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BWA-HAHAHAAHAHA!!!!!!

Mr. Super-ultra-mega-Catholic turns out to be human after all! Good for him! however, I don't think this experience will lead him to stop making ridiculous movies in dead languages for no good reason. He'll need to grow up first, and there's hardly any hope that might in fact happen.

Eric- I am surprised that you would mock Gibson's faith in Christ. Isn't your wife a believer in Christ? What does his bad behavior have to do with The Passion of the Christ? And why should he stop making enormously profitable and- by most accounts- entertaining movies?

Since you are an athiest and indeed knowlegeable about the bible and Christianity, it is interesting you would characterize this episode as proof he is human. You slipped! Do you believe in sin, because that is what you imply?

"I am a public person, and when I say something, either articulated and thought out, or blurted out in a moment of insanity, my words carry weight in the public arena."

Here's the thing. When we are in the public spotlight, everyone puts on the mask they feel presents the best image possible to the world. Movie stars and politicians far more so than the rest of us. But when those barriers come down, either through privacy or through drunken lack of ability to engage those normal inhibitions, the masks come off, and we get a glimpse of the true nature behind the mask.

This is one reason why folks can become quite unpleasant when posting on-line... they have no reason to hide their nature because of the anonymity the medium bestows.

So I have to wonder: is Mel the civilized, contrite "not an anti-semite" given us by his publicist the true vision of the man, or is it the drunk paranoid who spouted deeply prejudicial slurs and threats to a "nobody" Malibu cop in the middle of the night? I expect that question is being asked by a lot of people these days, and it may just hound him for many years to come.

eric,
that was an insightful post and(hold on)i agree with you.
could the real mel be somewhere between the mask on and the mask off ? ( i don't expect an answer, i know i'm on your list ).
i heard today that maybe it's his fathers fault that he acted and spoke the way he did.....the lenghts some will go to deflect where and with whom the responsibilty lies.

Ok. I can't resist the temptation to be a little unpredictable. It's a character trait that sometimes appears to be a flaw, sometimes a virtue. Probably another of those darn "gray area" things. I apologize if I disappoint you...

"i heard today that maybe it's his fathers fault that he acted and spoke the way he did"

Well, ancient wisdom does make note of how much influence a primary parent will have on each child as she or he grows up. It's pretty well-documented that both Gibson and his father share a lot of views together -- the ultra-conservative Catholicism they have in common may very well include anti-semitism.

".....the lenghts some will go to deflect where and with whom the responsibilty lies."

Agreed. Each person should take full responsibility for the actions they choose to make. At the very least, the decision while sober to drink. The consequences of losing self-control are often a lot more costly than you'd ever want to pay.

BWA-HAHAHAAHAHA!!!!!!
“Mr. Super-ultra-mega-Catholic turns out to be human after all! Good for him! However, I don't think this experience will lead him to stop making ridiculous movies in dead languages for no good reason. He'll need to grow up first, and there's hardly any hope that might in fact happen.”
Not only is this comment many times more ridiculous than Mel’s transgression, but portrays an utter lack of humility before his own sin and corruption (but I won’t use the H word). The Gibson incident simply reiterates the human capacity for sin – whether Christian or non. And anti-semitism pales (as bad as any such slur is) in the face of anti-Israel’s-Godism. (Furthermore, I wouldn’t want to have the stupid rantings of my collegiate inebriations played back to me. How about you? )
History is replete with devoted God-fearers who faltered and failed. King David is described in the Scriptures as “a man after God’s own heart.” That is, his heart was devoted to pleasing and serving God, yet he struggled with lust and other sinful impulses; which in no way invalidated his passion to overcome it and ultimately please the Lord. (Psalm 51) And Solomon was granted great wisdom by God, but failed to apply it consistently. And there was Peter, who failed many times, as have popes, paupers, reformers, kings, presidents, salesmen, bakers, candlestick makers, moms, dads, teens, etc.
Even St. Paul had his thorn in the flesh and admitted his weakness: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing . . . wretched man that I am. Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 7: 19, 24-25 If we did not have the assurance of God’s forgiveness and overcoming power we would be debtors to guilt and slaves to sin (whether we admit it or not).

The wonder of the Gospel is that it grants people the power to overcome sin, to embrace God’s Truth and live a life of sacrifice, love and honor – albeit imperfectly. Mel is obviously struggling with his personal sins and weaknesses (don’t we all!) As the bumper sticker says, “I’m not perfect, just forgiven.” God chastens and rebukes our sin in divine love (Heb. 12.6), so that we might learn and strive more effectively toward being conformed to the nature of His Son. Praying for Mel, as I know others pray for me. And I have no doubt that the movie will have even greater significance for Mel hereafter. Perhaps Mel made the movie BECAUSE he knew just how much he needs God’s love and forgiveness. Anyone else need a gracious, forgiving and loving Savior?

