Faith leaders concerned about gore in 'Passion` film
On the eve of today's Ash Wednesday premiere of Mel Gibson's controversial film about the suffering and death of Jesus, two prominent Christian leaders in Massachusetts said they will refuse to see the movie because of its gore.
And the president of one of the area's major theater chains, National Amusements, said she was so distressed by the violence in "The Passion of the Christ" that she contemplated not showing it.
Instead, not wanting to censor the film, Shari Redstone said she has decided to show the film in her firm's theaters, host a private screening and discussion among the area's interfaith religious leaders, and donate a portion of the proceeds from the film to an organization that promotes interfaith understanding among young people.
A broad spectrum of Boston's faith community, including Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and Bishop M. Thomas Shaw of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, said they are concerned about the possibility that the film could engender anti-Semitism. "I have not seen the film, but Jewish friends have voiced concerns that the movie could encourage anti-Semitism by portraying the Jewish people in an unfavorable way. I hope that this is not the case," O'Malley wrote in a statement in which he called on Christians to "all accept our own responsibility for Christ's death."
"As we approach the Lenten season, I want to take this occasion to remind those who have responsibility for leading worship and teaching our children that they should familiarize themselves with the most recent documents of the church and avail themselves of the best of current biblical scholarship . . . so that, when presenting the Passion, they may take special care not to teach anything out of harmony with the truth of the Gospel and the spirit of Christ," O'Malley wrote.
Several leaders of the Jewish and Protestant communities gathered yesterday at Trinity Church in Boston to issue a joint statement in which the Christian leaders at the meeting warned that "it is possible to select and combine elements from the different narratives to convey either a relatively benign or harsh view of Jews and Judaism."
Although there is considerable enthusiasm about the film among evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestant leaders in Massachusetts, where churches tend to be more liberal than in other parts of the country, made it clear at the press conference and in interviews afterward that they have concerns about the film.
Among the signatories to the statement were the heads of the American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts, the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Council of Churches, the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and the Massachusetts conference of the United Church of Christ.
The film has generated unprecedented excitement in many religious communities. The Rev. Gary W. Taylor of South Coast Community Church in Marion is giving away 400 tickets as a form of evangelism. Bishop Shaw -- who said that meditating on the passion, or suffering, of Jesus forms an important part of his spiritual life -- said that despite his concerns, he plans to see the film.
But Bishop Susan W. Hassinger, the head of the New England conference of the United Methodist Church, and the Rev. Diane C. Kessler, the executive director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, said they will boycott the film because of the bloodshed, as well as other concerns.
"I do not like violence, and in our violent society that is so susceptible to acting out what it sees on the screen, I don't want to be part of contributing to that," Hassinger said in a telephone interview.
O'Malley has not decided whether to see the film, according to his spokesman.
Jewish leaders are quite apprehensive. The president of the Boston chapter of the American Jewish Committee, Jim Kaufman, said Jewish leaders are "disturbed by this movie's attempt to turn the historical clock of tolerance back by 50 years." Redstone of National Amusements said in an interview yesterday that after she saw the film at a screening several weeks ago, she contemplated not showing it. National Amusements is the owner and operator of Showcase Cinemas; the company is the sixth largest exhibitor in the country, with 90 theaters.
"I'm Jewish, and, to be honest, the violence was very overwhelming for me," Redstone said. But I went back to my traditional view, which is not to censor, but to use it as an opportunity to do something good."
She said that the film will show at most of her company's theaters and that sales have been strong, fueled by purchases of blocks of tickets by church groups. She said she will donate a portion of the proceeds to an organization that helps interfaith relations and will host today, at the company's Randolph theater, a screening and panel discussion for interfaith leaders.
Michael Paulson can be reached at mpaulson@globe.com. 