On the eve of the release of this summer’s most anticipated blockbuster, Christian groups around the world have taken stances against the release of “The Da Vinci Code.”

Groups from South Korea, Thailand, Greece and India have boycotted the premiere of the film at the Cannes Film Festival Wednesday. Protests included hunger strikes and protesters demanding that segments of the film be censored.

With the movie premiering in Ames Friday, local churches and Christian groups look toward the film’s release with a combination of fear and anticipation.

The “Da Vinci Code’s” infamous story line, praised for its jaw-dropping and thrilling detail, stakes the claim that Jesus Christ was in fact not divine and that he married Mary Magdalene, the prostitute-turned-follower-of-Christ after he cast seven demons from her in Luke 8:2, and with her had a child.

In a country that – according to national census – is more than 75 percent Christian, controversy has arisen in regard to the ideas portrayed in Dan Brown’s plot, but some see the film’s release as more an opportunity.

“I see this as an opportunity for us to look at what we do believe,” said Brad Barrett, pastor of Stonebrook Community Church, 3611 Eisenhower Ave. “How do we sort through truth and error?”

Barrett said the church will use the movie’s release as a springboard into this Sunday’s sermon, talking about “The Da Vinci Code” and jumping from there into the topic of finding truth.

The church has asked its congregation to pray that “The Da Vinci Code” will spur people into finding truth, using a quote from Tom Hanks: “Put a sign in front of a church saying you will be preaching the gospel and you’ll get a dozen people to come. Put a sign out saying you’ll be discussing ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and you’ll get 800 to show up.”

Although much media attention on the film has been devoted to Tom Hank’s haircut, much of the nation’s Christian population has been busy at work dispelling the myths of the story line. Regardless of the book being categorized as fiction, a large population of proclaimed Christians have reported not having enough knowledge to be able to dispel fact from fiction, and several Ames churches, such as Stonebrook, have been taking precautions to ensure their congregations don’t go into the movie blind.

On Tuesday night, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 2210 Lincoln Way, had a discussion panel with local experts to talk about the book and answer the questions of confused congregation members.

Another panel took place Wednesday at the Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave. David Hunter, professor of religious studies and member of the panel, said the movie is only a threat if people buy in to the fictionalizations that the story presents as fact.

“Unfortunately, part of Brown’s tactic in the book has been not to present pure fiction, but to offer a mixture of fact and fiction which he then claims is fact,” Hunter said. “Only a knowledgeable historian can separate out the facts from the fiction. That’s why specialist responses to the book have been necessary.”

Several scholars have reacted to the novel by publishing books pointing out historical flaws in its plot line. One example, “A Quest For Answers: The Da Vinci Code” by biblical scholar Josh McDowell, highlighted in literature distributed to the congregation of Stonebrook. In the text, McDowell points out several of the historical inaccuracies in Brown’s plot.

“True historical data holds no skeletons for belief,” he said, emphasizing that interested individuals should be able to determine fact from fiction if they do their homework.

Will Hatfield, pastor of Campus Baptist Church, 57011 US Highway 30, said he has done research regarding allegations in “The Da Vinci Code.”

“I’ve read the book, I’ve read some other materials that have responded to the book, I’ve worked up a Powerpoint presentation that I’ve presented,” he said. Hatfield said the topic is worth looking into judging by the amount of Christians saying that the book has challenged their faith.

“Within our own congregation, I’m not concerned personally,” he said. “We know it’s fiction. The polls say otherwise. They say that there are many people confused. A good percentage of people are reporting that this is a challenge to our faith.”

Although Christians are worrying about the film’s potential damage, Dan Brown was quoted in “The Da Vinci Code: A Companion Guide To The Movie” saying he hopes the movie will spark interest in spiritual topics.

“My hope for ‘The Da Vinci Code’ was – in addition to entertaining people – that it might serve as an open door for readers to begin their own explorations and rekindle their interest in topics of faith,” Brown said, according to the companion guide.

Hatfield said he sees the film as an opportunity to discuss true history with those who want to pursue it.

Hunter recommends resear-ching for one’s self.

He does, however, think that controversy over Hank’s haircut in the movie is valid.

“In the pictures I have seen, he looks pretty silly. But since he’s playing a very silly character, perhaps it is appropriate.”