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We live at a critical time in the history of the church. Never in long
ages has idolatry been such a threat to the church. We call this movie a
blasphemy against Christ. Is this accurate? The dictionary defines
blasphemy, not only as profane or contemptuous speech, but "any remark
or action held to be irreverent or disrespectful". In this article we
will present the reasons why such a movie is disrespectful to Christ, a
deception and a blasphemy against God. (We are not for a moment saying
that Mel Gibson and his supporters intended it to be a blasphemy; we deem
that they are sincerely in grievous error)
As you read this article, please also note how the awful, heart-rending
crucifixion scenes advertised for the movie, actually move people away
from the true saving meaning of the crucifixion of Christ. His endurance
of the savage beatings may indeed be the world's greatest model of
endurance and forgiveness, but that is not the Biblical message. The
Scriptures proclaim that that Christ Jesus’ endurance of God’s wrath
against sin is the key element in the Gospel. It was His taking upon
Himself God's wrath for our sins that provides atonement for us who
believe that we are saved only by His sacrifice
What is perhaps the deadliest influence of the movie is its subliminal
denial of the Deity of Christ. Those who made the movie can insist that
this man on the screen images Christ. Promoters of the movie may claim
that the movie proclaims the Deity of Christ. But the movie makes us call
Jim Caviezel "Christ". This is idolatry. The identification of movie
star with Christ is seen even in news stories, such as calling the nails
used in the film "nails used to hang Jesus on the cross".* And such a
movie seduces us to talking about the sufferings inflicted on Jim Caviezel,
as if they really were inflicted on Christ.
As you read this article, you will also become more aware that this movie
will, on a subliminal level, prepare many people to think of Mary as the
one who offered Christ’s sacrifice. In the Scriptures it is profoundly
the will and purpose of God the Father that is portrayed.
May God have mercy on the professing church and cause His people to turn
from idols to the revelation of Christ in the Bible.
May you respond in prayer and in the conviction that comes from the Holy
Spirit through His written Word. We also request that forward the article
to others, and if possible, you post it on your Webpage.
In the Lord’s graciousness and love,
Richard Bennett and Virgil Dunbar
The article is below and attached
* "Replicas of the nails used to hang Jesus on the cross have become the
red-hot official merchandise linked to Mel Gibson's controversial new
movie, ‘The Passion of the Christ.’"
www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/18338.htm
2/21/04
Webpage www.bereanbeacon.org
Virgil Dunbar: VDunbar@aol.com
"
By Richard Bennett and J. Virgil Dunbar
There seldom has been a movie that has created such favorable publicity
and anticipation in the Evangelical community. A tidal wave of excitement
is sweeping the church and the movie world. On the Catholic Ash Wednesday
the film will appear in theaters across America. Evangelical churches are
buying huge blocks of tickets, reserving theaters. An endless list of
endorsements from church leaders publicly promoting the film is paraded.
Names like Billy Graham, Jack Graham (President of the Southern Baptist
Convention), Rick Warren, Jack Hayford, names of Catholic leaders, and an
endless list of celebrities are presented to the public as endorsing the
film. It is being promoted as one of the greatest evangelistic
opportunities in history, a concept dear to the heart of every
Evangelical. Even the secular media, newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, the
Internet, feed the frenzy. There is a fawning adulation of the film. The
Evangelical church’s acceptance of Gibson’s movie gives shocking -
maybe apocalyptic - insight into the state of popular Christianity today.
Will history reveal this day as the time when Evangelicalism, on a popular
level, merged with the Roman Catholic Church?
The Church of Rome has done much to lead modern Evangelicalism into making
images of the Lord. Like the Catholics, many Evangelicals today seem not
even to be aware that such activity is idolatrous. The Apostle Paul
emphasizes the fact that idolatry involves exchanging the glory of the
incorruptible God for an image made like corruptible man. And as he also
stated to the Athenians, "forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, silver, or
stone, graven by art or man’s device."
