There's nothing like free advertising!

By César G. Soriano, USA TODAY
In The Da Vinci Code, historian Leigh Teabing warns that revealing the "truth" about the Holy Grail will create a crisis of faith in the Catholic Church.
The "truth," of course, is that the story is fiction. But today's release of the big-budget film has prompted protests around the world.

Some have labeled as blasphemous the book's premise: that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and they had a child, creating a bloodline that still exists. It also portrays some members of Opus Dei, a conservative Roman Catholic group, as murderous villains.

In the USA, Christian clergy and scholars have produced more than four dozen books and countless websites to pick apart the premises of the book and film.

"It represents the most serious attack on Christianity I've ever known in 30 years of ministry," says the Rev. Erwin Lutzer, author of The Da Vinci Deception. Though some have called for a boycott, he sees this as an opportunity to talk about what the Bible says about Jesus. "Historic Christianity has nothing whatever to fear from The Da Vinci Code. All the good arguments are on our side."

But as Da Vinci opens in the USA today, protests have begun:

• In India, government censors Thursday cleared the film without cuts but slapped on an adult rating and ordered disclaimers noting it is fiction in response to complaints from Christians and Muslims, who had demanded a ban. India's broadcasting ministry says today's release may be delayed while disclaimers are added.

• In Thailand, the film opened on schedule Thursday after the government's censorship board overturned an earlier decision. But it ordered disclaimers saying that the film is fictional.

• In China, the film opened uncut Thursday, despite a boycott call by China's Roman Catholic church, which has no ties to the Vatican.

• In Moscow, Russian Orthodox protesters picketed theaters, denouncing the film as an "insult."

• In South Korea and Singapore, courts have rejected calls to ban the film, citing freedom of expression. The Christian Council of Korea is calling for a boycott.

• In the Philippines, where 81% of the population is Roman Catholic, Cardinal Guadencio Rosales denounced the film as "an attack on the divinity of Jesus Christ," launched "for love of money."

In Britain, a nationwide survey last week found that 59% of Britons believe there is some truth to Da Vinci Code; 36% who read the book believe the Catholic Church is conspiring to hide the truth.

"People are taking this stuff seriously," says Jack Valero, a spokesman for Opus Dei in London. "We don't take the book seriously." He says Opus Dei has received several inquiries from people wanting to join as a result of the publicity.