But How Do Non-Believers Feel?

That was the gist of Katie Couric's question to Catherine Hardwicke, director of The Nativity Story, and Mike Rich, the film's screenwriter (via Media Research Center).

I found that to be a very strange question, considering the many, many films each week that can appeal to a variety of audiences. Is Couric concerned about movies that present Christians as hypocrites, murderers, mindless followers, or narrow-minded bigots? Was Couric worried about how Christians felt when The Da Vinci Code was in theaters? What about Jesus Camp?

I find it even stranger that Couric would question releasing a movie about the nativity at Christmas time as somehow being offensive to non-Christians. Is she thinking non-Christians don't recognize the religious roots of the holiday? And are we forcing people to go see religious movies these days?

I'm sure there's a segment of the population who dislike any portrayal of Christians as anything other than hypocrites and murderers. But this is, after all, a pluralistic society. Doesn't that mean we get the choice to see positive portrayals of religious people, too?