undoubtly stirring, life-changing, and more biblically accurate Scooby Doo 2.

Posted by david at April 9, 2004 01:06 PM | TrackBack
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