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Gibson’s Offense
 Have
a few drunken words to an arresting
officer ever gotten as much publicity as Mel Gibson’s
“despicable” (by his own admission) outburst to officer James
Mee?  Gibson
apologized, which is all he could do, and that should have been the end of it.
But of
course it wasn’t. Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League landed
on Gibson with both jowls, calling him “unremorseful” without
explaining how he knew Gibson was insincere. He recognized a golden
opportunity to repeat the accusations of anti-Semitism he’d leveled
at Gibson’s hugely popular film The Passion of the
Christ.
Gibson’s
words to Officer Mee were ugly, but they had nothing
to do with his movie, except in the minds of his enemies, of course. Mee
himself dismissed them as the inebriated rant they were. If only
Gibson’s enemies could show such restraint!
Gibson’s
real offense is that he has shown himself to be an
unapologetic worshipper of Jesus Christ, defying the secularist taboo on
Christian expression in the marketplace. Christians are expected to behave
furtively; they may call themselves Christians, as long as their public prayers
are “nonsectarian” — that is, avoiding the name of Jesus
before mixed audiences. Perceptible traces of Christianity in today’s
movies are, to say the least, rare.
Never mind
that Jesus himself made the astounding claim that he and the Father were
one; that countless Christians, to this day, have willingly died in agony to
bear witness to his resurrection; that St. Paul preached that every knee
should bow at his very name.
Gibson
defied this atheistic etiquette by filming a faithful version of the Gospel
accounts of Jesus’ last hours. It was almost unbearable to watch,
reminding the world what crucifixion meant — the cruelest
torture the ancient Romans could devise.
![[Breaker quote for Gibson's Offense: Hollywood's most hated]](2006breakers/060803.gif) His
rise from death was the Good News. It
had changed everything forever, and Christians were to treat it as the
central and organizing event in their own lives, even if it meant martyrdom.
Jesus warned them to expect the world’s enmity. The world would
hate them as it hated him; but they must imitate him by praying even for
their persecutors. And he warned us that if we deny him before men, he will
deny us before the Father — words that should sting our consciences
when we are tempted to avoid referring to him.
Gibson’s
film was part of the program. It shocked Hollywood
with its bold depiction of Jesus’ story, which even other versions have
watered down with treacly piety.
Some Jews,
alas, chose to interpret the film as directed against them, as if the point of
the story was that Jesus’ enemies included Jews. A reviewer called it
the most anti-Semitic film since the Nazi era. One scholar, having read a
stolen copy of the script, flatly predicted that the film would provoke not
only anti-Semitism, but actual “violence” against Jews.
Such
charges were baseless; not a single anti-Semitic incident resulted from the
film. Nevertheless, Gibson continued to endure a torrent of abuse and
slander. Some Hollywood executives pledged to do their worst to ruin his
career. None of his detractors has seen fit to apologize; today they are
claiming vindication. His despicable words have aroused more indignation than
the despicable life of Cuba’s murderous tyrant, Fidel Castro.
Other
critics called the film (and Gibson himself) “sadistic” and
“masochistic,” though it is hard to imagine how any viewer could
take perverted pleasure in it. At any rate, Gibson was under a kind of
pressure that no other filmmaker has ever been subjected to; even his
father wasn’t spared. It’s no wonder if his mental balance was
affected, especially if he was (as he also admitted after his arrest) also
struggling with alcoholism.
Still,
The Passion of the Christ remains a cultural milestone, an
affirmation of faith for which millions of Christians, accustomed to having
Hollywood insult their convictions, are properly grateful. If, months later,
Gibson lost his composure in a mad moment, making just the sort of
comments to delight his enemies and mortify his admirers, not to mention
his family, his quick apologies showed real remorse.
Gibson’s
situation may well be irreparable now. He has thrown
himself on the mercy of his enemies, who are not always a forgiving lot.
Drunkenness and foul language may be pardonable, but the glorification of
Jesus is another matter.
Joseph Sobran |
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| Copyright © 2006 by the
Griffin Internet Syndicate, a division of Griffin Communications This column may not be reprinted in print or Internet publications without express permission of Griffin Internet Syndicate 
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