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I have been notified by The People's Choice Awards that "THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST" has made the Top 5 List for their annual Awards show. Voting is happening now on line at www.PCAVOTE.com and will be open until December 13th. From the Top 5, they narrow down the list to the Top 3. The show airs in January.

Some time has passed since Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of the Christ, was shown in local movie theaters. Although some voices of sanity, such as Rabbi Lapin, who heads Torah Tradition, cautioned that it was dangerous to find anti-Semitism in the film, secular Jewish expert after secular Jewish expert warned of dire consequences. The film, according to these experts, was certain to inflame anti-Jewish feelings and gross Jew-hatred. The film was simply a step backward in relations between Christians and Jews. Noteworthy by their absence are the mobs of angry Christians attacking Jewish people on the streets and burning...

Did Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ had any impact on the voters? The religious right could well decide the coming election THIS November's election is about many things. It is about the future of the West, the war on Islamic terrorism, the beggar-thy-grandchildren deficit, you name it. But for the professionals who run the campaigns it is about something much bigger than any of this: refighting the last presidential election.The Democrats are hell-bent on exacting revenge for being cheated of victory in 2000. For their part, the Republicans are determined to prove that they were robbed of a...

Not only has Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ" powerfully affected the faith of millions of viewers, but according to a new documentary by an Emmy-award-winning news veteran, it has also been instrumental in bringing about real miracles. "Changed Lives: Miracles of The Passion" is a 1-hour program that captures, in their own words, people's inspiring and documented accounts of relationships restored, diseases healed, the dead resurrected, atheists coming to faith and even a confession to murder. "It is truly unprecedented the way God has used 'The Passion' to bring healing, reconciliation and peace to people across the...

Unthinkable, say Industry Insiders There's a Lot of Animosity Toward This Film That Is Very Real,' says One Oscar-Campaign Vet; but Snub Could Lead to Boycott of Awards Most Believe 'Fahrenheit' Nomination Tied to the Election NEW YORK, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite shattering box-office records and dominating headlines for months, "The Passion of the Christ" and "Fahrenheit 9/11" face real obstacles in the race for an Oscar nomination for best picture. As Senior Writer Sean Smith reports in the current issue of Newsweek, many of the high-placed studio executives, producers, Oscar strategists, publicists and Academy members interviewed think that...

Despite shattering box-office records and dominating headlines for months, "The Passion of the Christ" and "Fahrenheit 9/11" face real obstacles in the race for an Oscar nomination for best picture. As Senior Writer Sean Smith reports in the current issue of Newsweek, many of the high-placed studio executives, producers, Oscar strategists, publicists and Academy members interviewed think that "Fahrenheit's" chances depend on the results of the presidential election, and all say that a "Passion" best-picture nod is almost unthinkable. "A lot of older Academy voters, who are largely Jewish, refuse to even see this movie," says one Oscar-campaign vet. "There's...

History and the Gospels by J. D. Palmer Tintoretto, 'Christ before Pilate' (1566-67), Sala dell'Albergo, Scuola di San Rocco, Venice Tintoretto, 'Christ before Pilate' (1566-67) Sala dell'Albergo, Scuola di San Rocco, Venice print article From the very moment the Prince of Peace was revealed, those who would reign supreme in the world stood athwart God's plan, and when they could not use force against the faithful they honed the use of words. Worldly wile became the weapon of choice and it proved the more successful tactic, as evidenced by the popularity of Monophysitism and Arianism. Proud men tried to divide...

Jurors deciding the fate of Dan Leach II watched a chilling videotaped confession after he pleaded guilty to the carefully crafted murder of Ashley Wilson, which originally had been ruled a suicide. ADVERTISEMENT On the tape, Leach said his confession was motivated in part by seeing the movie The Passion of the Christ, and he also described in exacting detail how he carried out his plan. "I was like a machine with a program; I went in there and executed the program," Leach, 21, said to Fort Bend County sheriff's detectives. The tape was played as evidence in the punishment...

Mel Gibson says Muvico Theatres owes his Icon Productions about $1 million in revenue from his film "The Passion of the Christ," and he's filed suit to collect the money. This is the second lawsuit filed by Gibson's Icon Productions. According to BBC News, Icon sued the Regal Entertainment Group last month for at least $40 million in a similar dispute. The money Gibson claims is due because he claims Muvico failed to live up to an agreement to pay Icon 55 percent of box office receipts. The Passion of the Christ ranks seventh on the all-time U.S. box office...

