My thought is, you cannot really have one without the other.

If what the Bible says is true, then the man suffered greatly. This was no easy death.  He took 33 lashes with a whip, that is something that leaves one torn to shreds.  Not only that, but he was beaten, had a crown of thorns put on his head and he was tortured for nearly 12 hours.  This is no lovely little tale of a man hanging on a cross by ropes and a big white light beaming over his head......with beautiful music behind it and a chorus of Angels.  No, this is more realistic.  This man suffered, to the point of it being the most cruel death you can imagine.

The Romans crucified the people right side up, so that they suffered longer and that is what happened in this story.  It isn't supposed to be pretty, it is supposed to get the message across that this man did what he did, suffered what he did, so that he could save the world from sin.

To me, seeing someone suffer that much, would or should make it that much more spiritual, and effective that this was not some lovely little martyr easy death.  It was horrible.

The part about Gibson being anti-semitic, well, I really don't see that.  He has even said he is not and being a Catholic and a Christian, I believe he means what he says.  Generally they don't go about bashing Jews.

Truth is, the Jews did hand Jesus over to the Romans to die.  They were given a choice and they chose Barrabas to live and go free and for Jesus to be crucified.  They were afraid and they were a people who had been enslaved and overrun for centuries. It was not something they thought about I don't think as being unfair or cruel.  It was what they had to do to survive under Roman rule.  

If you think about the Holocaust and the fear that the Jews had then, well, it was just as bad during Jesus' time on earth.  Fear and survival will make people make poor decisions sometimes.

To have it portrayed with the realistic view is the only way I can see it being done.  I have seen many films of the crucifixion.  They are artsy, pretty, the actors look almost pristine in the white and in the sun.  Jesus always looks pretty healthy hanging from that cross.  Not at all a realistic portrayal.

What I find the most interesting is that in a society that embraces Quenton Tarantino and Vin Diesel, will get highly upset over this 'Passion of Christ' for its violent and blood shed.  Lets just take a minute and look at the message.......'He shed his blood for us so that we could live and have eternal life'.  Whether you are religious or not, this sentence sums up what he felt he was dying for.   How pristine and
sterile can you really make that?

I want you to understand that I am not saying that you should or should not believe in Jesus Christ.  That is your personal decision.  What I am saying is that if you do or don't, the story itself, to be true to it, would have to be violent, bloody and cruel and sad.  There is no way around it.  Death is never pretty.

Would I suggest people see it, Yes I would.  Why?  Because I think if you want the true impact of what this man went through, you need to see it.