Jews and fundie Christians divided over the "passion"

[ikojo]

As long as Jews remain good court Jews and don't question anything
the Christian right says or does then all is fine. Once Jews
question something then all of a sudden it's a problem. I think it's
a good thing mainstream Jewish eyes are being opened about the
fundie Christian community.

This is from salon and since I think the whole article is available only to premium subscribers I have included it here.


Divided over "The Passion"
The furor over Mel Gibson's film is threatening the fledgling pro-
Israel alliance between evangelical Christians and key Jewish groups.

By Eric Boehlert

Aug. 21, 2003 | Mel Gibson's "The Passion," the graphic film about
the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, won't be released until next
spring, but the controversy surrounding the film is already testing
the resolve of one of the most unorthodox political and interfaith
alliances in play today: the bond between conservative Christians
and Jewish groups, who have come together in recent years over their
strong support for the state of Israel.

Suddenly, "The Passion" has pitted the partners in this fledgling
alliance against one another, on opposite ends of an emotional
debate. Jewish groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, have
called the film anti-Semitic because it portrays Jews as responsible
for the killing of Jesus Christ. But many Christian evangelicals are
applauding the conservative Gibson's film.

"I think there's going to be a big backlash" because of the Passion
controversy, says Dave Blewett, president of the National Christian
Leadership Conference for Israel. "The film could create a divide
between Christians and Jews and solidify stereotypes we have of each
other."

On its Web site, the National Association of Evangelicals recently
posted a statement about "The Passion," which included a passage
that rankled some Jewish leaders: "There is a great deal of pressure
on Israel right now, and Christians seem to be a major source of
support for Israel. For Jewish leaders to risk alienating 2 billion
Christians over a movie seems shortsighted."

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

[Malva Zebrina]

1. Mel Gibsons aside

I have always thought the alliance between fundamentalist Christians and Jews to be one of the more bizarre things about Bush's war with lies that killed thousands of Ayrabs in Iraq--it has seemed to me that Jews know not how the fundamentalist prophecies are in themself, anti-semitic. It is a puzzle-- I have thought that the intense Zionistic American Jew is so fearful for the state of Israel's existence, that they no longer discern who it is they are jumping into bed with. Their problem.

[DuctapeFatwa]

2. My fave Passion complaint: "it focuses too much on Jesus' suffering"

This was actually said by one of the talking heads on one of the cablenets.