Perhaps no affair more potently delineates the battle lines in the struggle for the soul of America than the year-long raging furor over The Passion of the Christ. The critics who have been so savagely attacking the movie and its creator would have us believe they are righteously combating the bigotry and violence that they claim saturates the film’s every frame.
Their charges, however, are a smoke screen ...
This is perhaps the most elegant review of the film and the critics reactions to it I have yet seen, Liz. I'm not sure if you have a ping list, or are still active in "reviews" of The Passion. If you are, this article certainly ought to be referenced.