That movie

The Passion of the Christ is the most-discussed topic in my office at the moment. Many people have tickets to go see the film. I, of course, will not see it; my dislike of gore and violence is well known and I spent most of Mel Gibson's Braveheart sitting out in the hall while my friends watched the film in my room.

There are many issues surrounding this film, including claims of anti-semitism and whether it's an evangelical tool. From all of the reviews I've read, I find it interesting that this is a film about suffering and not teaching or revelation; in other words, yes, Christ died on a cross in a horrible, brutal way, but for me as a non-Christian, that means nothing. Many people died on a cross or in other equally brutal and awful ways, yet the impact of those deaths is nothing compared to that of Christ. So there has to be something more to Jesus Christ -- His life and teachings, which led to His death -- that is meaningful to 2 billion people around the world. Yet the film doesn't seem to touch on that at all.

The film is supposed to be a reaffirmation of faith, a way to reach out to 'non-believers', but while I strongly, strongly oppose actions with the view of conversion as an end goal, I can't help but think Mel Gibson is going about it all in the wrong way, generating controversy and publicity as only the man can, and even sparking my own curiosity. In the end though, if someone offered me tickets to see this film, I'd turn them down. The idea of watching cruelty to a man -- whether He be the son of God or otherwise -- for two intense hours with the supposition one will come away with a greater love and devotion for sacrifice somehow doesn't work for me.

The major impact this movie will have on me is that I'll probably cease watching Mel Gibson, though it's no great loss since I've never been a huge fan. But how can I possibly respect a man who says about the Holocaust, "Yes, of course. Atrocities happened. War is horrible. The Second World War killed tens of millions of people. Some of them were Jews in concentration camps"?

There are people who are going to be deeply moved and deeply touched by this film. I just hope that they know the reasons behind why they had to endure a bloody death, rather than a lifetime of living that had an enormous impact on history.