Re: [Marxism] "'The Passion' of the Americans" or why noone ever asked Omar Sharif (or Benicio del Toro, not to mention -- God

["David Quarter" <davidquarter@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

 My beloved, late Grandma (on my mother's side) was a devout
Christian (Seventh Day Adventist) for a good part of her life.  Went
to church every Saturday (which is the sabbath for the Adventists)
and followed the scriptures to the last detail (e.g, work, phone-
talking or other wordly activities strickly prohibited from sundown
Friday night to Saturday evening. She even had a calendar marking
the exact minute of the hour of the commencement of Sabbath for
each week). She was also Afro-Caribean..

The times when I visited her, I can always remember the picture on
her wall of a blue eyed, blond haired Jesus (i.e., an even 'whiter'
version than the Gibson protrayal). When I asked her once why she
would have a picture of  a 'white' Jesus -- particularly since she
herself was 'black' but also b/c of where Jesus had come from-- her
reply was (if I recall correctly):

Jesus is not a man/human being, a he/she, but a
representation/symbol of G-d. 'He' is humanity's connection to G-d.
Therefore, when I speak to Jesus, I am speaking to G-d. Jesus isn't
man b/c he never once sinned while on earth. He died for our sins
so that we could receive salvation. So, when one prays/speaks to
Jesus, one may think of whomever or whatever one wants/likes."

You might obviously get a different interpretation from another
Christian.. And chalk this down to internalized oppression if you
like.

The point is that -- contrary to what Mr Rivers Pitt suggests -- it's
not  just 'white' evangelical (fanatical) Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell
types who worship a 'white' Jesus and therefore only they who
would find solace in the protrayal of Jesus' final hours in the
Passion of the Christ...My grandma was a devout Christian, but
was by no means a fanatic. Many of my family members (on my
mother's side) are also devout Christians, but by no means appeal
to the Catholic church's redention of the bible (if that's the tell tale
sign of Christian fanaticism).

I'm also pretty sure that if my grandma were still alive today she
would hav e found it her duty to see this film, as I imagine the other
members of my family will as well, if they haven't already seen it.

It didn't actually matter to my grandma, as I imagine it doesn't to
her many (devoutly Christian) grand and great-grand children,
'nieces and nephews (or I imagine many non-'white' followers of
Christianity for that matter), how Jesus is protrayed b/c 'he' is a
representation of G-d.

I would also think that the other members of my Grandma's
congregation  (the overwhelming majority of whom are black) don't
have a problem with the usual 'white', eurocentric (if you like)
protrayal of Je-sus. At least, for the year or so that I attended
Church, I can't ever recall anyone creating a storm over the many
'white' pictures of Jesus on display in the Church...

And I imagine that most members of the congregation will also end
up seeing the film and 'liking it'...