Christ Jesus is a member of that Godhead. He told the religious leaders,
"I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you
believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins." By using the
expression "I AM", the Lord identifies Himself as the God revealed in
the Old Testament, the "I AM THAT I AM", the self-existing, eternal
God who spoke to Moses and gave the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai. The
Second Commandment totally prohibits making material representations of
His person. In creating images of Christ in books, videotapes, films,
stained glass windows and other artistic mediums - all things of "man’s device"- men have gone beyond Scripture in their attempt to
add to the biblical revelation of who Christ is. The Lord God explicitly
warned against adding to His written Word and He warns just as explicitly
against adding visual images of the Godhead.
Creating a visual representation of the Lord Jesus, by definition, is to
portray "another Jesus". The Lord Jesus in His Person, character, and
work is divine and perfect. No Savior other than the One proclaimed in
Scripture is permissible. Those who claim they are only depicting the
humanity of Jesus Christ fall into the grievous heresy of Nestorius, as
they wrongly attempt to divide the humanity from the deity of Christ,
ending up with idols produced by the imaginations of their own hearts.
The Lord God gave believers a Wordbook, not a picture book. The Gospel is
at stake—for the Scripture states that "faith cometh by hearing and
hearing by the word of God." The Gospel is the power of God unto
salvation as it is written, read, preached, and spoken one to another. The
power of the Word is that it is God’s revealed propositional truth.
Rather than subjective imaginations created by man, "The word of God is
quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even
to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." It is
God’s revealed propositional truth that has the power to change the
hearts and minds of those who live in the darkness of their own
imaginations, for His light through the Written Word will shine on their
evil hearts and the thoughts and deeds that flow from them. It is through
this method that they will be convicted of their need for a true Savior
and ready for the Gospel of God’s grace alone in which to trust by faith
alone. The visual works of a man’s devising, for all their emotional
power, are too dull a tool to bring to the individual conviction of sin
and the explicit Gospel of grace that the Written Word and the truth
preached bring.
But this fact notwithstanding, a three-dimensional image of Christ is not
only allowed by official Catholic teaching, but it is also to be
venerated. The Vatican states, "Basing itself on the mystery of the
incarnate Word, the seventh ecumenical council at Nicaea (787)
justified…the veneration of icons - of Christ, but also of the Mother of
God, the angels, and all the saints." The temptation to replace the
biblical Lord with a visible Christ dominates Catholic nations across of
the world. Men calling themselves Christian are now beginning to accept
it. A figure one can touch, see, wear on jewelry, and is visible in
statues and on a crucifix, is identified as an object through which one
can approach God and learn of Him. Yet the Scripture clearly states that "there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus." The Lord God is approachable only through the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself. But as the bleeding Savior Gibson’s passion is presented to the
world, this fact seems thrown aside. We ask, then, what worse blasphemy
could there be than depicting with an image the Lord God who condemns
images? Evangelical leaders, by endorsing this Catholic film, further
solidify the image of the counterfeit Christ upon the minds of many.
As we have seen, the Catholic Church claims authority to make images of
the Lord. Since the Bible absolutely forbids this practice, where shall
Evangelicals find authority for using such images? Under what handier
shelter can they hide than the umbrella of the Catholic Church? Cut adrift
from biblical authority, Evangelicals seem to be drifting more and more
under the Catholic system of authority. Once they have, in practice,
surrendered biblical authority and accepted the papal system of authority
regarding the use of images of the Lord, where will Evangelicals draw the
line on papal authority? This is only one of the unforeseen consequences
that started when Evangelicals accepted forbidden pictures to represent
the Lord and entered into dialogue with the Catholic Church.
