Mel Gibson’s filmThe Passion of The Christhas sparked debate and controversy, while posting record five-day box office sales since its opening.

The blockbuster movie will be the topic of a panel discussion,A Forum on Mel Gibson’s �€~The Passion of The Christ,’hosted by West Virginia University’s Program for Religious Studies Wednesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. in the Mountainlair Gluck Theatre. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Ted Vehse, religious studies lecturer at WVU , will moderate the discussion. Other panelists will be:

• Rabbi David Feder , Tree of Life Congregation, Morgantown

• Rev. Donald X. Higgs , St. John University Parish

• Dr. Daniel Borsay , lecturer, Religious Studies, WVU

• Dr. Aaron Gale , assistant professor, Religious Studies, WVU

The Program for Religious Studies in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences meets the needs of WVU students by offering instruction in many world religions including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In addition, the program offers courses dealing with other diverse topics such as ethics, biblical studies and the history of evil. This panel discussion serves as one of the ways in which the Program for Religious Studies seeks to address issues of interest within the WVU community.

For more information about the program, call Dr. Richard Montgomery, director, 304-293-3641 ext. 301.