Having seen the film and having met Mel Gibson this past December, I think perhaps I can shed light on a few things.
Speaking of which, why oh why is Satan female? Gibson doesn't intend for Satan to be one gender or another. And I'm not entirely sure it's specifically Satan - perhaps the more broad embodiment of evil itself. He specifically chose an actor that looked androgynous. And, while the print we saw was unfinished and didn't have all the FX, he told us that he intended for the character to be outwardly attractive (as evil generally is), but that there would be something not quite right about it (he specifically talked about an effect that had yet to be added where a worm crawls out of the actor's nose, implying rottenness and spoil). One of the main functions of that character is to show the corruption and ruin of something pure and good, and this is illustrated a few times with this androgynous character throughout the movie.
I hope this film isn't going to stir up anti-Semitism, which unfortunately there is still far too much of around; I think that the people who are accusing the film of being anti-Semitic have not seen the film at all - perhaps just certain portions taken out of context. It is not the Jews as a race that are blamed - Jesus was obviously a Jew, Mary is a Jew, the disciples are Jews, Simon of Cyrene was a Jew, and many Jews protested Jesus's crucifixion (this is addressed quite clearly in the film, I think). Rather, it is the religious leaders who were threatened by what Jesus taught. And I think the film is far more critical of the Romans - who are quite simply animals in this film - than of even the Jewish leadership.
I think a lot of Christians have set up false hopes for this picture. It may very well disappoint some of them who are expecting something quite different. It isn't about our faith; it's about one man's love for mankind. If it does anything for believers, it will be to forge anew their love for Christ and serve as an indelible reminder of His sacrifice.
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Speaking of which, why oh why is Satan female?
Gibson doesn't intend for Satan to be one gender or another. And I'm not entirely sure it's specifically Satan - perhaps the more broad embodiment of evil itself. He specifically chose an actor that looked androgynous. And, while the print we saw was unfinished and didn't have all the FX, he told us that he intended for the character to be outwardly attractive (as evil generally is), but that there would be something not quite right about it (he specifically talked about an effect that had yet to be added where a worm crawls out of the actor's nose, implying rottenness and spoil). One of the main functions of that character is to show the corruption and ruin of something pure and good, and this is illustrated a few times with this androgynous character throughout the movie.
I hope this film isn't going to stir up anti-Semitism, which unfortunately there is still far too much of around;
I think that the people who are accusing the film of being anti-Semitic have not seen the film at all - perhaps just certain portions taken out of context. It is not the Jews as a race that are blamed - Jesus was obviously a Jew, Mary is a Jew, the disciples are Jews, Simon of Cyrene was a Jew, and many Jews protested Jesus's crucifixion (this is addressed quite clearly in the film, I think). Rather, it is the religious leaders who were threatened by what Jesus taught. And I think the film is far more critical of the Romans - who are quite simply animals in this film - than of even the Jewish leadership.
I think a lot of Christians have set up false hopes for this picture. It may very well disappoint some of them who are expecting something quite different. It isn't about our faith; it's about one man's love for mankind. If it does anything for believers, it will be to forge anew their love for Christ and serve as an indelible reminder of His sacrifice.