True meaning of the Cross as revealed in God’s Written Word
Scripture makes clear that the meaning of Christ’s crucifixion lay
not in His physical suffering, but in His propitiation of the wrath of
God. God’s wrath was utterly placed on Christ Jesus, who suffered the
full extent of its unabated curse for the sins for His people. The
fullness of divine wrath that Christ suffered was like that fire from
heaven, recorded in the Old Testament, which consumed the sacrifices. The
wrath that should have fallen upon the sinner, had God not been appeased,
fell upon Him. He uttered the loud cry, "My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?" The representative relationship of Christ to His people is
a real and necessary one. The All Holy God deemed it just to punish Christ
for the sins of His people, and to credit them with His righteousness, and
thus completely satisfy all the demands of His law upon them. Why was
Christ’s perfect life followed by the most terrible punishment? Strict
substitution demanded it so that real imputation of His righteousness to
His own people could follow. Rather than the physical torture He suffered,
the absolute horror that Christ endured was separation from His Father. In
His Spirit, He felt the full wrath of God. The Apostle Paul explained it
precisely, "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that
we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." Christ Jesus was "made sin" for His people. The wrath of God’s holiness flamed
against Him. He was the sin offering, the sacrifice for sin. "It pleased
the Lord to bruise him; He hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his
soul an offering for sin." He was personally All Holy; yet as the
substitute for His own, He rendered Himself legally responsible before the
judgment of God. The consequence of Christ’s faithfulness in all that He
did culminated in His death on the cross and in His resurrection that
followed. His righteousness is credited to the believer, "even the
righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon
all them that believe." It was God who legally constituted Christ to be "sin for us." He was
"made sin" because the sins of His people
were transferred to Him, and in like manner, the believer is made "the
righteousness of God in Him" by God’s reckoning to the believer
Christ’s faithfulness to the precepts of the law. Quite clearly
therefore, justification, the Gospel message, is the gracious act of God
whereby a believing sinner has forgiveness of sin and legal right standing
in Christ. As Christ, who knew no sin of His own, was made sin for
believers, so they, who have no righteousness of their own, are made the
righteousness of God in Him. It is of extreme importance that this entire
biblical Gospel message is missing from the movie, and that in its place
is given the traditional Catholic faith of Mel Gibson, and Jim Caviezel,
who stars as Christ.
A Catholic Film with a Catholic Message
Mel Gibson is a traditionalist Catholic. He has produced this film
with an image of "Christ" that is based on the apparitions of the
Catholic mystic, Anne Catherine Emmerich, who claimed to have seen visions
of the passion, death and resurrection of "Christ" which were recorded
in her book, The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. She narrated
in incredible detail her understanding of the horrendous sufferings
undergone in His heroic act of Redemption.
"It is crucial to realize that the images and language at the heart of
‘The Passion of the Christ’ flow directly out of Gibson’s personal
dedication to Catholicism in one of its most traditional and mysterious
forms - the 16th-century Latin Mass. ‘I don’t go to any other
services,’ the director told the Eternal Word Television Network. ‘I
go to the old Tridentine Rite. That’s the way that I first saw it when I
was a kid. So I think that that informs one’s understanding of how to
transcend language. Now, initially, I didn’t understand the Latin....But
I understood the meaning and the message and what they were doing. I
understood it very fully, and it was very moving and emotional and
efficacious, if I may say so.’ The goal of the movie is to shake modern
audiences by brashly juxtaposing the ‘sacrifice of the cross with the
sacrifice of the altar - which is the same thing,’ said Gibson. This
ancient union of symbols and sounds has never lost its hold on him. There
is, he stressed, ‘a lot of power in these dead languages.’"
The Church of Rome likewise juxtaposes the sacrifice of the cross with the
sacrifice of the Mass, to which Mel Gibson has given clear testimony. She
teaches that the Mass and Christ’s sacrifice are "one single
sacrifice". Thus she declares, "The sacrifice of Christ and the
sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: ‘The victim is one
and the same…’This divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass,
the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar
of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner.’"
Blending images together with the sacrifice of the Cross and with the
sacrifice of the Mass is extremely dangerous to the state of one’s soul.
Divine perfection is seen in the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ’s
sacrifice on the cross was one sacrifice, once offered. To put forward a
reenactment of the one offering, once offered, is to replace the truth
with a falsehood implying that Christ’s sacrifice was not sufficient and
therefore imperfect. This is an utter blasphemy against the All Holy God.
