After recently watching “The Believer” on video, I was overwhelmed by a rush of different thoughts concerning the Old Testament, Jesus, and the Jewish people. These thoughts were evoked by the movie’s main character – a bigoted Jewish skinhead who furiously rebels against his people. The result is very powerful, for as one scene unfolds into the next a wide array of different forces begin interacting with each other.

The first biblical reference to be presented – and one that will be repeated throughout the film – is that of God commanding Abraham to kill his son, Isaac. This pivotal event lays the foundation for a crucial insight into the antagonist’s mind-frame. Whereas I see Abraham’s act as a display of unparalleled faith, Danny Balint (Ryan Gosling) views it as a dual example of the Jewish people’s weakness, and also as another one of God’s power-trips run rampant. Thus, Abraham’s devotion isn’t seen favorably, but is a precedent for future Jewish submissiveness. Then, in a series of subsequent flashbacks, Danny declares that, from his perspective, what really took place was this: Abraham actually slayed his son, who was then reborn to another life.

This biblical tale lays a perfect foundation for “The Believer’s” central theme – the Jewish people’s relationship with God. Naturally, there is no better place to begin this examination that the Old Testament, which (as you will see) essentially revolves around one continually unfolding theme: God only asking two things of his chosen people, which can be found in the First and Second Commandments. Everything else is secondary:

        1) Thou shall have no other gods before me,
        2) Thou shall not worship false idols

In other words, God told the Israelites to make him the most important thing in their life and everything else will be fine. But starting with Adam & Eve, a continual Old Testament theme begins to unfold: the Jewish people fall away from God, find foreign gods such as Baal, or else worship false idols like the golden calf. This betrayal angers God, who retaliates with a series of disasters (storms, drought, floods, pestilence, etc). Then, a ‘chosen’ figure emerges (Moses, Noah, Joseph, etc) who leads the Jews back to God. Everything is then fine for awhile until they once again fall away, which subsequently brings another round of disasters. This pattern constitutes the central premise of the Old Testament.

This thread repeats itself time and again until God finally realized that things weren’t working the way he had intended. So, as a last ditch effort to save his ‘chosen people,’ He sent Jesus to earth in hopes that he could make a difference.

Regrettably, the Jewish people were much more adept at following the letter of the Law contained within the Bible and the Torah than they were in adhering to Jesus’ Word. Instead of fasting, tithing, or being concerned with what food groups to mix together, Jesus told them to show mercy, compassion, and love for their fellow man. And rather than worrying about sacrifices, Jesus wanted them to be kind and helpful toward their neighbors.

But please don’t get me wrong: Jesus’ intent was not to destroy the ages-old Jewish tradition, for he said quite clearly, “I did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.” What he did want to show, though, was how much importance the Jewish people placed on ritual and custom without paying attention to the SPIRIT of his word. He emphasized this point by deliberately provoking the Sadducees and Pharisees through his various rebellious acts (performing miracles on the Sabbath, not washing his hands before eating, etc). When the religious leaders protested, Jesus was always one step ahead of them, exposing their hardened hearts and uncaring ways via his magnificent parables.

But the act which most enraged the religious leaders was Jesus’ proclamation that the doors of Heaven would be opened to EVERYBODY, not only the Jews. This single statement so rattled the established hierarchy that it was one of the primary factors leading to Jesus’ eventual execution. Why? Because for the first time ever the Jew’s status as God’s ‘chosen people’ was being threatened by a man whose claimed to be the Son of God; a claim they could not accept.

The result of this all-inclusiveness had a marked affect on the Israelis, for Jesus told them that they could no longer rest on their laurels and expect to get a free pass through the Pearly Gates. Instead, they had to free themselves of their greed, need for acclaim, and prejudices. This revelation became a monumental turning point in the history of mankind, for Jesus opened his arms to everyone and differentiated himself from other religions such as Islam, which promoted the murder of infidels. Thus, the Jewish religion’s focus was shifted from one of assuming they were going directly to heaven upon death, to that of ACTION (i.e. one had to earn salvation rather than simply thinking that it was a given).

