Well I went this weekend with the HH6 and we saw or should I say were immersed in the experience of the Passion of Christ. Whew! It was an awesome experience and one that changed the whole way that I look at the sacrifice that our Lord endured and made for us. After watching the scourging which is just a polite way to say "flayed alive" by Roman soldiers using short whips with metal pieces and hard canes, it is obvious that Jesus suffered tremendously before ever getting near the Cross. I honestly believe that most of us would not have survived the experience while he endured it to such an extent that it drove the Roman soldiers mad with fury.

Then Jesus had to carry the heavy wooden cross through the streets which were built on the side of huge hills while being beaten by the Roman soldiers and angry crowd the whole way. Again most of us would have died from exhaustion, dehydration, blood loss, trauma, shock, you name it. It must have been tempting to just cry out for mercy or to just give up and die, but our Savior endured and continued to suffer this horrible pain and torture so that we would not have to!

By this point death would have been welcomed and a release but Jesus could not allow himself the "easy" way out, no he continued on and even had the pain of seeing his poor mother Mary witness the cruelty visited upon him. By this time there was not a dry eye in the theater and the HH6 was sobbing.

By the time Jesus makes it to the top of the hill with the cross it is emotionally draining, for we all know...or think we do what is to come. Ha! Little do most of us know that the things done to put Jesus on the Cross were so horrendous such as dislocating his shoulders to "stretch" his arms to the correct width to be nailed into the wooden cross beam. The actual piercing of the hands and feet were fairly graphic and could not be viewed without a twinge as the nails were pounded in. The utter cruelty and indifference of the Roman soldiers was shocking.

Needless to say there are other actions taken by the Roman soldiers which are designed to add to the agony that Jesus suffered. The amazing thing is that our Savior actually forgave them and prayed for them no doubt none of us could concieve of that if we were the ones being brutalized that way. Jesus died a hard and cruel death in the presence of his family and the Roman soldiers. How Mary had the strength to endure his suffering is a testimony to her belief in his rightousness and faith.

I came away with a deeper understanding of the price paid for my salvation and the sacrifice made in my name. Many of us have a PG vision of how this event occured...this movie will forever disabuse you of this notion. It was painful, graphic, gutwrenching, and ultimately a strengthening of my faith through the knowledge of just what price was paid for my soul.

If you thought that Blackhawk Down or We were Soldiers..was tough to watch or emotional then this movie is about 100 times more intense than either of those two movies. One thing I noticed was that the theater was almost completely silent except for the sound of weeping. I have never experienced a movie this way before..no catcalls, no talking, no disruptions, just dead silence and weeping.

Go see the Passion Of Christ with someone you care about and prepare to be immersed in an experience that will shake you to the very core of your beliefs.  

I concur. I saw it last Saturday and while there was no weeping in the theater (plenty of people leaving at the end sniffling though), the silence was overwhelming.  And there were plenty of teens in the theater too, but none of the usual distractions.

As for the violence- I was completely misled going into this- the reviews made it sound as though this was the goriest movie ever produced- baloney!  It was no more graphic than "Saving Private Ryan."

Had a chance to see the movie Sunday morning. Theatre was quiet the whole time. The use of Arameic and Latin really drew me in.

Did'nt find it anti semetic in any form either. I noticed alotof young people too. Teens and such.

Evil Unchecked Grows, and Evil Tolerated Poisens The Entire System. Jahwal Nehru

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In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.
Mark Twain.

Outstanding movie.  Church and reading the Bible will never be the same.  AtChurch, Sunday after the movie meant a lot more than before because now you really understand what Jesus went through for all of us. 

I am really impressed with Mel Gibson and his courage.  My prayers go out to him as he deals with all the press and everyone else trying to fry him.  This movie has helped change my life and I am sure it will do the same for others. 

I agree with the other statements about total silence in the theater except for crying.  What a powerful and important movie. 

Hopefully it will help this country get turned around.

Ranger2

I can't wait to see it!,I have heard nothing but great things about it (from those who matter) After my night shift stretch is over I'll be going.