DOQ


From:                   "Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>


>
> 'The Passion' of the Americans
>
> By William Rivers Pitt
> t r u t h o u t | Perspective
>
> February 27, 2004
>
>   . . . . My question is much simpler [than possible
> anti-Semitism]: Why would Mel Gibson make
> a movie about people in the ancient Middle East and
> cast it with so many white people? To look at the
> central actors in this film, you'd think Jesus did his
> work near Manchester, New Hampshire instead of the Holy
> Land. The answer to that question lies within the
> United States, the prime market for this film. There
> are millions of Christians in America, some 25% of whom
> would characterize themselves as evangelical. It stands
> to reason that this film would do very well here,
> especially given the controversy that has surrounded
> the content.
>
> The whiteness of the cast, however, speaks to a
> decidedly un-Christian truth that lies near the heart
> of this republic. Simply put, nailing a white Jesus
> Christ to the cross on film will generate a far more
> emotional response from the American viewing public
> than the crucifixion of a savior who actually looks
> like he is from the Middle East.
>
> First, let's dispense with the idea that the white
> people who were cast to play the most emotive
> characters - Jesus, Judas, and Mary Magdalene - have
> anything to do with historical accuracy. In truth, the
> region where Jesus was born was, and remains, populated
> by brown-skinned people. The fact of Christ's non-
> whiteness is borne out in the historical record, and in
> biblical scripture. Right off the bat, the Book of
> Matthew describes Mary and Joseph fleeing to Egypt to
> escape the wrath of Herod. Egypt is in Africa, and is
> populated by brown-skinned people. For my money, this
> would be the last place on earth I would go to hide a
> white baby from an angry King.
>
> The earliest renditions of Jesus, painted by the first
> Christians called Essenes in the catacombs of Rome,
> depict a person with brown skin. During the time of
> Roman Emperor Justinian II, a gold coin featuring an
> image of Jesus was minted. This coin, which today can
> be seen in the British Museum, depicts a man with
> demonstrably non-white features and tightly curled
> hair. Finally, there is the Book of Revelations, which
> bears out the crafting of the Essenes and the Roman
> coin-makers by describing Jesus as having hair like
> wool, feet the color of burnt brass, and who resembled
> jasper and sardine stones. Jasper and sardine stones
> are both brown, as is burnt brass.
>
> The Jesus most familiar to Americans, the Jesus
> featured in Gibson's film, looks like the front man for
> an alternative rock band out of Minnesota. Judas in
> this film is a shorter version of the same phenomenon.
> White skin, long straight brown hair, decidedly
> European features - this is not the Jesus that preached
> revolution against the Empire long ago. This is the
> Jesus fashioned by Michelangelo five centuries ago, who
> used his white cousin as the model for the savior.
>
> The ugly truth which never even occurs to most
> Americans is that Jesus looked a lot more like an
> Iraqi, like an Afghani, like a Palestinian, like an
> Arab, than any of the paintings which grace the walls
> of American churches from sea to shining sea. This was
> an uncomfortable fact before September 11. After the
> attack, it became almost a moral imperative to put as
> much distance between Americans and people from the
> Middle East as possible. Now, to suggest that Jesus
> shared a genealogical heritage and physical similarity
> to the people sitting in dog cages down in Guantanamo
> is to dance along the edge of treason.
>
> George W. Bush calls himself Christian. If you believe
> him, he is on armchair-to-armchair relations with the
> Almighty, enjoying regular conversations with He Is
> What He Is on everything from tax policy to invasion
> plans. Bush serves a unique dual role as both the
> Commander in Chief and as high priest to the
> evangelical wing of American Christianity.
>
> When Bush did his little flight-suit strut across the
> aircraft carrier last May, he proclaimed victory in
> biblical verse and sent a signal to those Christians
> who see him as more than a man. Bush, that day, quoted
> Isaiah's passage from the Servant Songs about captives
> coming out and slaves being free. This is the same
> passage, as described in Luke chapter 4, which Jesus
> used to announce his coming as the Son of God. "Today
> this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,"
> said Jesus. Bush's use of this incredibly loaded
> passage speaks as much to his messianic fantasies as it
> does to his status as Christian-in-Chief.
>
> Yet this is the same man who invades countries without
> cause and consigns tens of thousands of innocents to
> explosive, burning death. This is the same man who
> pushes tax policies that further enrich the wealthy
> while stripping funds and services from the neediest in
> this nation. This is the man who speaks the language of
> vengeance, of fear, of violence. This is the man whose
> entire moral existence flies in the face of Christ's
> words from Luke, chapter 12, verse 15: "Take care to
> guard against all greed, for though one may be rich,
> one's life does not consist of possessions." Sadly, the
> skewed moral compass of George W. Bush is shared by too
> many Americans who would call themselves Christian.
>
> Possibly the most important words ever spoken by Jesus
> can be found in Matthew, chapter 5, verses 38-45. "You
> have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a
> tooth for a tooth,'" said Christ. "But if any one
> strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other
> also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat,
> let him have your cloak as well; and if any one forces
> you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him
> who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would
> borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'You
> shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I
> say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who
> persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father
> who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil
> and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the
> unjust."
>
> It is these words that condemn both Bush and the hands-
> off moral attitude of too many American Christians.
> Certainly, Jesus was no fool. In Luke, chapter 11,
> verse 21, he said, "When a strong man, fully armed,
> guards his own palace, his goods are in peace." Self-
> protection, for person and nation, is both moral and
> intelligent. But vengeance, violence and hatred are not
> Christian. Mercy, love and generosity are the hallmarks
> of the teachings of Jesus. If you are to call yourself
> Christian, you must be for the poor and the weak, and
> against empire and vengeance. Period.
>
> These simple attributes are all too absent in the
> American soul and spirit. Gibson's white Jesus is but
> one example of how far we have strayed. It is a safe
> bet that, had Gibson chosen a brown-skinned actor to
> portray Jesus, his film would not find a connection in
> this country. Millions of Americans try to live by the
> teachings of Jesus, and do so with success, but find
> themselves at odds with those who carry the banner of
> Christianity. This is a travesty.
>
> Too many so-called Christians are blind to history,
> blind to the actions of our nation, blind to the
> hypocrisy of our so-called leaders, and the world
> bleeds because of it. Too many so-called Christians are
> people who would slaughter the savior to protect their
> power and position. Were Jesus alive today, he would
> probably nail himself to the cross to get away from all
> these people who act like barbarians in His name.
>
> ---------
>
> William Rivers Pitt is the senior editor and lead
> writer for truthout. He is a New York Times and
> international bestselling author of two books - 'War on
> Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know' and 'The
> Greatest Sedition is Silence.'
>
> http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/022704A.shtml
>
>

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