Beauty and the Beast.JPG

Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, March 17, 2017.

(Disney)

An online survey of 6,700 "Faith Driven Consumers" released today claims many religious believers will stay away from the new Disney movie "Beauty and the Beast," which opens in theaters on March 17, because of what its director described as an "exclusively gay moment."

Controversy erupted when director Bill Condon in an interview with Attitude magazine described the character Le Fou, played by Josh Gad, as gay in the new adaptation. The Henagar Drive-In Theatre in Alabama stirred the pot further by announcing last week it wouldn't show the movie.

"Disney's decision to celebrate LGBT individuals with an 'exclusively gay moment' in Beauty and the Beast is a testament to the LGBT community's success in advocating for and achieving high-profile recognition of their worldview," said Chris Stone, founder of Faith Driven Consumer.

"Faith Driven Consumers understand the LGBT community's goal for inclusion by Hollywood and Corporate America. For Faith Driven Consumers this is not homophobia or bigotry. There are many complex realities in the world that Faith Driven Consumers simply do not wish to have addressed with their children via entertainment, especially in a family movie. Beauty and the Beast--previously an acceptable family film--is now being used, as its director proudly revealed, to promote a message that is in conflict with deeply held tenets of Faith Driven Consumers' religious beliefs. This decision by Disney, like so many others, disconnects Faith Driven Consumer --41 million potential movie-goers--from the film, putting Disney and its shareholders at financial risk.

"Entertainment broadly has become highly politicized and sexualized, meant to inculturate audiences. This excludes Faith Driven Consumers who are left with an increasingly limited number of acceptable entertainment options for their families. They want entertainment to remain just that--entertainment.

"Today's striking survey results--expanding upon our substantial body of research--offer further proof that Faith Driven Consumers will respond in the marketplace to signs of welcome, or lack thereof."

The Baptist boycott of Disney

It's not the first time Disney has run afoul of evangelical Christians.

In 1997, the Southern Baptist Convention voted to boycott the Disney Co. That boycott lasted eight years. The convention voted to end it in 2005, with Baptist leaders saying the company had taken a turn toward producing more family-friendly entertainment and fewer morally objectionable films.

The SBC said in a resolution ending it that the boycott had ''communicated effectively our displeasure concerning products and policies that violate moral righteousness and traditional family values.''

It also pledged to continue to monitor the morality of Disney products, urged Disney to provide only family-friendly products, and said Southern Baptists

should be careful about all their entertainment choices.

FDC's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Survey Results:

95% of Faith Driven Consumers say they are less likely to see BEAUTY AND THE BEAST due to Disney's decision to include an "exclusively gay moment" in the film.

94% of Faith Driven Consumers say they are now less likely to spend money with Disney as a whole in light of the "exclusively gay moment" in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, coming on top of Disney's long-standing pattern.

58% of Faith Driven Consumers think the primary motivation behind Disney's decision to include an "exclusively gay moment" in "Beauty and the Beast" was "to normalize homosexuality;" 19% think the motivation was "to be intentionally inclusive of LGBT people"; 15% "to reject biblical Christian values regarding homosexuality"; 3% each for "to accommodate LGBT employees at Disney" and "to accurately reflect real-world diversity."

87% of Faith Driven Consumers feel that Disney is not equally inclusive of Christians with biblically based values. Only 4% believe Disney is equally inclusive of this community.

A majority (52%) of Faith Driven Consumers say Disney does not meet their entertainment needs well at all. Another 25% say Disney meets their entertainment needs only slightly well; 5% of FDCs say Disney meets their entertainment needs very or extremely well.

62% of Faith Driven Consumers say Disney does not reflect their values well at all. Another 22% say Disney reflects their values only slightly well. 3% of FDCs say Disney reflects their values very or extremely well.

Source: FDC Beauty and the Beast Community Survey by American Insights (2017); 6,700 members of the FDC community surveyed online