Voting with Your Dollar

So yeah... The Da Vinci Code is coming out in theatres this Friday. But then, you all knew that by now... I'm just the guy that comes in and announces the event to make himself feel important, even though it's too late to do any good. I've never claimed to specialize in 'breaking news.'

Too much pressure.

Anyway, I have a job for all my faithful blog readers: When The Da Vinci Code comes out, let's all... well, let's ignore it. If you really need a reason, then just listen to Brandon Booth of Worldview Academy, who says this:

In just a few short days the movie “The Da Vinci Code” is coming to theaters. What will you do?

If you’re smart, you’ll ignore it... Don’t vote for it with your dollars and tell Hollywood that you want more of this garbage. You don’t have to be vocal about it, just quietly treat it the way you treat the National Inquirer in the checkout isle, pass by it with a chuckle.

Oh, and if you want to read the book, borrow it please.

Fair enough, I'd say. I've always thought the uproar about The Da Vinci Code was a bit overkill, since it's just a book (and now a movie) that is repeating a theory that's been around for quite a long time. I think we'd do a lot more good if we ignored the book and movie rather than working ourselves into a frenzy about it. That way, we could focus our energy on defending ourselves against the ideas that this work of fiction could conceivably propogate.

Dan Brown had every right to write the book, which he admits is a work of fiction. Ron Howard had every right to direct the movie. If you don't like it, I would suggest exercising your own rights: Namely, the right to ignore the book and movie, and the right to prepare yourself to defend against its inaccurate portrayal of Christ.

Please note that this doesn't mean shouting about how stupid and untrue the book is. Fiction generally is untrue, and getting upset about this fact might be a bit counterproductive. You might also avoid trying to get the book banned, as I'm sure there are many books which are far more offensive than The Da Vinci Code sitting on your local bookstore's shelves.

So let's just ignore it. We'll ignore the book, and we'll ignore the movie, and if people start believing that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and that French Royalty was descended from them, then we'll explain how those ideas are untrue, and how a recent book that was admittedly fictitious makes a poor foundation for one's theology.

Ignoring The Da Vinci Code is the most effective way of opposing it. And it's rather thrifty too, because if you ignore it, you will save money. On the other hand, buying an admission ticket, or making signs to thrust in the face of those who do, requires money.

And then there's the gas it takes to get to the theatre in the first place. Gas prices are killer.

And driving kills the environment. Trees die.

And don't we all have better things to do with our time anyway?

So please, ignore the movie. Do it for the trees.