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Prompted by, I don't know, warm reflection, I thought of the movie, The Passion of the Christ. I remember thinking that it actually did sanctify me; I was glad to have watched it with a good chunk of my fellow church members. I'm sure reasonable criticisms could be made of it along many lines, but I don't blame my fellow committed Christians for praising it as they did, and being open to how God might teach them through it. I remember having several interesting thoughts at the time which I may have spoken, but never wrote down. Sounds like good material for a list o' five! And so:

5 Thoughts I Had While Watching The Passion of the Christ

5. "If this is Catholicism, sign me up." [Deeply ironic, now, perhaps.]

4. "These cut scenes to the Lord's teaching are the only thing saving me from weeping in this movie theater."

3. "I was relieved when He finally got to the cross, and I'm not sure that's how I should feel."

2. "My favorite scene is/was watching Mary watch her Son as He carried his cross. I'm not Catholic, but that's worth thinking about."

1. "I'm looking for the antisemitism, and I just don't see it."

I've only seen it that one time when it premiered. We walked out in dead silence. It could have been a Good Friday service. You might say that there wasn't enough hope in His resurrection, and that's fair, except that the movie deliberately focused on His sufferings. Maybe it's time again, or maybe I'll wait until Good Friday.

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