In Catholicism and in the Passion movie, willfully putting together the
sacrifice of the cross with the sacrifice of the Mass produces a dramatic
and a theatrical lie that serves only to deceive the very ones it is
purportedly meant to help.
Concerning the film, Gibson has declared, "It reflects my beliefs." He
also has stated, "There is no salvation for those outside the [Catholic]
Church…I believe it." Clearly, before the public eye, here is a
Catholic movie, made by a Catholic director, with Catholic theological
advisers and a Catholic message. According to a Catholic website, Catholic
Passion Outreach, "The Passion of The Christ offers a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity for you to spread, strengthen, and share the Catholic faith
with your family and friends." It is obvious from this and other
Catholic sources that Catholics see this film as an excellent way to
convey the Catholic Christ.
Relationship of Christ to the Father: replaced with "Mary" offering
her Son
Christ’s willing sacrifice of Himself on the cross and His
subsequent resurrection is the greatest event in history, the culminating
achievement of God. The sacrifice as given in Scripture shows forth the
unique and distinctive relationship of Christ to the Father. Christ’s
readiness to fulfill His Father’s will is seen in His words, "lo, I
come to do thy will, O God." The Father’s will focused in Christ’s
sacrifice to satisfy His divine justice through the atonement of Christ,
which was the propitiation of His just wrath. It was an act of His will,
and most profitable for His people. The priceless double empowerment of
Christ’s perfect sacrifice is proclaimed by the Holy Spirit, "by the
which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all." Christ’s sacrifice originated in will of God the
Father. It was essential that the Father should be willing to call His Son
to this work, for He was the Person unto whom the satisfaction was to be
made. The sacrifice was the Father’s plan and purpose. "Him [Christ
Jesus] being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God." "But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins, for
ever sat down on the right hand of God. For by one offering He hath
perfected forever them that are sanctified." The one offering of Christ,
willed by the Father, was offered. In view of this perfect sacrifice, to
dare to propose a relationship of Christ to Mary is to denigrate the very
will and purpose of the Father. This profane sacrilege is just what is
portrayed in the Catholic movie. Andrew J. Webb notes, "‘The Passion of Christ’ leaves us with a vision of the sacrifice of
Christ that is only dolorous (Dolorous: Full of grief; sad; sorrowful;
doleful; dismal) and which puts into sharp relief the Roman Catholic
notion not only of the importance of Christ’s agony, but that of Mary in
‘offering her Son’. In an interview with Zenit, the Roman Catholic
News Service, Father Thomas Rosica, the priest who oversaw World Youth Day
2002 and its Way of the Cross through the streets of Toronto, illustrated
how ‘The Passion of Christ’, in keeping with Roman Catholic theology,
uses extra-biblical content to massively exaggerate the role of Mary:
‘One scene, in particular, was very moving. As Jesus falls on the Way of
the Cross, there is a flashback to his falling on a Jerusalem street as a
child, and his mother running out of the house to pick him up. The
interplay of Mary and Jesus in this film is moving, and reaches its apex
in the scene of the Pietà. The Mother of the Lord is inviting each of us
to share her grief and behold her Son.’ This use of extra-biblical
material, emphasis on physical suffering, exaggeration of the role of
Mary, and explicitly Roman Catholic theology should not surprise us,
however, as these are all hallmarks of the primary inspiration for this
movie: [Anne Catherine Emmerich’s] The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord
Jesus Christ."
Fruitfulness of interaction between the Father and the Son
Christ Jesus has triumphed in His sacrifice, and He will perfectly
give to all those that come to Him freedom from the guilt of, the power
of, and the punishment of sin. He will put them into the sure possession
of perfect holiness and joy of fellowship with Himself and the Father. "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where
remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin." The true
believer’s sins and iniquities the Father will remember no more! This
shows the riches of Divine grace, and the sufficiency of Christ’s
relationship with His Father in the satisfaction of the cross, "where
remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin." Nothing can
ever separate the perfection of the accord between the Father and the Son.
