LTRP Note: In 2004, when Mel Gibson’s The Passion was released, few Christian leaders spoke up against the film. Believers like Roger Oakland did but not without a price. Oakland and others who also tried to warn people about the film’s underlying Catholic themes, were ostracized and scorned. Now, a Definitive Edition has been released that shows the true nature (and Gibson’s real purpose) in making the film – to bring people to Catholicism. Below is the news release from Understand the Times. A transcript of the DVD is being prepared, and excerpts from that will be made available soon.
NEWS RELEASE:
The Passion of the Christ: Definitive Edition is now available. This two DVD set includes a tract that presents theological commentary by Mel Gibson, Father* William J. Fulco, Father* John Batunck, and Catholic apologist Gerry Matatics. The discussion is an analysis of the film explaining the Roman Catholic view that “Mary” shares a role in redemption and that “Jesus” is present in the Eucharist, along with numerous other comments supporting Roman Catholic extrabiblical dogma. (Note:* the Bible teaches that we should call no man “Father” – Matthew 23:9).
In 2004, before the film was released, Understand The Times posted a commentary by Roger Oakland and Jim Tetlow titled “Passion Evangelism.” The purpose of this commentary was to send out a warning that Gibson’s film promoted a Roman Catholic agenda to point viewers to the Roman Catholic “Mary” and the Roman Catholic “Jesus”. This commentary was also published as an appendix to the book Another Jesus: The Eucharistic Christ and the New Evangelization authored by Oakland and Tetlow.
The comments made by Gibson, Fulco, Batunck and Matatics in the new Definitive Edition confirm the warnings made in the “Passion Evangelism” commentary.
Statements made by Gibson, Fulco, Batunck and Matatics taken from this discussion showing that the film was designed to promote Roman Catholicism will be posted at www.understandthetimes.org at a later date.