PORTLAND – Religious groups brought contrasting messages to the 20th annual Southern Maine Pride Parade, a colorful float-filled procession through the downtown area put on by the local gay community.

While several area churches participated in the parade Saturday, the Christian Civic League of Maine filmed the event and said it planned to post the footage on its Web site.

The league, a leading opponent of gay rights legislation in Maine, stirred controversy when it announced plans for the filming and said it would post a list of public officials who attended the parade.

The filming was done by Michael Hein of Augusta, who described the league’s presence as a “Christian witness action,” rather than a protest.

He said the documentary is intended to expose Christians who were unlikely to attend a gay pride event to the “immorality” that occurs at such celebrations.

Church leaders who took part in the parade characterized the league’s approach as misguided.

“The central message of Jesus, and really the whole Bible, is to love each other,” said the Rev. Dr. Mykel Johnson of Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church in Portland.