From Tuesday's USA Today, on the "controversial" movie, The Passion:

"... movie portrays the final twelve hours of Jesus' life in graphic detail, including the crucifixion and a beating that lasts 45 minutes. But many parents and church leaders plan to have kids as young as ten see the film... 'The violence is necessary to understand the sacrifice Jesus made,' says First Family pastor.... His Baptist Church has rented out a half-dozen theatres... for children eleven and older. He concedes they'll be shaken by the violence. 'I hope they're disturbed enough to make their peace with Jesus.'"

Disturbing children (and adults alike,) is just the way to make them "make their peace with Jesus." What happened to teaching people about the love Jesus had for us? Yes, the crucifixion is the ultimate sign of his love for us, but, being a third grade Bible School teacher myself, I highly doubt that children ten and older will understand this movie as a sign of Jesus' love and sacrifice. Third graders don't understand the concept of sin, the reason for the sacrifice. How could they then in turn understand the sacrifice? Third graders also, hopefully, have not committed grave sins, and with full knowledge, realized the wrongdoing and concequences of their sin, to be able to grasp the need for a Savior.

This movie is rated R for a reason. It is violent. No moral, or wisdom, behind the storyline is going to remove the effects of the violence, graphics, and brutality this movie will portray. Showing this movie will not allow children to "make their peace" with Jesus. Showing this movie could ruin whatever inner peace the child had.

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It would need work (hours of work, my response that is,) but what that pastor said disturbed me. Next Wednesday possibly thousands of children could be going to see a very violent graphic movie. If it is for the reason stated above, it's absurd. If I had enough guts, and perhaps more knowledge on the effect of violence on children, I'd write to the paper. Then again, without any guts, I'll just blog about it and feel like I did my duty as a teacher to save my children.