Mel's Mistake

Explain this to me, please. Everywhere I turn there are people putting down the Christian faith, be in around town, on the television or radio, in our government, and even in the movies. It seems like the thing to do these days. However, after Mel Gibson let his mouth run afoul, saying some disparaging remarks regarding Jews, it seems like the thing to do now is to slam Mel. And no amount of remorse or apology is enough to satisfy many of his critics.

Now don't get me wrong: Mel should not have been saying those things, and I sure hope he doesn't believe them. But even if he did, why is it alright to put down Christians, blaming them for everything under the sun, but then demand that people of another faith be left untouched? Thinking of other religions of the world, I have observed that it is more socially acceptable to put down the muslim faith, and possibly the hindu faith and the atheistic faith (because it has become a form of religion these days), but not Jewish people. Why is that? I support people of all faiths, including Jews. My issue is how there is such a protection for one religion but not others. Where is the line between "Freedom of Speech" and "Freedom of Religion"? Are Mel's critics slamming him now because they were unsuccessful at getting him when he made "The Passion of the Christ"?

Another blogger wrote a very well-written blog about this incident, that I recommend reading. It is level-headed and pulls no punches. One interesting point he makes is that there are many people in Hollywood that have put down Jews much more violently and much more consistently, than this incident with Mel. However these individuals are rarely, if ever, called on their words. It makes me feel that much more that Mel's critics have been lying in wait for him to make a mistake, wanting to find fault with him, and that they are much less concerned over his putting down Jews.

And relatively speaking, what all did Mel actually say against the Jews? He blamed them for being responsible for all the wars in the world...a bit extreme, but a personal opinion not much worse than people saying that the U.S. is responsible for all the wars in the world. He used an expletive followed by the word Jew...people say that expletive ALL THE TIME with other things, and it is pretty much ignored. What else did he say? We don't know. So, there really isn't much ammo against the guy right now, and yet the critics are really getting their moneys worth out of it.