Actor Jim Caviezel speaks out on abortion and persecuted church

Jim Caviezel, who starred in “The Passion of the Christ,” is one of the rare Hollywood actors who is outspoken about his Christian faith. “The way God sees us is who we really are,” he recently said in an interview.

Caviezel’s new film “Infidel, which will be in theaters on September 18, is described as a contemporary Middle East thriller surrounding an “American kidnapped while attending a conference in Cairo, who ends up in prison in Iran on spying charges.” He said the plot of “Infidel” explores the persecution of Christians in the Middle East — “a pervasive issue that is tragically still raging in various countries across the globe. Barbaric Christian persecution is something that still goes on today. The goal would be to create a sense of urgency and relevance to Christians and non-Christians who should be engaged in this issue.”

Caviezel said it’s essential for Christians to pay attention to these troubling acts of persecution and take action.

READ: Christian leaders tell voters to not advance abortions

“When I read the gospels, I’ve never seen a Jesus who would sit there and say, ‘too bad for him,’” he said of the apathy that can sometimes creep in on this issue. “And that is not the gospel I know.”

Caviezel also went on to discuss his experience playing Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ” and his views on an array of issues, including abortion.

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“I’ve looked at the barbarism of abortion,” he said. “I’ve seen one of them… there is no hiding anymore. Even if I don’t really know who Jesus is, something in me, my own conscience hits me — ‘That’s immoral. That’s wrong. Why are we doing this?’”

The actor also addressed how he came to faith, noting that he didn’t become a Christian by random chance but by looking at the evidence and the history of the Middle East and all that unfolded there.