Da Vinci, Okay - Rebuttal, No Way

From LifeSite News:
The Canadian Movie Theater chain Cineplex Odeon abruptly cancelled a planned in-theater advertising campaign by Campus Crusade for Christ May 17. Valued at more than $60,000, the ads were part of the organization's program encouraging the public to view The Da Vinci Code movie and explore religious issues raised by the film.

"We're very disappointed the movie chain cancelled our ads without any discussion or verification regarding our plans," said Campus Crusade Marketing Director Braden Douglas.

The Langley, BC-based organization had produced a 10-sec movie screen teaser ad encouraging the public to visit a special website - http://www.discussdavinci.com/ - to explore and discuss religious beliefs and questions raised by the film. The ads were scheduled to run in theaters in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Toronto.

"Aside from the obvious concern for free speech, our campaign is a thoughtful and positive one with messaging that the public will find interesting," Douglas said. "Judging by the public's response so far, people are eager to explore their religious faith, which we believe is a positive step."

Douglas said Campus Crusade has seen a dramatic rise in visits to its websites and sold more than 30,000 booklets on the topic through its bookstore and website. In addition, he said churches across Canada have been requesting and have been shipped thousands of books, discussion guides and posters on The Da Vinci Code.

He added that volunteers from the organization are still looking forward to handing out web cards at theaters and in public venues to try and further their information campaign.

To express concerns to Cineplex Odeon:
1-800-333-0061 (Option 8)
Cineplex Entertainment LP
Guest Services
1303 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario M4T 2Y9
https://www.cineplex.com/feedbackzone/fbzall.asp?nav=c&n..

See the banned ad here:
http://davinci.thelife.com/2006/05/17/bannedtheatread/

One wonders about the reasons for the cancellation. Only two come immediately to mind. First, they may have decided that anything which questions the veracity of TDVC might impact their bottom line. Second, they may simply be more interested in promoting that which denigrates Christianity than in what is or isn’t the truth. After all, this is Canada – very much the Brave New World – and questions of truth and falsehood are so passé in our postmodern world.

At the risk of exhibiting both a sinful level of cynicism and a pathological level of paranoia, the second possible reason seems more likely – it is hard to see how anything that increases the level of controversy over one of their movies could be anything but an economic win for them.

Speaking of paranoia, it might be fun to write a novel about the secret forces at work producing and promoting things like The Da Vinci Code and the Gospel of Judas – The Da Vinci Code Code! I can see it now. Deep in the sewers – I mean, catacombs - beneath the offices of the Episcopal Church, USA, a secret meeting of Opus Satani orders a deformed monk (oddly resembling Michael Moore) to assassinate Dan Brown before he can reveal the group’s secret agenda to convince the world that the Presiding Bishop is the sole living descendant of Jesus and St. Mary Magdalene. An inadvertent witness to the murder is plunged into a desperate search to determine where they’ve hidden the tabernacles in modern churches. In the process he uncovers the stunning secret behind the image of “Our Lady of the Angels” in the LA Cathedral and its strange resemblance to the Minbari ambassador Delenn from Babylon 5.