Gibson film ‘faithful to Bible’s teaching’: Billy Graham

Nov 27, 2003 / 22:00 pm

Mel Gibson's film, "The Passion of the Christ", is “faithful to the Bible's teaching that we are all responsible for Jesus' death, because we have all sinned," said renowned evangelist Billy Graham in a statement released from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association this week.

Graham issued the release after screening the film, which, he said, moved him to tears, reported the WorldNet Daily. The film is a testament to the fact that it is "our sins that caused His death, not any particular group,” he continued.

Graham’s comment makes reference to a claims made by some critics that Gibson’s film is anti-Semitic and blames Jews for Christ’s death.

"I have often wondered what it must have been like to be a bystander during those last hours before Jesus' death," Graham said in the release. "After watching 'The Passion of the Christ,' I feel as if I have actually been there.

“I doubt if there has ever been a more graphic and moving presentation of Jesus' death and resurrection – which Christians believe are the most important events in human history,” he said. “No one who views this film's compelling imagery will ever be the same."

According to the statement, Gibson and actor Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in the film, came to see the 85-year-old Graham twice, before and after he saw the film, reported WorldNetDaily.

Graham said he became convinced of Gibson's "deep sincerity and great desire" that the motion picture be used to bring a new emphasis on the events that occurred 2,000 years ago.