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`The Passion' puts some believers on the outside
...Calls to conform and see the film are especially common among evangelical Christians. Overall, they have been among Gibson's staunchest backers, and the holy heat they have generated has made some pastors who are lukewarm to the film feel pressure to encourage their parishioners to see it.

"We were approached by a sister church in our neighborhood that is also Baptist about buying a large number of tickets together," said Keith Herron, senior pastor at Holmeswood Baptist Church in Kansas City, Mo. "If we did that, we would have clout with the [theater] manager and essentially, could do anything we would want to do."

The idea was clear, Herron said -- the theater could be turned into a stage for saving lost souls. But Herron recoiled at the notion of using "The Passion" for instant conversions to Christianity.

"We just thought that was manipulative and the wrong approach to sharing the love of Christ," he said. "To pull on people in a moment of weakness like that is just wrong."

Herron said a number of evangelical churches are "absolutely" compelling worshippers, families and in some cases young children to see the film....

...Scholars and religious leaders said the public's overwhelming enthusiasm for "The Passion" has called into question the piety of those Christians who have stayed away from the cinema. But they also say the trend toward determining who is a good Christian will endure even after the "Passion" craze has faded.

"This phenomenon . . . of people putting pressure on other believers to participate in what they define as holy is not a passing phase," said Amanda Quantz, a professor at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. "This kind of fanaticism -- you are a good Christian or you are a bad Christian -- has much more fuel than the movie. The movie is just a tool for this type of thought."...