It's further ironic that he's showcasing his film about the last 12 hours of Christ's life as authentic and accurate when most if not all Biblical scholars know very little about Jesus's life and death beyond the biblical propaganda. Remember that the books in the New Testament were written starting 70 years after Jesus's supposed death and were subject to the needs of a new church. That is, the books were editied with a goal in mind of supporting the ideology of the new church.

That religious texts are essentially tools for the Clergy begs the question of the purpose Gibson had for making the film. Propaganda for the conservative church he belongs to? A money maker? More fuel for Jew hatred?

Many "Mainstream" Religions fail to teach the histories behind the dogmas for to do so reveals the human impact and manipulations, possibly undermining the efficacy of teaching and control over the sheep...errr...followers. Religions, particularly of the Judeo-Christian kind, rely on dogmatic blinders and unquestioned beliefs for if you ask questions you may discover that Religions are basically nonsense. Hence Faiths.

Side story. I have a relative who's a devout Ultra-Orthodox Jew. He lives in Israel, has a wife, 3 kids, one more en route. He doesn't work because "G-d will provide" and instead studies all day. The "Full Catastrophe" to quote Zorba. Point being that he was a very nice, open, and generous kid growing up but now he's nice, living with his blinders on, and is in his own way extremely selfish without realizing it. For G-d he has alienated his family. His brothers feel like they've lost him to a cult.

One of the Commandments is "Honor they Father and Mother". As a parent I can think of no greater Honor then when one of my kids gives me a hug, a smile, or a kiss for no particular reason other than love. This Ultra-Orthodox relatives honors his mother by essentially ignoring her. She's female and therefore unclean, possibly beneath contempt. He visited from Israel for a funeral and his mother tried to keep a kosher kitchen for him but not up to his demanding standards. No thanks for trying and that's the honor she gets.

Conservative or Ultra-Orthodox means severe blinders, limited thought, and potentially dangerous actions according to the whims of the controlling Priest, Rabbi, or Imam (think Jim Jones). Not that all of the Priesthood are evil but simply that the control and power are there, and absolute power... What if the Pope with his last breath declared War on Islam and backed it up with select quotes from the New Testament?

*sigh*. Mel, perhaps this feeling of persecution will gain you a new understanding, of the fear of living around others who blindly hate and may act on that hate. Perhaps you'll make a film about the aftermath of Christ, of how the Church came into being, of how the New Testament was edited, of how much blood was spilled in retaliation for Christ's supposed crucifixion. Perhaps you'll make an authentic film about anti-semitism.

In any case, Mel Gibson, welcome to Judaism.