I am going to see this movie on Friday, and I can't wait. I am only 16, and I've never seen an R rated movie in the theatre, and I'm definitely a little bit scared of the emotional impact that the movie will have on me, but that's why I'm going with friends who I know feel the same way I do.
I don't think that schools should be taking all students to see this movie, or that parents should be taking young children before they even see the movie. If a child isn't mature enough to understand the point of the movie, I highly doubt that they will enjoy the experience.
My church is a basically non-demoninational Christian church, and the pastors have encouraged adults and mature teenagers to see the movie. Our youth group is one of several local churches that has reserved an entire theatre to see the movie over the weekend, but it is an outreach open only for high school students. Our sermon on Sunday was also a result of the movie...it was entitled "Who Killed Jesus?" and explained that there are actually seven correct answers, not just one.
Both my church and our local Christian radio station are encouraging people who plan to see the movie at all to see it this weekend, so that the numbers will reflect that there truly is an audience for this type of movie, more than the audience for pointless movies with unecessary violence, sex and language.
I don't think that this movie has anything to do with Mel Gibson. Unless he has completely abandoned the Bible, I don't see how it can truly be anti-semitic. Even if he was making this movie for profit, which I don't believe he did, I would still see it, because I think it will help me understand on a deeper level what my Savior endured so that I can one day be with him in Heaven.
I'm sorry but if this movie were truly about Jesus Christ, it would be about finally finding a way to end the practice of religious segregation, war and hate, in the name of any God.
I just want to share that I don't believe Jesus' purpose in coming to Earth was to end segregation or war. While those would be wonderful things, his purpose was to die so that we could be forgiven.