Is 'The Passion of the Christ' Child Abuse?
I believe that this is an appropriate question to ask, since many parents have either taken their children to watch this movie, or else are considering buying or renting this movie and then letting their small children watch it at home. As you are probably already aware of, anti-Semitic Mel Gibson's "The Passion of The Christ" is an "R"- rated, bloody, Roman Catholic movie which came out a quarter decade ago.
The movie can be objectively classified as a "splatter film", based on its violent, blood-spattering content. (The term "splatter film" describes, "a film that has a lot of on-screen violence and blood-spilling. Compare snuff movie.") This "splatter film" genre also includes many other horror films, such as "Psycho" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", to name a few.
The blood-spattering gore and violence in "The Passion of The Christ" movie is also "up close and personal", since much of its extreme violence and bloodshed is shown in "close-up" format by the movie camera. This extreme blood-letting and gore also goes on for extended periods of time during the movie.
Some have said that, "'The Passion of The Christ' is a good movie for children to watch". I must strongly disagree with this statement. How many parents would say that child abuse is okay? How may parents would be willing to allow their small child see a violent, blood-spattering, "R"-rated film, such as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"? Nevertheless, some parents have actually let their children see this movie which is a violent horror "splatter film".
If you doubt just how violent and bloody this "R"-rated movie "The Passion of The Christ" really is, please note the following: Even though the anti-Semite Mel Gibson put out a "re-cut" version of "The Passion of The Christ" movie back in early 2005 - supposedly greatly reducing its blood, gore, and violence - Mel Gibson was still not able to get the rating committee to lower the movie's "R-rating" to PG or some other rating. Actually, getting this R-rating reduction or reclassification was supposedly the reason for Mel Gibson's editing out of much of the movie's blood, gore, and violence in this new "re-cut" version of the movie. This clearly demonstrates just how extremely rated-"R" the original version of the movie really was, since the newer version still gets an "R" rating.
By the way, the original version came out in early 2004 on the first day of the Roman Catholic holy period of "Lent", and the re-cut version came out a year later, also during this same Roman Catholic period of holy obligation.
I have seen the original version of "The Passion of The Christ" two times. Nevertheless, my having viewed this movie a second time did not change the negative view of the movie which I had gained from seeing it the first time. In my opinion, this movie appeared to me just as much a "Psycho"-type horror movie the second time around as the first. ( I have not gone to see the re-cut version, nor do I plan to do so. I think that my seeing this movie two times was actually two times too many!)
I am an adult and a parent with a school-aged daughter. Knowing the negative psychological effects that the viewing of extreme violence can have on children, I could never in good conscience take my daughter to see any "spatter-type" film, such as "Psycho"; "Kill Bill 2"; "The Passion of The Christ"; or "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". To do so would be to commit a very wicked and sinful act of child abuse against this child which God has entrusted to me to raise.
I hope that you will read some of the resources provided below which might be of help to you. Nevertheless, as to the question of whether or not children should see "The Passion of The Christ" movie, I say "Definitely not!"
Some Resources:
(I do not necessarily agree with everything in these links.)
Mel Gibson’s movie: The Passion of The Christ (Index of articles)
Mel Gibson’s Passion: A Biblical Analysis of The Passion of the Christ
[The Way of Life is Narrow]
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