Days away from the worldwide premiere of ‘‘The Da Vinci Code,’’ protests and calls for boycotts are rising up around the world, causing some to say that the demonstrations against the movie will actually spark greater interest in the controversial film rather than keep people away from the box office.
"I would speculate that warnings from religious leaders will have an impact on only the most faithful, and they are the ones least likely to be influenced by such a film anyway," said Claudio Batestella, an author and marketing professor at Roma Tre University, to Reuters on Tuesday. "For the average Christian, I think the temptation may be to go see the film to figure out what is creating all the controversy."
Christian reactions to the film have ranged from encouragement to see the movie and use it as an evangelistic tool to street protests and calls for boycotting the film.
"Obviously, the story has touched a nerve among Christians," said the Rev. Alistair Sear, a church historian and theologian to Reuters. "There's no doubt that the story is rife with inaccuracies and misconceptions. The question is: What is the best way to combat these problems?"
On Monday, Christian church groups in Thailand spoke out and urged the government to ban the movie, saying that the story could mislead Thais, according to The Associated Press.
"If this movie is screened in Thailand, it will cause misunderstanding among Thai people who don't know about Christianity," said Manote Changmook of the Thailand Protestant Churches Committee to AP on Tuesday. "We're worried that young Thai Christians will come and say to us, 'So does this mean Jesus wasn't God? Jesus had a wife?' "
More than 90 percent of Thailand's 65 million people are Buddhists and less than one per cent Christian.
In India, complaints against the film forced the government on Tuesday to put a temporary hold on the release of “The Da Vinci Code,” in order to address concerns before the film is opened to the public. Prior to the decision, several Catholic groups threatened to stage street demonstrations and even to shut down cinema halls screening the film. Joining in the call on Monday was the All-India Sunni Jamiyat-ul-Ulema, a powerful organization of Indian Islamic clerics, which promised to help Christian groups launch protests if the authorities did not ban the screening of the film. The clerics said "The Da Vinci Code" is blasphemous as it spreads lies about Jesus, who the Koran recognizes as a prophet.
Also on Tuesday, a South Korean court rejected the petition of the Christian Council of Korea which sought to ban the movie in the country, saying that the film was “blasphemy” against the Christian faith according to Agence France-Presse. The court cited freedom of expression as reason for its action, adding that the work was clearly fiction.
"There is little possibility of the film misleading the viewers to believe the film's contents are based on facts," the court ruled.
"And ordinary members of this society already have their own concrete perception concerning the life of Jesus Christ and Christianity and it is hardly likely that these will be changed because of the movie."
In Greece, Romania and Russia, Orthodox Christian leaders meanwhile criticized the movie from the pulpit, Reuters reported.
According to some, protests against the “Da Vinci” film have caused the opposite effect on moviegoers, sparking curiosity and interest in those that may not have originally planned to see the film.
Pier Antonio Rizzo, 22, believes that "Da Vinci" will become the most popular film this year because of the controversy, according to Reuters.
"Every time someone speaks out against the film, it is like free advertising," Rizzo said. "Everyone I know is curious to see it."
Bank worker Antonella Silvestre, 38, agreed with Rizzo.
"I usually don't go to historical films," she told Reuters. "But this one is getting so much attention that now I want to go and see it."
Michelle Vu
Christian Today Correspondent