Religious Leaders Decry Movies, TV : Entertainment: A ‘statement of concern’ sent to studios and networks cites increasing incidences of ‘anti-Christian bigotry.’

Charging that there is “anti-Christian bigotry” in movies and television shows, a group of 800 individuals, including leaders from more than 50 religious denominations, have sent a “statement of concern” to the corporate chiefs of the major studios and networks.

“During the past several years, there has been an increasing number of television programs and movies containing anti-Christian bigotry. This situation must end,” said Donald Wildmon, a United Methodist minister and head of the Tupelo, Miss.-based American Family Assn., which sent out the letter.

Wildmon said the group is not threatening a boycott at the moment. “If (the letter) falls on deaf ears, that would be most unfortunate,” he said. “It would mean we would have to rethink our strategy.”

Only one of the studios or television networks could confirm it had received the letter as of Wednesday. A Paramount Pictures spokesman said that the studio would have no immediate comment.

The statement of concern cited such movies as Paramount Pictures’ “Ghost,” Universal Pictures’ “Problem Child” and 20th Century Fox’s “Nuns on the Run” as containing “anti-Christian bigotry.” Among TV shows cited are specific episodes of ABC’s “MacGyver,” NBC’s “Matlock” and “Cheers,” and CBS’ “Knots Landing.”

In the example of “Ghost,” the letter asserts that the character of the psychic medium Oda Mae, played by Oscar nominee Whoopi Goldberg, “deceives viewers into thinking there is some other form of salvation than Jesus Christ.”

“Furthermore, it mocks Christianity . . . She is a fraudulent medium and a known con artist.”

In an telephone interview from his Tupelo office, Wildmon reacted to a question about how seriously one should take Goldberg’s character. He said that he and the other letter signers “do have a sense of humor.” However, he said he could not comment on the specifics of “Ghost,” which he said he had not seen.

Wildmon said that the issue is not limited to “Ghost” or any of the other shows or movies cited. “Overall, there is a complete lack of balance. That’s what we’re complaining about.

“Give me one example of a loving and caring Christian in the movies,” Wildmon said.

His comments echoed the letter, which stated: “Rarely on programs or movies cast in a modern-day setting are Christians shown in a neutral, much less positive, manner,”

Wildmon said the list of offending TV shows was compiled by people in his office and the movies were reviewed by Ted Baehr, the head of an Atlanta-based ministry called Good News Communications, which publishes what is described as “a biblical guide to the movies.”

Wildmon’s AFA has been outspoken in the last few years about Christian values in the media. It has instituted boycotts against sponsors of TV shows that it feels contain high incidents of sex and violence.

Recently, the AFA threatened to boycott the nation’s largest video rental chain, Blockbuster Video, until it agreed not to stock movies with the adults-only “NC-17” label, which the AFA says is the same as the film industry’s former “X” rating. Subsequently, Blockbuster announced that it would no longer stock NC-17-rated films, but said the decision was unrelated to the threatened boycott.

Among the signers are the Rev. John Holland, president of the Los Angeles-based International Church of the Foursquare; the Rev. Lou Sheldon, president of the Anaheim-based Coalition for Traditional Values; Bill Bright, founder-president of the Campus Crusade for Christ in San Bernardino, and Duane Gish, vice president of the Institute for Creation Research in El Cajon. The list also includes some Roman Catholic bishops, among them Archbishop Anthony J. Bevilacqua of Philadelphia and bishop Donald W. Montrose of Stockton.

Times Staff Writer John Dart contributed to this article.