I was invited by my neighbor to see this movie.  He is a God fearing man. And a long time ago I was a God fearing man that wanted nothing more than to live the life God outlines in the bible.  I'm no longer that man.  The thought crossed my mind before viewing The Passion of Christ as to if this would pull me back in.

The short answer is no, but it does not mean my heart doesn't wish for more. 

The Passion of Christ goes well beyond film.  It is entertaining if you can call it that.  I explain it like this, "You won't be munching popcorn after the first 10 minutes.  You'll feel guilty drinking your soda after the first half hour."  How can anyone sit in a movie theater or on their couch and snack while you watch a man suffer beyond compare. It is not possible. 

My years of church going told me what to expect.  And I was glad for every Christian that the story has finally been told in such an honest realism that no one can argue how Christ died.

They can parse words as to why, but not how.  In the end, the Roman Empire was known to keep very accurate records of historical accounts.  What the film could have done and I wish it would have done is showed Christ conquest for such torture by not just showing him living beyond his death.  It needed to show the Roman centurions repenting the day he rose.  It needed to show how Christ walked the earth for 40 days before he ascended to heaven.  That is what the Bible teaches and I think that part of the story is key.

To this end the film comes up short.  To the end that Christ died in horrible fashion by crucifixion...  It was dead on.  

Is Christ God?  You decide, that is the whole point of the bible, for you to take a leap of faith.  But how Christ died is unquestionable, this film is compelling as it is graphic.  Christ died for us not in an easy quick death (if you can call any form of death easy).  Christ died a slow agonizing death, and all along Christ knew he would die.  You could say his slow death began from his birth, because he knew all his life how it would end and the reason why.  He was committed to fulfill this destiny in spite of knowing he had the power to avoid it.

It his world of marketing, advertising, logos and how we dress and look...  What we drive, who we know... how much we have... You have to ask why anyone would live a life to die for us.  Is it possible a God could exist while knowing we would create ad campaigns around tooth paste?  This is the world we live in and in Christ world 2000 years ago, it seems plausible a man could die for our salvation, so we could be in the company of God someday.  In today's world, we challenge this relevance while we eat Doritos and doughnuts. 

There were few people without tears when I saw this movie opening night.  I could see what happened as historical fact.  It took me back to that day.  I'm compelled to think and re-think my thoughts on God.  I have no doubt anyone that watches this film should be incited to think.  They may reject it, but it will make them think hard first.

The screenplay of   The Passion of Christ may have been written by Mel Gibson and friends... but make no doubt about it, history and God served this story up for all to see.  It is well worth the graphic hardship you have to endure on film.  Without the graphic hardship, this story is not told.  It would be silly for anyone to ask for this film to be 'toned' down a bit.

Again, Christ's last twelve hours make him look all too mortal.  If you are going to make him look mortal, you need to display the diametrical side of that. 

-Lars Hindsley