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"The
Last Temptation of Christ" An Unnecessary Disaster
in Christian-Jewish Relations
By Rev. Ted Pike
21 Apr 05
It
was the most savage, blasphemous attack on Jesus that ever came
out of Hollywood. Church leaders were aghast after-previewing "The
Last Temptation of Christ." Jesus was portrayed as a charlatan,
a lecher, a fool.
Yet
Hollywood was promising more. At least another film spectacular
was in the works that was touted to be even more extreme, shattering
all that is sacred concerning our Lord.
Dr.
Jerry Falwell, at the height of national prestige during the late 1980’s,
made a very well publicized threat to the Hollywood film moguls. He
said, in effect, that if they continued to distribute "The Last
Temptation of Christ," it could mean a disaster for Jewish-Christian
relations. Why Jewish-Christian relations? Because Falwell
was broadly hinting that MCA, producer of the film, was Jewish
owned and controlled.
MCA
was undaunted. Yet what could I do, where hundreds of public
protests, tens of thousands of letters to Hollywood failed to stop
this anti-Christ juggernaut?
The
answer: get specific.
I
wrote a brochure entitled, "The Real Reason Behind the Last Temptation
of Christ." I named the owners and directors of MCA, identifying
them as Jewish. Further, I pointed out that the central, blasphemous
theme of the movie precisely reflected the blasphemy against Christ
within the greatest spiritual and legal authority of Judaism, the Babylonian
Talmud. The Talmud, written by the pharisees, the same evil Jewish
leaders who had Christ crucified, remains the greatest spiritual authority
for religious Jews – far surpassing the Old Testament. Here,
from my brochure, is how "The Last Temptation" compares
with the Talmud.
THE LAST TEMPTATION |
TALMUD*
*The
Babylonian Talmud, translated into English by Rabbi
Dr. I. Epstein, Soncino Press, London |
JESUS MISGUIDED, FOOLISH |
JESUS:
All my life I’ve been followed
by voices." "I’m ashamed when I think
of all the mistakes I’ve made – all the wrong
ways I’ve looked for God." |
"He was
a fool, and we do not pay attention to what fools do." Sanhedrin
67a (uncensored version) |
JESUS
A TRAITOR, DECEIVER |
Jesus, a carpenter,
is in business making crosses for the Romans. He assists
in crucifying Jewish freedom fighters. |
Jesus
was a "bloody and deceitful" man. Sanhedrin 106b
(uncensored) He was counted among the "sinners of Israel," one
of the three greatest enemies Israel
has ever known. Gittin
56b, 57a |
JESUS AN APOSTATE |
JESUS: "I
never tell the truth…I don’t have the courage.
I want to rebel against…God." "Lucifer
is inside me." This movie repeatedly suggests Christ
does miracles through Satan. |
Jesus. "…practiced
sorcery and enticed Israel
to apostasy." Sanhedrin 43a |
JESUS
IMMORAL, BLASPHEMOUS |
Jesus
watches Mary Magdalene all day as she has sex with many
customers. Mary Magdalene says: "You’re pitiful. I hate
you!" Jesus says, "I’m the Saint of Blasphemy!" |
Jesus
was excommunicated for the thought of seducing a woman. In
his ensuing grief he fell down and worshipped a brick. Sanhedrin
106a (uncensored version) |
JESUS
NOT GOD, MESSIAH |
"The Last
Temptation of Christ" lends credence to the traditional
rabbinic view that Christ was not God incarnate. He was
not divinely conceived, but was an imposter, a misfit to
his people and tradition. JESUS: "How could I be
the Messiah? I wanted to kill the people stoning Mary!" "I
am a man like everyone else!"
|
Jesus
was born out of wedlock: Mary "…who was descendant
of princes and governors, played the harlot with carpenters." Sanhedrin
106b Jesus was killed by "…stoning, burning,
decapitation, and strangling…he met his death at
the age of thirty-three…he had no portion in the
world to come." Sanhedrin 106a, 106b He is now in
hell, "punished with boiling hot excrement." Gittin
56b, 57a
|
Our
National Prayer Network sent this brochure to 192,000 evangelical
pastors in America, virtually all of whom were aware of Falwell’s
threat.
I
was expecting an avalanche of criticism saying, "How dare you
criticize God’s chosen people!" Instead, I received only
six critical letters and many hundreds of orders for my book, "Israel:
Our Duty…Our Dilemma" and video documentary, "The
Other Israel."
I
was amazed at the lack of criticism. So was the Anti-Defamation
League, who angrily claimed that my report of such small criticism
was a lie.
Several
years ago, a prominent national Jewish leader said that "The
Last Temptation of Christ" was the biggest public relations
disaster in Jewish-Christian relations during the last
century. Yet it was not I, but Jewish media moguls
who were responsible. They chose to base their film on
blasphemies from the Talmud. This caused untold Christians
and Americans to throw the blame on "the
Jews," just as the German people did before WWII.
The
Jewish owners of MCA had not counted on anyone having
the courage to specifically blame false Jewish leadership. They knew
most Christian/conservative leaders (even knowing of the Jewish origins
of the film) would never point the finger beyond such obscure terminology
as "Hollywood
moguls" or "secular humanist media," etc. Yet the
outspokenness of Jerry Falwell, plus my even more specific
mass-mailing, had shown a glaring floodlight on them.
The mega-blasphemous follow-up movie was never made.
Do
you want to know how to save America? Answer, have
the courage to get specific concerning false Jewish leadership behind
the media.
If
you do not, the Jewish media will continue to trample
on everything that is sacred to our faith and liberty.
Christianity
will suffer.
And
so will the Jewish people.
Posted first
on April 21, 2005 at
www.truthtellers.org
With
anti-Jewish feeling on the rise worldwide, it is now necessary
to criticize false Jewish leadership, which, by its anti-Christianity,
stimulates a backlash of anti-semitism against the Jewish people
in general. Only by restraining such leadership can Christians be
assured that a remnant of the Jewish people will be preserved from
possible persecution to fulfill their destiny of restoration to faith
in Christ at his Second Coming.
Rev.
Ted Pike is head of the National P rayer Network, a Christian,
conservative watchdog organization. He can be contacted for interview
at 503-631-3808, website www.truthtellers.org, or P.O. Box 828, Clackamas,
OR 97045.
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