Writer makes case for some people not to see the controversial filmShould I see Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of The Christ”? A number of people have asked me that. The movie has been heavily promoted as a film that will inspire people to turn to Jesus and renew their faith in him as their savior and redeemer.

Before I could advise anyone on the merits of this movie, I thought that I really needed to see it. So I did.

In seeing the movie, I found out that the promotional materials and advertisements for Gibson’s movie did not adequately prepare me for the level of brutality that I was about to see. As a result, I have some concerns about the population being targeted by this movie. Since I have not read or heard any reviews that echo my concerns, I offer them here. They are, of course, strictly my own personal opinions.

Based upon the extensive publicity for this movie, I was expecting “The Passion of The Christ” to be similar to the movie, “Schindler’s List.” In watching “Schindler’s List” a few years ago, I encountered scenes of graphic violence and brutality. Associated Press

Some of the pieces of jewelry in the “The Passion of The Christ” line of jewelry are displayed at Bob Siemon Designs’ plant in Santa Ana, Calif. It is the only company licensed to design, manufacture and distribute jewelry promoting Mel Gibson’s new film.But at the end, I thought that the movie was wonderful. With the closing credits of “Schindler’s List,” I felt inspired to stand in witness to the suffering and deaths of so many Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis.

So with the “The Passion of The Christ,” I had planned to endure the violence and brutality I had seen advertised in order to experience the powerful message of the film. “The Passion of The Christ” had been depicted for months as a “religious movie,” a movie faithfully showing the last twelve hours of Jesus’ life. I was looking forward to it. It even opened on Ash Wednesday to drive the religious point home.

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Daily Astorian reporter Helen Warriner talks with Coast Weekend editor Kathleen Strecker about Mel Gibson’s controversial new movie, “The Passion of The Christ”.

Her review is in this week’s edition of Coast Weekend.

In spite of my hope that the movie would live up to its publicity, it did not. In fact, I was quite disappointed. Although Mel Gibson claimed to be making a movie that realistically depicted the passion and death of Jesus Christ, I think the movie goes off the scale with the intensity of brutality that is not reflected in the gospels. In writing the gospels, the evangelists had drawn heavily on images from Psalm 22 and quotations from the prophets. By doing this, the writers were able to convey some of the grisly details of Christ’s death but within a scriptural context so that the good news of the gospels came through.

In contrast, I think that Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of The Christ” wallows needlessly in violence and savagery and the news of the gospel is presented only briefly. Associated Press

After seeing the movie “The Passion of The Christ,” Michael Palmisano, 14, left, is counseled by Beth Salcedo of First Baptist Church of Folsom near the Holiday Square Cinema in Covington, La. Salcedo was one of the many people on hand in The Passion Tent, set up in a parking lot near the theater, to counsel people with questions about the movie and its meaning.Granted, the movie does show some scenes in which that character of Jesus remembers events from earlier in his life, such as the Last Supper and the Sermon on the Mount. However, for me, the message of these scenes was all but lost amid the unrelenting brutality of the preceding scenes.

Now that I’ve seen “Passion of The Christ,” I do not know for sure who would benefit from seeing it. I know that many people, who have seen it, have reported feeling inspired by what they saw. I agree that, in spite of a level of brutality unparalleled in mainstream American cinema, there are people who will have little trouble viewing this movie and will suffer minimal negative effects from it. They may even experience a heightened level of religious fervor for having seen it.

Before becoming a priest, I was a clinical social worker for 23 years working with trauma victims of all ages. Based on that experience, it is my opinion that there are people who should not see “Passion of The Christ.” As a preventive measure, children should not see this movie. I think that the brutality is intense enough to overwhelm the coping capabilities of many at so young an age. Parents would do well to take the R rating of this movie very seriously.

Then there are those people who have suffered significant trauma from past events. I do not think they should see it. I believe that, because of past traumatic experiences, they could be placed at significant risk of further emotional, psychological, or spiritual trauma by seeing this movie.

These people are:

individuals who have been victims of violent crime;

persons with a history as victims of domestic violence;

sex abuse and rape victims;

people who have a history of depression or generalized anxiety;

people with significant health concerns;

anyone who abhors graphic violence;

police officers, firefighters and health professionals with secondary trauma issues;

veterans with PTSD symptoms.

The best I can say about Gibson’s’ movie is that, although it is horrific, filled with graphic violence, intense brutality and unmitigated gore, it is well filmed, has wonderful actors and a great soundtrack. However, for someone sincerely looking for a religious movie that offers an uplifting, spiritually enriching depiction of the life, death and resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they might skip this movie.

A better choice might be Franco Zeffirelli’s “Jesus of Nazareth” or, instead of watching a movie, simply read the gospel accounts.

Fr. William C. Moisant is the pastor at St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Parish, based in Astoria