Kidan's around still. That's good. A voice of reason.
And I don't know if anyone noticed, but while there was idiocy about mice and balls Maxx kinda left.
I say that Gibson made the movie with intent to reap the benefits solely of it. He did what megachurches do: take advantage of God for the pocket's sake. He preyed on emotions and faith to get people to watch his film. That he released it at a pivotal, religious moment of the year ("in keeping with my film, of course") is not to be overlooked. Big sales, big benefits right there.
Then again, even evil can be used for good, so whatever. I think it's disgusting what he and others like him do for the name of God, or the name of the wallet. Sometimes I wonder if Wallet and God are synonymous for the modern Christian leader. Or at least the successful leaders.
I also adhere to the idea that not all things are gifts from God. I won't be thankful to God when my testicular cancer strikes. And I sure won't be praising Jehovah Jireh when an earthquake opens up and swallows up half an island chain. "Oooh, but everything happens for a reason!" Yeah, well, not everything comes from God, anyway. We do have some guy called the Prince of the Air wandering around, if I remember correctly, and believe it or not, he and his minions exude a lot of influence on the modern world. He does things on his own, and not everything he does, I'm sure, is a gift from God, or else the downfall of Adam and Eve was the first blessing from God. Interesting that it resulted in the first curse. "Oh, but mortality is a blessing from God, Adam! Don't be mad because we've been struck with a curse that will reach down into endless generations to come! Thank God for sin."