One cannot question Gibson’s sincerity. Yet the utterly evil deceit of
his purpose - to portray his classic Catholic understanding of the
crucifixion of Christ - coupled with a very effective medium of
communication, reaches new heights in promoting blasphemy and contempt for
Holy God and His Word! This is undoubtedly the exact opposite of what
Gibson had hoped to achieve. Clearly then, Gibson himself and Jim Caviezel,
who plays the role of Christ in the film, are two of those most deceived
by the Catholic message. On the authority of Scripture alone, may the all
Holy God in His mercy pour forth mercy on these poor men to the saving of
their souls through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone and to God alone be
the glory!
Influence of the apparitions of "Mary" in Medjugorje on the film
The apparitions of "Mary" in Medjugorje in Bosnia, Herzegovina,
have had a huge impact on this film. The Catholic Church rationalizes
acceptance of other sources of extra-Biblical revelation by stating that
the ordinary faithful Catholics welcome whatever the "magisterium"
(teaching power of the Roman Church) guides them into accepting. She
consolidates her power over the rank and file Catholics by denying in
practice that revelation is complete and definitive. "The last
century-and-a-half has seen numerous accounts of appearances of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. Jesus, Himself, is said to speak to a few of the
seers. Some of the apparitions have received official approval by the
Roman Catholic Church." "…Our Lady continues to give messages to six
young people from the village of Medjugorje: Ivan, Jakov, Marija, Mirjana,
Vicka, and Ivanka. These six young people (referred to as
"visionaries") have had apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary
since June 24, 1981…" The influence of "Mary" of Medjugorje has
been documented in the case of Jim Caviezel, who stars as Christ in the
movie. In an interview with Fr. Mario Knezovic in Medjugorje on December
6th, 2003 Caviezel said, "I was in seventh grade and our priest showed us a film of the children
during an apparition. We were told that it was true. We were from a mixed
catholic community – mostly Croatians and Italians. My grandmother is a
100% Croatian. It didn’t seem hard to believe. I took me 15 years to
come. When I came, I knew immediately - from what I was feeling in my
heart - that it was real. I haven’t seen signs or anything, but - I have
been a Catholic for my whole life and I had never felt in confession as I
felt when I was here. It was a tremendous healing."
Fr. Mario Knezovic said to him, "‘The Passion of the Christ’ movie, in which you are playing Jesus
Christ, is almost finished. What was it like to play Jesus? How did you
adjust your body and your soul to the body and the soul of Jesus? How was
it to be Jesus? Jim Caviezel [replied]: The catharsis for me to play this
role was through Medjugorje, through Gospa. In preparation, I used all
that Medjugorje taught me. Mel Gibson and I were going every day for Mass
together. Some days I couldn’t go for Mass, but I was receiving the
Eucharist. Somewhere along the line, I heard that the Pope was going for
confession every day, so I thought that I should go for confession as
often as possible…So, the confession was the preparation for the
Eucharist. Ivan Dragicevic and his wife Lorraine gave me a piece of the
true cross. I kept this on me all the time. They made a special pocket in
my clothes for it. I also had relics of Padre Pio, St. Anthony of Padoua,
Ste Maria Goretti, and saint Denisius, the Patron saint of Actors. Another
thing was fasting. I read many of the messages continuously. Every day
everyone could see me with the rosary in my hands.
The fact that the message of "Mary" in Medjugorje so deeply influenced
Jim Caviezel shows his point of view, and that of the movie in which he
has the main role. Medjugorje teaches that the sufferings of Christ are
the offense, or the great sin against God, "Make reparation for the
wound inflicted on the Heart of My Son." The truth is that the wounds
inflicted on Christ are the reason we do not need to make reparations, but
solely to believe the Gospel. The message of Medjugorje shows contempt for
the sanctity and purpose of the Cross of Christ. The blasphemy of
Medjugorje has had its influence on the film. The authority of Scripture
weighs in on the matter, "and no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light." Such things as pieces of bones
carried around as relics in a pocket of Jim Caviezel’s clothes may seem
like occult practices, but for a Catholic it is official teaching. Papal
Rome also encourages people to contact the dead.
