It's not often that filmgoers feel so protective of a $30 million movie that they buy advertising for it. But Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, which was released in theaters Feb. 25, is not your typical film.

The controversial movie, which Gibson directed and funded, re-enacts the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ. Even before The Passion was screened, interfaith and Jewish groups began expressing concerns that the movie could incite anti-Jewish activity...