<p>IF you're looking for an animated alternative to Mel Gibson's gruesome gorefest "The Passion of the Christ" when the DVD comes out on Aug. 31, the folks behind "South Park" have just the thing.</p> <p>Comedy Central is releasing a special three-episode "South Park" DVD with a religious theme to coincide with Gibson's flick hitting stores. The DVD includes this season's already classic "The Passion of the Jew" as well as old favorites "Red Hot Catholic Love" and "Christian Hard Rock."</p>

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Authorities in Iran, where few U.S. films make it past the country's zealous censors, have given the go-ahead for cinemas to screen Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," newspapers reported Thursday. Permission was granted to show the film uncut with Persian subtitles by the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry after it was studied by a panel of experts, the newspapers said. The film has aroused heated debate, particularly among Jews who say it will stoke anti-Semitism by reinforcing the theory that the Jews pressured the Romans to crucify Christ. Analysts say Jewish anger at the...

Though dedicated to fairness, the New York Times has relentlessly lashed Mel Gibson (news) and his hit film and denigrated its defenders. The "correction" was buried under the news summary of the April 16 New York Times, and it was somewhat arcane, even by Times standards. Contrary to an earlier report, the correction said, Mel Gibson did not "deploy" TV talkshow hosts like Bill O'Reilly to urge audiences to see "The Passion of the Christ." Gibson discussed his movie with them, but did not "deploy" them. The distinction between discussing and deploying may seem pained, but the Times has found...

Perhaps you, like so many across the planet, are more than a bit baffled by the runaway success of "The Passion of the Christ." Perhaps you, furthermore, are more than slightly disturbed that millions have flocked to this bizarre ultraviolent blood-drenched revisionist flick and that so many actually believe its story to be absolutely true, and that it just surpassed "The Return of the King" in total box office and is the No. 8 most successful film of all time and it was No. 1 again across BushCo's flyover states during Easter weekend and has sold 650,000 books and 125,000...

"The Passion of the Christ," a movie that highlights Jesus' suffering and crucifixion, has met with both strong praise and heated criticism. Yet virtually no one has condemned this movie for championing the anti-life ideas fundamental to religion. By contrasting the ethical codes of two moral ideals -- Jesus of the Bible and "The Passion," symbolized by the Crucifix, and architect Howard Roark of "The Fountainhead," a novel by philosopher Ayn Rand, symbolized by his stance atop his skyscraper -- we can understand why this condemnation is needed. Christianity preaches that the ideal moral man sacrificed his life for a...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CNS) -- The wide publicity and controversy surrounding Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" have brought a spike of new interest in the Shroud of Turin, which many believe was Jesus' burial cloth. John P. and Rebecca S. Jackson, who run the Turin Shroud Center of Colorado in Colorado Springs, and Barrie Schwortz, who runs the interactive Web site www.shroud.com, reported a significant increase in calls or visits since the movie came out. "This is normally a busy time of the year for us, but there's been about a 40 percent increase" in phone calls, said...

By now, more than a month since its release, Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ has elicited countless reactions from Catholics, Jews and fundamentalist Christians. Millions of viewers have so far contributed to the movie's nearly $300 million in gross earnings. Film critics and cultural commentators have weighed in on it in large numbers. Scientifically flavored responses, however, have been relatively sparse. Here's mine. Even about modern day mega-stories we're often clueless. Forty years ago in the full glare of the modern media, John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and we have only a hazy idea of the motivation of the...

Calling Mel Gibson "a tortured soul," France's main Jewish group accused his film about Jesus' final hours of having anti-Semitic overtones. An umbrella group for Jewish organizations, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), said Thursday that "The Passion of the Christ" was a backward portrayal of Christian teachings. The movie debuted Wednesday in France. "The film's violence is extreme and sick," the group said in a statement. "Unfortunately, (CRIF) finds elements of anti-Semitism in the film, which was clearly conceived by a tortured soul." Some Jewish and Christian leaders have expressed concern that the movie could revive...

"Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, And was made man: And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried: And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures: And ascended into heaven." In these few words we find the essence of the salvation doctrine of Catholic Christianity. From these words Mel Gibson was inspired to make his movie The Passion of the Christ. Archbishop Morse has asked me to reflect upon the popular appeal of...

Some given free tickets walk out before the end, reports Jonathan PetreThey emerged from the cinema whey-faced, red-eyed and numb: whatever their expectations had been, the first members of the public to see Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ were in various degrees of shock.Some could not stand the two hours of scourging, blood and crucifixion, and eight of the 180-strong audience at yesterday's afternoon screening at the Odeon in Maidstone, Kent, walked out angrily long before the end.One woman had to be comforted with cups of tea after she had been escorted out on the brink of...

THE controversial Mel Gibson film 'The Passion of the Christ' has been dismissed by the Evangelical Protestant Society as a 'Catholic' interpretation of events which "does not present the Gospel". Wallace Thompson, secretary of the Evangelical Protestant Society, said the film displayed "an un-Biblical fixation on Mary, the mother of Jesus. None of this should surprise us, for both Mel Gibson and Jim Caviezel, who plays the part of Christ, are enthusiastic devotees of the traditional teachings of the Church of Rome." He further claims that Mel Gibson "belongs to an ultra-conservative Catholic group which does not recognise the reforms...