That's interesting. I haven't seen such but if you find anything post-worthy on the 'net that would be a good thread.
Your "Mel as opportunist" theory doesn't work. Mel took great risks in making the Passion.
I think probably both are true. I think there was political sentiment against making the movie, but Mel isn't completely candid about some of the denials of funding: some was about the movie being in a foreign language.
Freepers are just peeved because he doesn't follow their party line.
A lot of that, true.
I remember his joking three or four weeks ago (was it in the Diane Sawyer interview?) that after all the controversy over "The Passion of the Christ" was over he was going to go camping next to the WMD because that way "no one will ever find me." He obviously didn't believe in the WMD then either.