c. 2005 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ Conservative Christian groups are outraged, but not surprised, that the box-office hit “The Passion of the Christ” didn’t receive an Academy Award nomination for best picture or best director.

Mel Gibson’s film, which grossed $370 million in the United States and more than $600 million worldwide, did receive three nominations Tuesday (Jan. 25), for “makeup,” “cinematography” and “original score.”

But some religious fans still see a snub.

“There’s no question that bigotry and prejudice is rank among the liberal elite of Hollywood,” said the Rev. Louis Sheldon, founder of the Washington-based Traditional Values Coalition. “Why would they want to recognize the `ancient of days,’ Jesus Christ, unless they want to bow their knee to him?

“They would prefer to be those silent ones in the crowd, that don’t yell crucify, but turned their eyes away from the reality of his crucifixion.”

Sheldon dismissed the nominations “The Passion” did receive, saying, “They had to do something or they would have had egg all over their face. Now it’s just on their chest and their legs.”

In a statement, Catholic League president William Donohue called “The Passion’s” three nominations “second-tier.”

“Having been criticized for months for not giving Mel a fair shake, it looks like the Hollywood elite got the message,” Donohue said. “It seems plain that Catholic guilt has been successfully exported to Hollywood.”

Tim Wildmon, president of the Tupelo, Miss.-based American Family Association, said he would have been surprised if “The Passion” received a best picture nomination.

“I don’t know how exactly you prove discrimination based on religion or the Christian faith exactly except to say that it’s well known that the Hollywood community has been anti-Christian for many years,” Wildmon said. “Mel Gibson, even with all this star power, could not find anyone to help him pay to produce the movie. Here you have the greatest story of all time, one of the most influential people in history _ that is Jesus Christ _ with Mel Gibson involved, and he has to do it out of his own pocketbook.”

Gibson’s bloody depiction of the last days of Christ’s life is the ninth highest-grossing movie in the United States of all time. Some Jewish leaders say it was anti-Semitic in the way it stereotypically portrayed Jews and blamed them for Christ’s death, but the film was extremely popular among Christian filmgoers.

It won “favorite drama motion picture” at the 2005 People’s Choice Awards. Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 911,” attacking the Bush administration, received no Oscar nominations despite winning a People’s Choice award as “favorite motion picture.”

In response to religious films being overlooked by Hollywood, some groups have established their own awards. For example, the John Templeton Foundation awards two $50,000 Epiphany Prizes each year to inspiring television programs and films.

“Oscar is speeding its own demise by continually ignoring the well-informed opinion of the movie-going public.” said Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, which chooses Epiphany winners.

On the Internet, passion about “The Passion” abounded.

“Hollywood is so repulsed by people of faith it can’t even bring itself to consider a powerful, provocative film about the most influential person in the history of mankind,” wrote blogger Joel Rosenberg, who operates an online web journal. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Operators of the web site, http://www.passionforfairness.com, said “we are deeply dispirited and frustrated. No excuse is adequate.”

Passion for Fairness had promoted an online petition that demanded “Hollywood put aside their own cultural bias against Christians” and nominate “The Passion” for best picture, Gibson for best director, James Caviezel (Jesus) for best actor, Maia Morgenstern (Mary) for best actress and Monica Bellucci (Mary Magdalene) as best supporting actress.

While critics gave “The Passion” mostly negative reviews, some said they were still surprised the Academy didn’t give it more significant nominations.

“It’s a reflection of a world view that predominates the community in Hollywood that doesn’t necessarily take into account a traditional view of faith,” Hollywood media critic James Hirsen told CNN. “I think that “The Passion of the Christ (is) … a cinematic marvel. It’s inexplicable to me that that would not be competing in those categories.”

MO/JL RNS END