This week’s theatrical release of “The Da Vinci Code” is once again bringing to life the question: What happens when pop culture and religion collide?
The answer is simple: It depends on how reaffirming the pop culture development is to one’s deeply held religious beliefs.
OK, so maybe it’s not that simple.
But it’s true.
Movies such as “The Passion of the Christ” and “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” get nothing but praise from the religious community and pull in hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office, sometimes getting screenings inside churches.
Apparently, that’s Hollywood at its best.
When something a little less laudatory comes along, it presents a showdown of biblical proportions.
But in the end, nobody loses.
The more we talk about religion in light of the release of the “The Da Vinci Code,” the greater the opportunity for believers to evangelize. And some can even make a little money on the side.
A simple search for “Da Vinci Code” on Amazon.com will bring up a copy of Dan Brown’s bestselling novel, on which the new movie is based, but also a slew of books by religious folks seizing the chance to deliver the “truth” about Brown’s tale.
So, why all the fuss?
Many Christians believe that other people – you know, the kind of people who are easily swayed by something they read in a book – won’t be able to separate the movie’s fiction from what they believe is the truth.
Canada’s CanWest News Service last month commissioned a poll to find out how many people believe Jesus Christ’s death was faked and that he married and had children, which is the book’s main premise.
The results were published in a story by the National Post.
The poll showed that 17 percent of Canadians believe Brown’s premise.
Of course, at least that many Canadians believe curling is fun to watch on TV, so …
The poll, when Americans were added, found that 13 percent believe Brown’s fictional premise.
Looking further into the numbers, we find that 8 percent of self-identified Christians believed it, compared to 31 percent of non-Christians.
So, what’s the response?
Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network has a special section of its Web site devoted to the book and the movie, of course making great use of the iconic Mona Lisa painting that adorns the cover, and offering brochures on how to respond to people when talking about the movie.
Some Roman Catholic cardinals have urged a boycott of the film and one, Cardinal Francis Arinze, who was among the final papal candidates last year, has called for some type of legal action.
The wisest of the bunch, though, are choosing to simply ignore it to avoid giving the movie more publicity.
Better yet, rather than worry about a movie at all, why not take the $9 that might have gone toward an overpriced movie ticket and use it to, I don’t know, feed the hungry or clothe the naked?
Columnist Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.
To honor the Black Eyed Peas’ visit to Everett on Monday night, and because not many groups are named after legumes, here are my picks for bands named after produce:
5. Blind Melon.
4. The Cranberries.
3. Korn.
2. The Smashing Pumpkins.
1. Proon. You may not have heard of this one, but we rocked Sacramento, Calif., from 1998 to 2001.
Victor Balta
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