ANSWER by Mr. Joe Meineke on May 31, 2004

Dear Mrs. GD: Thank you for your question. I personally have seen the movie and thought that it was rather moving. It is true that the movie includes details not found in Scripture. We need to remember that Scripture was not meant to be a transcript of every detail. The Bible itself affirms that not everything is written down. Thus the movie was written using cinimatic expression to convey truth and by necessity had to fill in the gaps of what happened during those dark hours. It was obvious (to me, at least) that Mr. Gibson's message was plain and simple: Demons were actively participating in, and were present at, our Lord's crucifiction. Was Judas chased by a crowd of demonic "children?" Who knows. What we do know is that he allowed Satan to enter him through his betrayal of Christ (John 13:27). Is it possible that Judas had visual disturbances during his possession? Yes, it is, based upon clinical experience with possessed persons. As far as the nails being sold on the internet, this is no different tht nails passed out by parishes at Easter. These nails are merely a powerful reminder of just ONE of the horrible sufferings that Jesus endured for our salvation. Satanists using or not using something has no bearing on this matter whatsoever. Satanists also use crosses. What if the movie promoters decided to sell crosses instead of nails? Should we then conclude that the movie is demonic because Satanists use crosses? This is a logical fallacy. Also, the movie DOES in fact end with a resurrection scene. It is however very brief, and I do admit that after having watched the Sorrowful Mysteries in such graphic detail it would have been nice to see the first Glorious Mystery depicted with more, well, glory. However, given the fact that this movie was titled "The Passion of the Christ" and not "The Resurrection of the Christ," it is not surprising that the focus remained on Jesus' suffering. Nevertheless, the resurrection scene is in fact the very last scene in the movie. Concerning the fear that welled up when seeing the scenes of demons, it is good that this was experienced; it is a natural human reaction if witnessing a demonic entity like that. We need to have a healthy fear, that is a healthy respect, for this powerful entity. It reminds us that our strength comes from God and without God we are fotter for the devil. The movie illustrates the final truth that Satan is defeated. Finally, It is complete nonsense that movie tickets sold in theaters started with the number 666. This rapidly spreading urban legend was the result of an accidental computer glitch in ONE theater in Georgia. The following quote is from the theaters owner, Mr. Gary Smith: "It's from our computer and it's absolutely a coincidence," Smith said. "It has nothing to do with the film company or any vendor. It's completely in our computer. Several people have commented on it, but only one made a stink about it." Don't throw your movie away. I hope that this helps. God bless, Joe Meineke Assistant Director, SPCDC For Assistance with Spiritual Warfare problems please go to our How We Can Help You page. For a direct link to sample Spiritual Warfare prayers see our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog