Is Mel Gibson a Christian?

Answer: Probably, read why below

Disclaimer: It is not our role to determine whether or not somebody is a Christian. We just use our discernment based on the evidence we have found on the internet to come to a likely or best-guess answer. Our answers do not actually determine who is or is not a Christian and it is ultimately between the person and God. Not us.

Mel Gibson is a very popular Hollywood name. He is an American actor, screenwriter, and film director. Gibson was born Mel Columcile Gerard Gibson, on January 3, 1956, in Peekskill, New York.  He attended the National Institute of Dramatic Arts and founded Icon Entertainment in the 1980s. Gibson received his high school education from the Congregation of Christian Brothers at St Leo’s Catholic College, New South Wales. 

Mel Gibson had his breakthrough role when he played the role of Max Rockatansky in the series “Mad Max” and as Martin Riggs in the popular action-comedy film, “Lethal Weapon.” He has since directed and starred in so many other films. The popular film that depicts the life and death of Jesus Christ, “Passion of the Christ” is his brainchild.

From the beginning of his career to date, Mel Gibson has been massively recognized for his work in the American movie industry and has received many nominations and awards. Some of these are; Academy Awards, Australian Film Institute Award, People’s Choice Awards, ShowWest Award, American Cinematheque Gala Tribute: American Cinematheque Award, Hollywood Director Award, and Golden Globe Awards, among many others.

Mel Gibson has been vocal about his religion and faith. Thus, this article will analyze his statements and comments to determine his status as a Christian.

Is Mel Gibson Religious?

Does Mel Gibson live a religious life? We’ll be looking at his statements and public comments to determine if he is religious or not. 

During a telephone interview with the Baptist Press in 2004 about his popular film, “Passion of the Christ,” he disclosed that the film has improved his prayer life. In his words, “I wanted to make one that was as realistic as possible; I wanted the audience to feel like they were rare witnessing the events as happened reddened but at the same time it’s hugely personal, I saw other film versions and I couldn’t understand them, I couldn’t believe them. Once I started meditating on [Christ’s] passion, really going deep into it in my mind and heart, then I began to understand it, to believe that’s the version I put on film. I expected some criticism, but I wasn’t expecting it to get so personal. It’s been a real eye-opener. My prayer life has grown a lot as a result of it. I pray for the people who are upset. I sincerely believe that their suspicions are wrong. This movie will bring people closer together, not incite violence and hatred. That was our experience in making it, and that has been the experience of the people who have seen it so far.”

In the same interview, he said, “I hope it makes people think, I hope it makes them reflect. The movie is about faith, hope, love, and forgiveness. If it stirs those things up in people, it will be a success. I hope it makes people ask questions, and maybe even makes them want to read “The Book.” The book here could mean the Holy Bible.

The actor disclosed that he attends Catholic Mass regularly. In an interview in 2021 with USA Today, he said, “I go to an all-pre-Vatican II Latin mass. There was a lot of talk, particularly in the ’60s, of ‘Wow, we’ve got to change with the times.’ But the Creator instituted something very specific, and we can’t just go change it.”

Gibson had admitted that he used to read the Bible when he was younger. He said this in an exclusive interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC NEWS in 2004. He said, “I think I just hit my knees, I just said, ‘Help.’ Do you know? And then, I began to meditate on it, and that’s in the Gospel. I read all those again. I remember reading bits of them when I was younger.”

An Archbishop told reporters in 2007 that Mel Gibson attended confirmation in his chapel. The statement was, “Archbishop Emeritus Carlos Quintero Arce told reporters he performed Tuesday’s ceremony for Gibson’s grandchildren and federal adults in the chapel of the archbishop’s residence in Hermosillo, the capital of northern Sonora state. He did not identify the adults”.

Does Mel Gibson Believe in God?

Mel Gibson believes in something “bigger than all of us”. He told Fox News in a recent interview that “The sooner you realize there’s something bigger than all of us, the easier it’s going to be in your life…”

Is Mel Gibson a Christian?

Mel Gibson was born and raised a Sedevacantist Traditionalist Catholic, a body that believes that “the present occupier of the Holy See is not a valid pope due to his espousal of one or more heresies and that, for lack of a valid pope, the See of Rome is vacant”.

It is reported that Mel Gibson belongs to an independent group of Catholic congregations called the “Holy Family”.

Mel Gibson thinks that some things should be changed in the Catholic Church and as such, he built his own Church. In a statement made by Erika Matthews in June 2022, “Mel Gibson built his own Church on a mountain. He spends about $37 million for building a Church in the Malibu Hills. To expand 400-seat, he has poured a further about $10 million into the project”

Mel once believed that a person who doesn’t belong to the church won’t go to heaven. In a 2003 interview with The New Yorker, he said, “There is no salvation for those outside the Church, I believe it. Put it this way. My wife is a saint. She’s a much better person than I am. Honestly. She’s, like, Episcopalian, Church of England. She prays she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it’s just not fair if she doesn’t make it, she’s better than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it.”

In a 2006 interview with Diane Sawyer, he stated that his religion didn’t close heaven’s doors against the Jews. To affirm this he said, “That’s not the case at all – absolutely not. It is possible for people who are not even Christians to get into the kingdom of heaven.”

Is Mel Gibson Baptized?

Mel Gibson was born into a Catholic family. Catholics receive baptism as infants. We think he was baptized as a child because only baptized members of the Catholic Church attend a Catholic confirmation ceremony as he did in Mexico. He must have been baptized because “Confirmation is a sacrament by which a baptized person is welcomed into full membership in the church”.

What did Mel Gibson say about Jesus?

In an exclusive interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC NEWS in 2004 after Mel Gibson premiered his movie “Passion of the Christ,” he was asked who killed Jesus, Mel Gibson said, “The big answer is, we all did. I’ll be the first in the culpability stakes here.”

When asked again if the Jews killed Jesus he said that Jesus “was a child of Israel, among other children of Israel. There were Jews and Romans in Israel. There were no Norwegians there. The Jewish Sanhedrin, and those who they held sway over — and the Romans — were the material agents of his demise.”

Mel Gibson believes that Christ gave his life as a Sacrifice for us. In the same interview, he said, “I don’t want people to make it about the blame game, It’s about faith, hope, love, and forgiveness. That’s what this film is about. It’s about Christ’s sacrifice. Jesus Christ “was beaten for our iniquities. He was wounded for our transgressions and by his wounds, we are healed. That’s the point of the film. It’s not about pointing fingers.”

He also said that he used the passion of Christ to heal his wounds. In his words, “(In my 30’s) I got to a very desperate place. And I didn’t want to hang around here, but I didn’t want to check out. But when you get to the point where you don’t want to live and you don’t want to die-it’s a desperate, horrible place to be. And I just hit my knees. I had to use the passion of Christ to…heal my wounds.”

In the same interview, he said “I’m not a preacher and I’m not a pastor. But I really feel my career was leading me to make this. The Holy Ghost was working through me on this film, and I was just directing traffic. I hope the film has the power to evangelize. It’s time to sort of get back to a basic message, the message that was given. At this time, the world has gone nuts, I think. And this film speaks – well, Christ spoke of faith, hope, love, and forgiveness. And these are things We need to be reminded of again. He forgave as he was tortured and killed. And we could do with a little of that behavior. (Jesus could have paid the price for the sins of the world) by pricking his finger and shedding a little blood. He didn’t; he wanted to go all the way.”

Conclusion

People still feel Mel Gibson is not a true Christian because of his traditional Catholic beliefs, but who is a Christian? A Christian professes his beliefs in Jesus Christ and Mel Gibson is someone who loves and has professed his beliefs in Christ.

Though he told the New York Post in a recent interview that his “spiritual life is nowhere complete yet. I’m still so full of flaws,” we believe Mel Gibson is a Christian, and we’re not in a position to judge his shortcomings.

Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!