I had issues with the movie, but it did graphically portray the price that was paid for our wretched sin and pride. In this light, it was hardly ridiculous. And besides, Aramaic is still spoken!!!

"Furthermore, I wouldn’t want to have the stupid rantings of my collegiate inebriations played back to me. How about you?"

Heh. I've never been drunk, nor have I ever been stoned... so I have no point of reference there. Yeah, I said a good number of stupid things in the past. But that's life, you know? You make mistakes, you try to learn from them.

Well, SOME people try. Others seem to make a career of repeating their mistakes without even realizing there's something to be learned from. Weird.

"I've never been drunk, nor have I ever been stoned . . ." Congrats, Eric. I've never known a humanist fundementalist. (Humor) But, if one has never been inebriated it is hard to understand how some people become loose canons, spewing forth all sorts of rot from the old sin nature.

If Gibson IS antisemitic, at least he doesn't come close to the militant Islamists. The thing with prejudice is that it is endemic amongst most all human beings. It has to be rooted out and resisted - often, by the grace of God.

I certainly do not excuse or minimize Gibson's behavior. Maybe he made too many violent movies or something. Maybe he has never experienced the new birth. There are many professed Christians, who are just sincerely religious, but have never known the inner transformation of Gospel regeneration. I don't really know in Mel's case.

You're right in noting that we often seem to learn little from our mistakes. I am so thankful to have the Lord in my life to both encourage and chastize me, and to instruct me from His Word. I shutter to think of life without my heavenly friend.

"Congrats, Eric. I've never known a humanist fundementalist. (Humor)"

LOL.

It's an interesting question, though. Why would I avoid being drunk (I don't avoid alcohol... I just never drink more than one glass at a time) or using illegal drugs if not out of religious conviction? It's mostly because I really have an aversion to the idea of losing conscious control of my actions. That, and I have so very many ways of entertaining myself that I see no reason to seek chemical stimululus.

"The thing with prejudice is that it is endemic amongst most all human beings. It has to be rooted out and resisted - often, by the grace of God."

You're assuming that all prejudice is bad, and I would have to question that. I've always thought that prejudice can be a tool that helps us make educated guesses about how to interact with strangers. We all use prejudice in that manner, but most of the time, we only use it until we learn actual facts about those we meet for the first time through conversation.

"I don't really know in Mel's case."

True. Unless you have the chance to meet him and get to know him, you never will. You have to rely on the prejudices built up by the scant info given us by the media. Such is life.

"You're right in noting that we often seem to learn little from our mistakes."

Here's to learning, as best we can, using whatever methods we feel best with...

eric,
you did surprise but did not disappoint. again i can agree with your comments.

"Prejudice can be a tool."

Well, you know what I meant: judging people based on preconceived notions of thier nature and manner, usually because we already have a "need" to see them in a negative light. Some of what the broader culture deems prejudice can be fact that's not OK to address.

Of course, I agree with you on the alcohol-drug thing. I too have not overindulged in many a year, but only take a glass of wine occasionally and no drugs, except what the doctor prescribes. I too relish the awsome and magnficent consciousness that God has given us - part of the imago dei.

If we would just open our eyes, we would see that we have multitudes of operative values and mores, all of which can be traced back to biblical roots. Not losing self control, for example, is a key biblical value, encouraged and circumscribed by numerous passages in Proverbs and elsewhere. The average citizen couldn't live one day without acceding to a minimum of social norms and graces that have their genesis in "Love thy neighbor as thyself." (Lev. 19.18) or some other biblical admonition.

I doubt that you would cease being a kind and benevolent individual, Eric, just to prove to me or some other Christian that you rejected biblical norms and morality, adhering to which produces a peaceful, just and pleasant social, and personal, state; the rejection of which, the opposite. Well, I won't belabor the point, which I know you see differently. But, it does beg certain questions, does it not?

"I doubt that you would cease being a kind and benevolent individual, Eric, just to prove to me or some other Christian that you rejected biblical norms and morality, adhering to which produces a peaceful, just and pleasant social, and personal, state; the rejection of which, the opposite. Well, I won't belabor the point, which I know you see differently. But, it does beg certain questions, does it not?"

Yes, but what questions, that is the key. You appear to believe that the Bible is the origin of moral codes. However, there are several problems with that concept. Such as the fact that many of the same moral standards found in it are seen to have developed independantly of contact with the Bible.

Is it not possible that these common concepts are common because they are "no-brainers," things that anyone could figure out without any need to have them handed down?

Also, in reading the Bible, you'll find dozens of instances where God breaks those very rules, and orders its followers to do so as well. Which tells me that the moral lessons to be found in the Bible are hardly uniform and without fault. In the end, we are the ones that decide what is our best course of action, using whatever tools we think makes the most sense. The fact that humans so often make the same decisons based on differing sources is both remarkable and interesting.