First, "The Passion of the Christ." Now, the torment of the Easter Bunny?

It may not have been as gruesome as Mel Gibson's movie, but parents and children got upset when a church trying to teach about Jesus' Crucifixion performed an Easter show with actors whipping the Easter bunny and breaking eggs.

People who attended Saturday's show at a local stadium quoted performers as saying: "There is no Easter Bunny," and described the show as being a demonstration of how Jesus was crucified.

Melissa Salzmann, who brought her 4-year-old son J.T., said the program was inappropriate for young children.

"He was crying and asking me why the bunny was being whipped," she said.

"It was very disturbing," said Jennifer Norelli-Burke, another parent.

Patty Bickerton, the youth minister at Glassport Assembly of God who portrayed the Easter rabbit, said the performance was not meant to be offensive.