Chasing the Wind

Am I boycotting the “Da Vinci Code” movie? Or am I just refusing to go see it? The nuance is hard to discern.

Christians Plan Boycott of ‘Da Vinci Code’
by Robert B. Bluey
Posted May 04, 2006

Christian activists are planning a boycott of the soon-to-be-released Da Vinci Code movie, which one influential pro-family group is calling “blasphemous.”

Dr. Ted Baehr, founder and publisher of Movieguide.org and chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission, is asking Christians to sign a petition condemning the movie. The petition accuses Sony Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, director Ron Howard and actor Tom Hanks of supporting a film that is offensive to Christians.

The movie, according to Baehr, is “fraught with misconceptions and blatantly false claims about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the history of Christianity, and the Catholic Church.”

This isn’t the first time Dan Brown’s work has come under attack from Christians. Last week a top official at the Vatican asked Catholics to boycott the movie. And in anticipation of the May 19 movie, David Balsinger has produced his own film called The Da Vinci Code Deception, which purports to debunk “Brown’s outrageous lies about Jesus Christ and His Church.”

Movieguide.org was created by Baehr to help families make decisions about movies and other forms of entertainment. The organization critiques movies, as it has done with a white paper on The Da Vinci Code, and pressures media executives to offer pro-family entertainment options.

The following is an open letter Baehr sent to his followers:

WE CHOOSE NOT TO SUPPORT BLASPHEMY

An open letter to Christians and people of good will about the upcoming film, The Da Vinci Code

We the undersigned are on record that we will not buy movie tickets for the film, The Da Vinci Code. The director Ron Howard has promised he is being faithful to the bestselling novel as he adapts it to the big screen. That means the movie will likely be blasphemous, just as the book is.

The book is a novel but in telling its story, it makes massive claims about Jesus Christ — that He was not divine, that He was secretly married, and that the “New Testament is false propaganda.” We recognize that while the movie may give Christians a good opportunity to talk about faith issues, millions of people — not familiar in the least with the Gospels — could be spiritually poisoned with “false propaganda” against Christ. This is especially true of children.

Since every movie ticket purchased is a VOTE, saying, “Yes, Hollywood, make more movies like this!,” we choose not to buy a ticket for this movie. We choose not to support the blasphemy. While recognizing this is an issue of conscience and that people of good will may differ on how to approach the film, this is how we choose to act. And we ask Christians and all people of good will to consider doing likewise.

P.S. — If you need more information to be familiar with the story to intelligently discuss it with your parishioners or acquaintances, please seek out good information. These sites will help you: www.thetruthaboutdavinci.com and www.davinciantidote.com. Or get the Da Vinci Code White Paper at www.movieguide.org.

Signed:
Dr. Ted Baehr

Mr. Bluey is editor of Human Events Online.