Letter to the Editor

Churches now condone violence?

To the editor:

For years churches have lectured young people on the evils of Hollywood spectaculars featuring excessive violence and have blasted Hollywood's use of extravagant marketing to sell such material. Now the same churches embrace a massive marketing campaign promoting a movie that by its producer's own admission contains scenes intentionally fictionalized to produce maximum violence.

Many churches that have rightfully condemned bloody Hollywood extravaganzas are now promoting the violent and possibly factually challenged film "The Passion of the Christ."

During the Middle Ages churches condoned horrific acts of violence when it suited their purposes. After a thousand years of this horror, the churches were forced to reform. Now churches appear to be on the verge of a new era where they once again resort to shock therapy rather than kindness and example in order to influence their flocks.

The promotion of this film by churches is shameful and absurdly hypocritical in view of their past opposition to screen violence. Churches may be hard-pressed in the future to criticize Hollywood's violent movies after so passionately embracing this one.

Many churches are perceived as overly materialistic for accumulating vast wealth, buying up tracts of property and building opulent palaces worthy of a caesar. Once the pink cloud wears off of the "Passion" phenomenon, churches may find themselves wounded further by their waltz with the Hollywood devil.

WILL RICHARDSON

Jackson