GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (RNS) — Mixing science and religion seems a good recipe for on-screen fireworks. Add politics and things will erupt off the screen, too.
“The Genesis Code,” a film about college students trying to reconcile creationism and evolution, has been drawing local and national politicians to the movie theater. The film, which was shot here, stars former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson.
Nationally, conservative politicians are working hard to link themselves to the film’s message. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, said to be eyeing a run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, will host a dinner and screening of the film in Manchester, N.H., at month’s end.
Former U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle also is promoting the movie in New Hampshire and Iowa, both early primary states.
“These are political states, and this is a film that makes a fairly political statement about our culture,” Angle told CNN. “That we have drifted away from those constitutional values, those Main Street, mainstream values.”
Michigan’s Lieutenant Gov. Brian Calley attended a screening last Feb. 18 in Walker, Mich. “The movie drew a fascinating parallel between science and the Bible,” he said.
State Sen. Mark Jansen, a Republican, agreed, saying, “It inspired me to stand up for my spiritual beliefs no matter the cost.”
— Jeff Cranson, The Grand Rapids Press, Grand Rapids, Mich.
© 2011 Religion News Service. Used with permission.
Posted March 1, 2011
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