Gibson sues CleanFlicks

Yes, it is ironic since Cleanflicks seems to have been motivated by Utah's religious environment. I'm actually shocked that Passion of the Christ was even meddled with. Don't most groups excuse the violence in the film?

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Now that's some encouraging news coming out of Hollywood for a change! I still can't figure out what legal leg Cleanflix has been standing on for all this time anyway, but seein' even batsh*t-crazy Mel goin' after 'em....well, that's the kind of faith I need restored...

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This is strange and interesting indeed. Christopher brings up a good point, which is tricky to explain; contrary to popular belief, most Christian groups do not (at least formally) excuse excess violence, and different people obviously have different ideas on how much is too much.

For many, however, the Passion was a special case. For example, a large part of the Catholic faith revolves around personally identifying with Christ's sufferings, which is why Catholic crucifixes always portray the tortured body of Jesus. Most protestant and particularly evangelical churches place more importance on the Resurection of Jesus, which is why their crosses are empty.

The Mormon church isn't typically referred to as evangelical, but like most other non-Catholic churches, they see the pain and gore of the Passion as of lesser importance to the main message, and can show it to a wider audience if some of the more gruesome shots are missing. Mel Gibson, being a commendably dedicated Catholic, obviously disagrees.

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Sue, sue, sue!!!

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There are a lot of ironies here, but that some Christians would approve of media portrayals of violence in some circumstances, is not one of them. Rather, Christians generally can be counted on to be opposed to media violence for prurient entertainment, if it encourages violence, or if it's really not necessary. The violence in The Passion of the Christ is horrifying, and does not encourage violence.

What I find ironic is that a group of Christians started a company that flagrantly violates the letter and spirit of the law. They do not have the right to edit his movie. Copyright grants the exclusive right (for a limited time) to the creator to control the presentation and content of their work.

Further, I find it ironic that a christian group would find it justified to excise content from an accurate depiction of a biblical event. Christians generally are very offended by the idea of excising parts of the Bible for content reasons. Yes, some Christians have done it before, but I think that most Christians are offended by the very idea. After all, it's the word of God.

Personally I am a little bothered by the Christians who are opposed to the film entirely. To the contrary, I think Christians who whitewash the Bible are "missing the point." You cannot remove the graphic horror from the crucifixion without destroying it's meaning. You cannot retain the poignancy without accurately depicting the violence that occurred. What was done to Christ was very "bad". You cannot have an appreciation for it without seeing it with your own eyes. Does a Christian wish to emulate Christ or not? It would be irresponsible to portray Jesus' experiences any less than as accurately as possible.

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While I realize there are alot of legalities that surround copyright laws and so forth, the idea of selling edited versions of box office movies is a great idea. I, for one, do not enjoy listening to profanity nor watching the excessive gore and nudity. I mean come on, the movies have to edited to be shown on the broadcast networks anyway, so why not make them available to consumers just as they are in their orignal form? It is only fair and only those who produce these movies only stand to gain more money from doing so.

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Those who feel CleanFlicks policy of editing movies is against the law either don't have enough information or don't understand the law. CleanFlicks purchases ONE original version of every film they edit. This is not illegal any more than buying a car and modifying it to your heart's desires. I don't necessarily LIKE the process of digitally edited movies but I FULLY support a company who seeks to fulfill a need in the market. Where are all you FREEDOM OF SPEECH people now?

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