Mel Gibson: son of man

By now, I'm quite certain that most of you have heard of the unfortunate incident involving Hollywood actor Mel Gibson. Briefly, Mel Gibson was pulled over by deputized officers of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for driving under the influence of alcohol. In the course of making his objections to the arrest known, Mel was reliably documented to have made many disparaging comments about Jews such as "F*@king Jews", "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world", and in one instance, of women, "What do you think you're looking at, sugar t!t$?". While I am personally appalled by Mr. Gibson's well-documented outburst, it would be counter-productive to simply tabulate Mr. Gibson's related indiscretions regarding his religion. Rather, I would like to find out what may be done to avoid situations where the practice of one's faith could degenerate into cruel, unthinking acts that undermine the foundations of one's faith.

First, one must consider the incident itself. While I am not in the habit of "kicking a man when he's down", an inquiry of the sort that I would like to attempt should at least provide the facts regarding Mr. Gibson's altercation with the law. Newsweek's online magazine, Slate has a rather good summary of the events surrounding Braveheart's personal Falkirk.


There is a lot of spirited commentary on the implications of Mr. Gibson's actions. Allow me to share the more interesting opinions that I've come across:

"I also think that the difference between the blood-alcohol levels---and indeed, the speed limits---that occasioned the booking are insufficient to explain the expletives...One does not decide, between the first and second vodka, or the ticks of the indicator of velocity, that the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion are valid after all." Christopher Hitchens, writing for Slate.


"Even in his apology, Gibson fudged. 'I am deeply ashamed of everything I said, and I apologize to anyone who I offended,' he said. 'Also, I take this opportunity to apologize to the deputies involved for my belligerent behavior.' We can see that Gibson had a lot of ground to cover here---he threatened to have one cop fired and called another 'sugar tits'. But still---he can single out a few deputies for an apology without a word for millions of Jews?" Kim Masters, writing for Slate.


Second, it is important to explore Mel Gibson's religious beliefs. Normally, I would be reluctant to do so, as religious faith is oftentimes a delicate matter which could easily be misrepresented even by well-meaning intellectuals and writers. However, in order to understand Mr. Gibson's actions, it becomes imperative to understand the context in which these actions could be considered reasonable.

Wikipedia on Sedevacantism.

Society of Saint Pius X on Sedevacantism.



Lastly, I can't emphasize enough that I am not inclined to condemn Mel Gibson for his actions. The Bible teaches that salvation is open to any who seek it, as may be clearly seen in the Gospel (Luke 23:39-43). Robert Zimmerman, better known as Bob Dylan, said "It is possible to be so reviled in this world that even your mother and father may disown you. When that happens, God will always believe in your ability to mend your ways." If there is one thing that several decades worth of Catholic schooling has taught me, it is that mistakes do not have to be final.