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The primary reason why “The Believer” is such a provocative film is that it compels the viewer to address certain issues which are usually not placed on the table in polite company. Whether it’s due to political correctness or our tendency to shy away from controversy, “The Believer” rubs against society’s grain and confronts one of the biggest taboo subjects in existence today – Jewishness. One of the primary reasons behind our reluctance to discuss this topic is simple: anyone who questions the Jewish people is instantly labeled an anti-Semite. But before I proceed, let’s make one thing perfectly clear: engaging in a critical study does not imply bigotry – not even by a long-shot. Instead, this practice should open the doors of understanding and allow us to broach the truth of our existence.

With this disclaimer in mind, allow me to continue a thought which I began in part one of this critical analysis – namely, that Jesus oftentimes pitted himself against the Jewish religious leaders of his time. Whether he deliberately provoked them through his actions (not fasting at appropriate times), or by luring them into dialogue which exposed their hypocrisy and hardened hearts, Jesus seemed intent on showing how faraway the Jews had fallen from God’s Word, which was spoken through him.

By threatening their long-established power structure, Jesus placed himself in a precarious situation which, in the end, led to the fulfillment of prophecy and his ultimate crucifixion. At the center of this barbaric execution was the Jewish religious hierarchy, specifically Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, and the Sanhedrin. By plotting in secret, then directing the Roman soldiers to arrest Jesus, they eventually had him brought before Pontious Pilate, who found Jesus to be an intriguing, yet innocent man. Influenced by his wife’s dreams and his own trepidations over murdering a political prisoner, Pilate tried on numerous occasions to release Jesus, only to be overruled by a Jewish mob in the courtyard chanting, “Crucify him!”

Despite how many church edicts are passed and how much historical revisionism takes place, the fact remains the same. This is what took place, and Jesus’ blood is on the Jewish people’s hands. Because of this treachery, they once-and-for-all lost their status as God’s chosen people. Since that fateful fall from grace, the Jewish people have wandered the earth, essentially getting kicked out of every place they resided. One of the primary reasons for their evictions was due to the notorious practice of usury, which is the practice of lending money at interest. Every time their scam was uncovered, the Jews had to flee; then set-up camp somewhere else.

I could elaborate further on a more historical note, but instead I’d like to focus on current day issues and how tragically we’ve fallen as a society. Look at the world around us – nearly 100,000 people die every day from starvation, even though we have the technology, money, and resources to feed every one of them. Also, we are essentially still a war culture that spills blood with the same proclivity as they did in biblical times. In addition, our media is not used for enlightenment; but brainwashing and conditioning, while our cinema, by and large, pushes us toward a state of being far-removed from what Jesus taught. Finally, our political leaders are as corrupt and deceitful as they’ve ever been; they just seem a little more adept at using propaganda to keep the masses fooled.

The above explanation leads us back to the Jewish people, who founded Hollywood, undeniably control the international banking system, and are counted in disproportionate numbers in our media. The question I have to ask is this: what kind of society have we created? Taken one step further, let me ask this: can you believe that we really have ADULTS running this world? I’m not even focusing on Jews or Gentiles any longer, but on ADULTS. Who are the people running our world, and would you consider them to be leading us in the proper direction, or an evil one? Look at how a cabal of international financiers are bankrupting this nation via the practice of usury. Look at how our media has turned a once-strong country into unquestioning lemmings that are blinded by symbols, buzzwords, and sound bytes (without the ability to peek behind the Wizard’s veil). Could these figures be categorized as virtuous, honest, and having our best interests in mind? What would Jesus say to them if he reappeared? This question is extremely valid, for our situation today isn’t that much different than the one Jesus confronted 2,000 years ago. The same type of power structure exists, and TRUTH is seen as the ultimate threat to their control.

So, what would happen if Jesus was suddenly found walking the streets of New York City, Rome, or Jerusalem? Would the world’s controlling elite welcome him with open arms and immediately change their ways, or would they resort to their evil modus operandi and kill him? I know the answer to this question. Do you? More importantly, doesn’t it trouble you that we keep tolerating these spawns of Satan and allow them to destroy mankind … the same mankind that Jesus gave his life to save on that cross atop Golgotha?