A defining moment of the present time
As visual images form the foundation for learning in modern world, so
images, movies, and videos of Christ have been accepted in Evangelical
circles. This idolatry has reached new heights in the highly Catholic
portrayal of the sufferings of Christ in the Passion movie. The Christ
portrayed, however, is not the Christ of the Bible. The sufferings are not
those of the One who was "made sin" because the sins of His people. It
does depict horrendous sufferings, however, undergone in a heroic manner,
and these are juxtaposed with the Catholic sacrifice of the Mass. This
heavy manipulation of people’s emotions is promoted through enticing
images and strange sounding words in Aramaic, the sum of which is to
establish collectively both a blasphemy against God and a deceit against
man. This high point of idolatry is evidence of a real turning point in
our day. It is very much like the idolatry of Jeroboam, who sinned
himself, and who made Israel to sin. Families and kingdoms were ruined by
Jeroboam’s idolatry. Once influential men do wickedly, they involve many
others both in their guilt and in their snare. Multitudes follow their
pernicious ways. The Lord God gave Israel up to their wickedness because
of the sin of Jeroboam.
In all seriousness it appears that in our own day, the Lord God could hand
over the Evangelical world to the deceit into which they are running with
open arms. They may very well go to hell with a long procession following
them, and their condemnation will be intolerable. They will have to
answer, not only for their own sins, but for the sins which others have
been drawn into by their influence. In the Old Testament, judgment came
upon the people of Israel for conforming to the idolatry of Jeroboam. In
our own day, both blind leaders and their blind followers look ready to
fall into the ditch. "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and
will fight against them with the sword of my mouth." It is the duty of
churches, pastors, elders, and Evangelical leaders who have sinned in this
tidal wave of idolatry in the use of images, videos, and movies of Christ
to repent publicly. It is the duty of Christian people themselves to
repent of these sins, in so far as they have been accessory to them by
involvement. When God comes to punish the corrupt members of His people,
His rebuke will be most sore. No sword cuts so deeply, nor causes so
grievous pain, as the sword of Christ Jesus’ mouth. We truly pray that
the truth of the Word of God touch the conscience of those who have
sinned, are sinning and leading others into sin. If the Lord’s threats
are executed, sinners will be utterly cut off. We truly pray that the Word
of God will take hold of sinners, including ourselves, so that we all "hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is
faithful that promised." "And we know that the Son of God is come, and
hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we
are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true
God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Amen." ♦
Permission is given by the authors to copy this article if it is done in
its entirety without any changes.
Permission is also given post this article in its entirety on Internet
WebPages.
Richard Bennett’s WebPage is: www.bereanbeacon.org
Virgil Dunbar can be contacted by email at: VDunbar@aol.com
Virgil Dunbar and Richard Bennett have also written an article on "Idolatry in the Evangelical Camp" it can be read under articles on
www.bereanbeacon.org/articles/idolatry_in_evangelical.htm
Back to top.
Endnotes:
[1] Romans 1:22-2 3 "Professing themselves to be wise, they became
fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made
like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping
things." Vv. 24-25, which follow, are instructive, especially in light
of the scandals that have rocked the RCC in the past several years, "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of
their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who
changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the
creature more than the Creator…"
[2] Acts 17:29 . Bolding in any quote indicates emphasis added in this
paper.
[3] John 8:24
[4] Exodus 3:14
[5] Exodus 20:4, Deuteronomy 4:12-16
[6] Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Proverbs 30:6 and Revelation 22:1
[7] Exodus 20:4-5; Deuteronomy 4:5-28
[8] II Corinthians 11:4
[9] Romans 10:17.
[10] Hebrews 4:12.
