But that’s not exactly true. Publishing houses, for example, have limited funds to pay. For each objectionable author they publish, that’s somebody else they are NOT publishing. Same thing with museums - they have to pick and choose who they feature. It’s ALL Zero sum because its all based upon money. Claiming the…

Um, if you’ve been around here a while, I’ve mentioned having my doctorate in Theology, so you’re, uh, slightly off on that one. But...yeah. Great deductions there.

Except the whipping was not a part of the crucifixion process for Jesus. Pilate ordered him whipped for two reasons: because he thought it would induce Jesus to drop the “king of the Jews” charade and also to appease the priests at the time. Which is WHY I pointed out above that Jesus’ crucifixion is generally…

I’m sorry, Sennaca the Younger wrote the detailed descriptions of crucifixion. My mistake.

Um, read Sennaca the Elder’s histories. He openly talked about the gorey aspects of it, including the spectacle for the crowd - they often would mutilate the genitals of the condemned, etc. It was gorey. It was partially designed to instill fear in the native population of wherever they happened to be.

I’m not sure I agree. I think the difference is that Gibson’s violence is placed within an appropriate historical context and generally portrayed in an accurate manner. That doesn’t scream “violence fixation” to me. Roth, on the other hand, doesn’t create accurate, historical portrayals - his violence is cartoonish,…

Jesus was, as I understand, not subject to a standard crucifixion. Because of his political significance, a lot of historians theorize that he was subject to more inhumane treatment than others received - such as being whipped and beaten prior to being nailed on the cross. Also, you are very incorrect on one point -…

Um...nope. Crosses were utilized (as per Sennaca the Younger). The primary issue was the availability of the wood. If they were in an area where it was lacking, they would improvise alternative methods. However, Sennaca and other historians absolutely documented the use of wooden crosses in crucifixions. Sorry, slick.

Maybe because I wanted to get out of the house because I have 3 kids and didn’t want to argue with him?

...probably gone on his own?

I’m not sure telling “violent” stories indicates an obsession with violence. One could argue that Wallace, Jesus and the Mayans are all compelling, interesting stories (and I wouldn’t disagree with that).

When I actually looked it up, it was noted that Edward III was born almost 9 years after Wallace’s death. So, yeah, not even a remote possibility that Wallace was his father. I always interpreted that part as a genuine swipe at Edward II’s perceived “gay” nature - that Wallace, the virile Scotsman, totally did it with…

I think people forget that Gigi IS of Middle Eastern descent because she is the lightest of her parents’ children. Yolanda posts a lot of baby pics of the kids, and Gigi has always been the lightest of their children - blonde hair, etc. But from what I’ve seen of their father, he’s not exactly dark. And of course,…

I agree that the Passion was really limited in its scope. I’ve always viewed the Passion as fitting into a very particular theological niche - those Christians who tend to focus on the sacrifice of Jesus. Gibson himself is, I believe, a traditionalist Catholic, so he was probably raised on the stories of the Passion.…

I’m not saying Gibson should not be judged to be an awful person, because it’s pretty clear that he is. I have no illusions otherwise. But objectively, many people we regard as “great” were/are lousy people. Picasso was a vicious domestic abuser. Does that mean we should not be able to be moved looking at his work, or…

I have to disagree with this, solely because, while Gibson DOES portray a ton of violence in his films, it is realistic violence. I remember discussing the Passion while in divinity school, and the biggest takeaway that most of us realized was that is was probably the most ACCURATE passion film ever made. That WAS the…

This always fundamentally goes back to the same issue: can you honor the art while deploring the artist? And we never, ever get a decent answer.

I’m kind of surprised by the reaction because, honestly, every President does this - invites special guests who come to represent his agenda or something in particular. Maybe I could get the attention if he was the first President to do so, but they’ve all done it. I can remember when W. would bring the families of…

The judge actually went beyond the sentences requested by the prosecution - they were requesting something like 7 years for the man and 3 for the woman. But that is within a judge’s discretion to do, and it’s the chance you take. The judge was especially harsh because they directly threatened children, which he said…

It is important to note something here: These two, along with the others, were NOT arrested the day of the incidents - they were arrested days later. So, in their locality, a gang of white people could cruise around in trucks flying the Confederate flag, seek out black people to throw racial slurs at, POINT guns at…