I should state that I was raised Catholic. I practiced until I hit high school and then slowly faded away from the church. Not that I was ever eager to wake up at an ungodly hour on a Sunday morning — I spent most of my time in church wondering who was going to win the Bears game.

But I do remember attending CCD after school on Wednesdays. We used to fill out these workbooks that had cute little cartoons of the Stations of the Cross. A little, nicely groomed Jesus would carry the cross from station to station and we would learn of all his good deeds.

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This is why “Passion of the Christ,” the new film that details the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ, is so important. It puts a picture on the suffering and torment this man went through for the sins of humanity, much more than any workbook ever could.

I had every intention to walk into this movie with an objective mind. Instead of worrying about the religious controversies over who washes whose hands or if this or that line had been struck from the script, I would evaluate this film on its ability to entertain or achieve the objectives of its director, Mel Gibson.

And sitting in that theater on an Ash Wednesday afternoon, I saw his success. With each lashing that would tear flesh from Jesus’ back, a sob could be heard from a new area in the theater. People really love this man, and in some strange way, it’s comforting to see there is an individual that would go through so much more than any of us, just for the greater good of human kind.

“The Passion of the Christ” has been a labor of love for Mel Gibson. It’s the project he’s been dreaming to make for a big part of his life. But since the announcement of its creation, the film has been riddled with controversy surrounding anti-Semitism.

This film is not anti-Semitic. Sure, the Jewish high priests are the ones who see to it Christ ends up in the hands of the brutish Romans. They even lead the angry mob that calls for Christ’s crucifixion.

But the real sadism comes from the hands of the Romans, who savagely humiliate and torture an innocent Jesus. We see a disgusting 10-minute scene in which Jesus receives 33 horrid lashings that rape the skin from his back. And once the skin is all but gone from his backside, he is ordered to flip over so he can be whipped until he is skinned on his front.

But as he marches down the street with his cross, we see Jew after Jew weep for his soul. The majority of the Jewish people in this film are objecting to the treatment of Christ. While those hellbent on keeping this controversy alive no doubt will, I believe the majority of viewers will walk away feeling that no one race is responsible for the death of Christ.

Another controversial topic surrounding the film is the ultra-violent content. Now, movie violence doesn’t seem to affect me too much. But during the lashing scene, I found it difficult to stay in my seat. That any man, let alone Jesus Christ, would have to suffer such consequences for any crime was simply unimaginable. “The Passion of the Christ” gives such a notion a visual life.

The brutal realism of this film should be credited to the makeup/effects creator Keith VanderLaan. Notice the care that is put into each sore on Jesus’ body, or the perfect shade of bruise that covers his swollen eye. Watch when Christ finishes his climb to the top of the fateful hill and is forced to de-robe. The garment sticks to his open sores and has to be ripped from his body by Roman soldiers, all while he screams in agony. For the audience, another shocking moment; for a makeup/effects producer, pure brilliance.

The same could be said for the cinematography and set design, all of which lead the audience right back into ancient times. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel uses deep, saturated blues to supply impending doom to the last few moments of Christ’s life as a free man. After his capture, the film gets brighter, switching to pale greens and magentas. Judging from Deschanel’s cues, we’re led to believe along the way that this film is not coming to an end, but a new beginning.

And this is what Gibson so desperately wants to accomplish with this film. He wants people to remember what so many have forgotten — Jesus paid a terrible price for humanity, but in death, he will live on.

Other than the gritty realism, there is one other notable moment in this film. We see a flashback in which Jesus is seen building a table while his mother Mary watches. She comes outside to criticize Jesus for building his table too high, to which he playfully answers, “We’ll build high chairs.” Such a thing will never take, says Mary, who orders Jesus to come inside. While washing his hands, he playfully splashes water into Mary’s face and the two smile as they enter the house.

“The Passion of the Christ” will mean something different to everyone. “The Passion” showed me a side of Jesus that the Catholic church never could. I always saw Jesus as a lecturer who would be quick to tell you what’s wrong or what’s right. For the first time in my 23 years of life, I saw Jesus laugh. Whether Jesus was a character that would playfully act as a scene in “The Passion of the Christ” suggests is up for its viewers to decide.

A smiling Jesus is an image that I will remember over all of the carnage and bloodshed that this film will be lauded for. It’s one of the many unforgettable images that the millions of viewers who see this film will experience.

Whether you believe or not, “The Passion of the Christ” is a rare film that extorts all kinds of emotions from it’s audience. It might not change your life, but it’s worth the try.