In Reply to: Mel Gibson's "The Passion" movie posted by Alan on September 25, 2003 at 02:37:38:
Jesus is a controversial figure. We live in a secular culture with a lot of differing opinions about who H/he is/was. I'm not sure Last Temptation was "lauded" or widely accepted by pop culture any more than The Passion will be. I think Superstar is the most widely accepted pop culture image of Jesus.
I personally get freaked out by graphic depictions of the passion--it's such a catholic thing that brings up a lot of morbid guilt for me. Interesting that Gibson is using material from the writings of the visionary stigmatist Anne Emmerich. Non catholics may find that whole area of mystical spirituality a bit suspect. A stigmatist evidences the marks of the crucifixion in his/her own flesh, which the church interprets as a sign of a special grace allowing the individual to share in the redemptive work of Christ.
In Anne Emmerich's case, her share in the suffering of Christ Crucified is thought to expiate the sins of souls in purgatory. The basic idea behind the mystical theology of a stigmatic visionary is that Jesus did not suffer "once for all" but has chosen to share his redemptive work on the cross with other "victim" souls throughout time.