[11] Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) Para 2131
[12] Code of Canon Law , Latin-Eng. ed. (1983) Can. 1188, "The practice
of displaying sacred images in the churches for the veneration of the
faithful is to remain in force…." See also Catechism , #2132 "The
Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment
which proscribes idols. Indeed, the honor rendered to an image passes to
its prototype, and whoever venerates an image venerates the person
portrayed in it." This is the very idea that Aaron had when he
constructed the golden calf through which the children of Israel were to
worship Holy God, Exodus 32:4-5. For fuller explanation, see J. Virgil
Dunbar, Christ Can't Be Pictured—God is not like Art , (available from
Richard Bennett, P. O. Box 192, Del Valle, TX 78617. $7.00 incl. postage
in USA).
[13] I Timothy 2:5
[14] Hebrews 8:6, 9:15
[15] Romans 3:25 "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through
faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins
that are past, through the forbearance of God." See also I John 4:10 "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent
his Son to be the propitiation for our sins", and elsewhere.
[16] Matthew 27:46
[17] II Corinthians 5:21
[18] Isaiah 53:10
[19] Romans 3:22
[20] The Catholic advertizement for the book states "Mel Gibson based
his upcoming movie, ‘The Passion of Christ' on this book! Faithful to
the Bible story of the Passion and death of Jesus [ sic ], it fills in
many details…It is also wonderful on the Blessed Mother's role in our
redemption….recounts in incredible detail the horrendous sufferings
undergone by our Saviour in His (it would seem) superhumanly heroic act of
Redemption…." www.catholiccompany.com/product_detail.cfm?ID=2739
2/20/04
[21] www.gosanangelo.com/sast/lv_religion/article/0,1897,SAST_4948_2601442,00.html
2/18/04
[22] Catechism , Para. 1367
[23] www.ewtn.com/WorldOver/ 2/17/04
[24] The New Yorker , September 15, 2003
[25] http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:zUEbH4Mz2hgJ:passion.catholicexchange.com/
2/17/04
[26] Hebrews 10:9
[27] Hebrews 10:10
[28] Acts 2:23
[29] Hebrews 10:12,14
[30] Father Thomas Rosica on Mel Gibson's "The Passion",
National Director of World Youth Day 2002 Weighs in on Film (2004-02-06)
[31] Andrew J. Webb's excellent aritcle: http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:E3yWWAGCuC8J:forums.5solas.org
/showthread.php%3Fgoto%3Dlastpost%26t%3D1518+%22s 2/19/04
[32] Hebrews 10:17-18
[33] Hebrews 10:18
[34] Catechism of the Catholic Church Para 67
[35] www.apparitions.org/ 3/20/03
[36] www.medjugorje.org/ 3/20/03
[37] www.medjugorje.hr/Int%20Caviezel%20ENG.htm 2/17/04
[38] www.medjugorje.hr/Int%20Caviezel%20ENG.htm 2/17/04
[39] "Dear children, this evening I pray that you especially venerate
the Heart of my Son, Jesus. Make reparation for the wound inflicted on the
Heart of My Son. That Heart is offended by all kinds of sin." Words From
Heaven: Messages of Our Lady from Medjugorje , 5th ed., (Birmingham, AL:
St. James Publishing Company, 1991) Message of April 5, 1985, p. 162.
[40] II Corinthians 11:14
[41] Catechism, Para # 1674. "Besides sacramental liturgy and
sacramentals, catechesis must take into account the forms of piety and
popular devotions among the faithful. The religious sense of the Christian
people has always found expression in various forms of piety surrounding
the Church's sacramental life, such as the veneration of relics, visits to
sanctuaries, pilgrimages, processions, the stations of the cross,
religious dances, the rosary, medals, etc." That such practices are wide
spread in the Catholic world, see news item, "Replicas of the nails used
to hang Jesus on the cross have become the red-hot official merchandise
linked to Mel Gibson's controversial new movie, ‘The Passion of the
Christ.'"
www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/18338.htm 2/21/04
[42] Cathecism , Para # 958
[43] I Kings 14:7-20
[44] Revelation 2:16
[45] Hebrews 10:23
[46] I John 5:20-21
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