We can do better than stand back and watch this happen.

Too many times, Christians of all stripes have been the object of ridicule and distortion in Hollywood productions. The Christian community has been the favorite whipping-boy of an entertainment industry that has profiteered too often off portraying people of faith as evil, intolerant and hypocritical. And now, in another tragic benchmark, the Sony Pictures release, The Da Vinci Code, attacks the very divinity of Jesus Christ, undermines the supernatural origins of the Scriptures, and maligns the Church as a murderous procurator of lies.

Boycotts rarely achieve desired results. PR campaigns can work, but they require extensive time and resources. But is there anything else can we do?

The answer is “Yes!” Hollywood, meet the first-ever organized Christian Other-cott.

A what? An Other-cott, in which Christians all over the world flex our consumer dollars by supporting an alternate project on the weekend that The Da Vinci Code opens. It's a strategy that is smart, because it understands that the main thing that impacts Hollywood is money. It's also satisfying, because it gives us something to do beside sitting on the side-lines whining and complaining because we don't have the power to do something.

We do have power. As we saw with The Passion of the Christ, when we stand together, the Christian audience can make a movie a global phenomenon. By intentionally diverting our dollars - and especially our kids' dollars – we can certainly make Sony Pictures regret they decided to target Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church.

Sony Pictures has been brilliant in marketing The Da Vinci Code. They actually hired some Christians to promote this terrible film as an opportunity for “dialogue” about Jesus. In an effort to be open to evangelizing opportunities, lots of well-meaning Christians have taken the bait. But it's all a scam. Sony Pictures doesn't care a whit about religious dialogue. Their main motivation is increasing the bottom line. And if they can do it by slamming Christians, all the better.

There really is only one question for followers of Christ during this pivotal moment: Do you think it's appropriate to reward Sony Pictures with hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office for blaspheming Jesus Christ in such a flagrant and outrageous way?

The fact is this: If we support the movie we reward Sony for its effort. If we just squeeze our eyes shut and try and ignore the movie, Sony wins again by default. They still win the all-important opening weekend, probably because millions of Christians will pump their money into The Da Vinci Code coffers. And with the huge success of The Da Vinci Code, we will have to brace ourselves for a spate of worse and worse films trying to cash in by attacking our faith.

We can do better than stand back and watch this happen.

Roll up your sleeves. With the input of Christian professionals in Hollywood, we have come up with 10 “other” things you can do besides going to see this blasphemous movie and paying Sony Pictures for the privilege.

Here is a list of 10 things you can do on or before May 19th:

1. Go see another movie, such as Over The Hedge, on May 19th and send a message to Hollywood that you will not tolerate your faith getting maligned in such an overt manner. Hollywood “rates”
movies through opening weekend box office sales, so sales for any movie BUT this one will affect its ratings.

2. If you can't get out to the movies that night, buy a ticket online at Fandango.com for Over The Hedge. From all we have heard, it's a good family movie—rated PG.

3. Rent or watch a DVD about the life of Jesus or one that supports faith, such as Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, or others like King of Kings, Ben Hur, or The Ten Commandments. Consult with MovieGuide (www.movieguide.org).

4. Run a Discussion Group on May 19th or in the weeks before or after. Although dialoging with Sony to encourage them to change the movie or add a disclaimer was fruitless, being prepared to discuss the movie with those who do go see it is essential. Run a discussion group, using the free resources at www.DaVinciOutreach.com.

5. Post a pithy message on your church's road sign. Check out Other-cott's website for suggestions.

6. Download the free audio talk found at Human Life International's site (www.hli.org) called, "Read Between the Lines," by Fr. Tom Euteneuer.

7. Download the free Power Point notes at DaVinciOutreach.com and give a presentation at your church.

8. Encourage people to visit other good websites that promote the proper understanding of Jesus Christ, the authority of the Bible, and more, such as www.JesusDecoded.com or www.opusdei.org.

9. Purchase copies of the low-cost booklet, The Da Vinci Deception, and give them away. This highly-acclaimed booklet features 100 Questions about the facts and fiction of The Da Vinci Code. Click here to order, or call 800-376-0520.

10. Get together with some other Christians during the May 19th weekend and pray a prayer of reparation and praise.

P.S. Please also ask your parish priest or pastor to charitably preach against the movie over the next few weeks. Da Vinci Outreach has provided free Homily Helps at DaVinciOutreach.com (in the Free Resources section).