As movie nears, churches trying to debunk novel

It has been read on beach blankets around the world, has inspired book-length rebuttals, and has rocked the publishing world.

Now, as the movie version of ''The Da Vinci Code" is poised to open nationwide next week, some churches are trying to debunk the theological theories at the heart of the blockbuster thriller.

The Roman Catholic diocese in New Hampshire -- where the book's author, Dan Brown, lives -- will hold 10 forums around the state in June to offer its beliefs. Boston Catholic Television plans to air ''Cracking the Code," a program parrying assertions made in the book and movie. And the weekend the movie debuts, some local Baptist churches are hosting a broadcast of the Church Communication Network's program countering the book's version of Christian history.

''The key to reading to 'The Da Vinci Code' is to remember that it's a work of fiction," said Elizabeth Feren, a Hooksett, N.H., parishioner who will lead some of the forums. ''He's really describing fiction as fact."

The response to ''The Da Vinci Code" is starkly different from the way many church leaders reacted to the 1988 movie, ''The Last Temptation of Christ." Many evangelical Christians picketed that movie, which portrayed a sexual relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, calling it a work of blasphemy.

Instead, many pastors and theologians see ''The Da Vinci Code," which opens May 19 starring Tom Hanks, as a chance to teach church history. A recent poll by Leadership, a magazine for pastors, found that 53 percent of respondents said they were planning an event related to the movie.

''It's kind of one of these moments where the Catholic Church and its history and tradition is just intersecting with popular culture," said Kelley Spoerl, chairman of the theology department at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.

''It's a moment to point out where Mr. Brown is drawing on real facts about the Catholic Church and its teaching and tradition and where Mr. Brown is not drawing on facts," she said.

The book begins with a mysterious death in the Louvre in Paris, when a Harvard University professor who specializes in symbols is drawn into the investigation. As the professor tries to break a centuries-old code involving Da Vinci's artwork, he delves into a secret history of Christianity.

Among the book's controversial plot points: that Jesus's divinity was invented after his death for political reasons; that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were secretly married; that their lineage continues into the modern times; and that the Vatican has suppressed women for centuries.

Some who object to Brown's portrayal of early Christianity argue that the way he weaves real-life institutions into his novel -- such as Opus Dei, a conservative Catholic group -- may confuse some moviegoers.

Spoerl -- who will participate in several of the forums sponsored by the Diocese of Manchester, which includes New Hampshire -- sees many inaccuracies in the novel's portrayal of early Christianity. She has read the book twice, and plans to see the movie, perhaps during its opening weekend.

''Popular culture is a huge force in our society," she said. ''It's a huge influence on my students. I don't really feel it would be responsible as an educator to opt out of paying attention to those things."

Plus, she added, ''I like Tom Hanks."

Neither Brown nor his publisher, Random House, could be reached for comment yesterday. But on his website, Brown emphasizes that his book is a work of fiction. Still, he says there, some of the theories discussed by his characters ''may have merit."

''My hope in writing this novel was that the story would serve as a catalyst and a springboard for people to discuss the important topics of faith, religion, and history," says Brown, who describes himself as a Christian.

The book has sold 46 million copies around the world, but the Catholic Church across the country is taking the offensive, fearing that the heavily promoted movie will give much wider credibility to the novel's plot, which also asserts that a secret society has been protecting that truth about Mary Magdalene.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has made a documentary and created a website, both called ''Jesus Decoded," to offer its point-by-point response. The website features priests and academics who quote Bible verses and scholarly research in an attempt to debunk the theories in the novel.

The conference's documentary will be distributed to NBC stations later this month. Most stations, including those in Massachusetts, have not yet agreed to show the documentary, according to the conference's website.

But those that have are not giving it prime air time: Maine stations in Portland and Bangor plan to air the documentary at 1 a.m. on July 9.

Boston Catholic Television is airing two programs on ''The Da Vinci Code." The series ''Blink" features a discussion between two professors and an author, talking about theological issues raised in the book: the divinity of Jesus, the Last Supper, sex, and Christianity. And the station is also airing a six-part miniseries on the Christian view of theories in the book.

''The Da Vinci Code is a story," said Sean Ward, a publicist for the station, run by the Archdiocese of Boston. ''Dan Brown is telling his side, and this is the Christian Catholic side."

Kathleen Burge can be reached at kburge@globe.com.