Never one to shy away from controversy, Madonna is at it again with her current “Confessions” world tour.

During one segment of her performance, the Material Girl sings while suspended from a giant cross and wearing a crown of thorns. The scene has prompted sharp responses from the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches, especially overseas, but generated lukewarm responses among the American public.

Forty-five percent (45%) of respondents to a recent Rasmussen Reports survey about the pop star say they’ve read, seen or heard about the segment; 51% have not (see crosstabs).

Forty-one percent (41%) of the 1,000 adults surveyed say they consider the scene offensive. Thirty-two percent (32%) disagree.

The singer claims that the staged crucifixion is not an attempt to mock religion, but rather her “plea to the audience to encourage mankind to help one another and to see the world as a unified whole.” A majority of survey respondents (55%) don’t buy that explanation and believe the scene is meant solely for publicity. Only 16% believe Madonna’s explanation is sincere.

NBC, which plans to air a concert special in November based on the “Confessions” tour, is deciding whether to include footage of the crucifixion scene in its broadcast. Sixty-six percent (66%) of those surveyed say they would not watch a Madonna concert on television and 21% say they would.

The majority of respondents do not classify themselves as Madonna fans, which could account for their lack of interest in her latest controversy. Fifty-six percent (56%) report unfavorable opinions of the singer with 25% saying they have “very unfavorable” opinions of her. Thirty-two percent (32%) feel favorably toward Madonna, but only 5% are at the highest extreme.

Compared to other celebrities in the news lately, Madonna's favorable ratings fall quite a bit below the average. In a recent survey, Rasmussen Reports asked about five very visible celebrities, with 53% reponding that they view Jennifer Aniston favorably, 41% view both Vince Vaughn and Brad Pitt favorably, 32% view Tom Cruise favorably, and 13% view Paris Hilton favorably. Other recent surveys found that 46% have favorable opinions of both Angelina Jolie and Katie Couric, while 56% view Mel Gibson favorably despite his much publicized problems.

Madonna’s 60-date, 4-month tour wrapped up on September 21 in Japan. “Confessions” was the highest-grossing tour ever by a female artist, generating nearly $194 million and attracting 1.2 million fans.

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