[Previous: "Drive through"] [Back to blog] [Next: "Jock itch"]
A couple of my close friends have seen The Passion of the Christ, which has come as a surprise to me. I wouldn't have thought that this movie would have that much interest for some who are atheists.
I must admit that I'm surprised that the movie has made as much money as it has. I thought perhaps that (1) people would disagree with Mel Gibson's interpretation of the last hours of Jesus -- heck, Christians seem to disagree on just about everything -- or (2) they would be deterred by its level of gore and violence. It's certainly not a movie to show to your youngster to introduce her to Jesus. I also have been told that if you are not already familiar with the characters and their relationships to Jesus, you likely won't get much out of the movie other than a two-hour murder. A friend who saw it with a non-Christian friend who is of Chinese descent said that the Chinese friend really didn't follow the story. There isn't much explanatory dialogue to let clueless people like me in on who's who.
So I never expected so many non-Christians to rush out and see this movie.
On the other hand, I have lived a completely secular life -- with one parent long ago having shunned his Baptist upbringing and the other a Buddhist -- and sometimes I forget just how Christian this country is. Passion for this movie, so to speak, has kind of put it in perspective for me. I never had to attend church services as a child -- not counting wedding ceremonies, I can count on one hand the number of times I've even been in a church -- and most of my exposure to religion has been through my mom's Buddhism, which, although I respect her faith, I determined long ago also wasn't for me.
And because of my lack of exposure to a "normal," American Christian upbringing, I often find myself surprised at how conservative, Christian laws and proposals find so much support. I'm constantly surrounded by my liberal-minded, diverse group of friends, and I think that's sheltered me from how America thinks as a whole. I cringe when I see how much support there is for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, because I don't really know anyone who supports it. There again, I likely wouldn't have friends who didn't think much like me.
Current mood: Still busy
Current music: Skinny Puppy | Morpheus Laughing