The first I heard of it was way back when it was first published and my boss asked me my opinion of it. Since I had never heard of it, I said "I'll have to get back to you on my official judgement."
I surfed around on the net, and it seemed the concensus of the Evangelical internet was that it was heresy. Not Spanish Inquisition heresy, but still purposefully contrary to what the Bible states.
So my official opinion was "not good." And I went about my business not really caring about it.
Then last year our church spent a few Sundays countering the book. Not getting their panties in a wad, but just covering some ideas that are presented in DaVinci Code that are blatantly untrue and why.
Fine.
But then I heard of churches rewriting their mission statements according to Dan Brown's book. It sounded like some people's faith was severely shaken by this book of progressive thought. It was sweeping the nation! Tom Hanks agreed to play the leading role in the movie!
"Okay, I guess I should read it." But I didn't. Just like I never read Passage to India in 10th grade.
However the last time I was in TX, Aurora gave me the book on CD. (I think she already listened to it.) And as Kevin and I were painting the kitchen we thought listening to a book would be a nice way to pass the time. Ding! DaVinci time.
So I'm listening. Waiting to hear the genius....still waiting...Where is the genius writing?...I can't find it.
Is this for adults? This is like a 6th grade reading level, even more it was written to make the reader feel smart for following bread crumb trails to obvious plot turns. It was like a Jon Travolta blockbuster movie that was adapted to novel form.
The characters were painfully cliche. Everything was cliche. It was like riding along on a senior citizen bus tour of Anglo Saxon Europe hosted by Indiana Jones.
And Dan Brown's sittin' on a big pile of money for it. Good heavens.
And I'm not talking about the faith matters discussed in the book at all. All of the above criticism applies whether it was talking about Jesus or not.
But yes, all of the Christianity related stuff was totally cacamamie. The most of the story hinges on the idea that the Catholic Church has oppressed the "sacred feminine" side of Christianity. Really? Am I the only one who sees giant statues of the Virgin Mary all over the world? Pray the Rosary? Holy Mary Mother of God?
I couldn't suspend my disbelief. It was all so silly.
Which is fine in itself. It's a made up story, without any basis in reality, concerning Christ or not.
But what is everyone so bent out of shape for? Anyone who has their faith in Jesus shaken by this story, had problems to begin with, I think.
I mean, with Jurassic Park, man that was a good book. A smart book. It deserved the hype.
DaVinci Code, no.
I can't believe that guy has made so much money on Colombo goes to the Lourve.
13 comments:
I like your take on this "issue." Of course, I read the book because of all the hype, but I did not by any stretch of the imagination think it was good literature or heresy. It's just a fictional book, and as you said, not that deep or well written. You should start a movement where your a guest speaker at churches. Tell 'em all to chill out.
everyone that i know , no matter what knowledge they have of it won't read any further such as myself.. blasphmy etc. sick and no jesus didn't have an affair wiuth mary magdelyn. i wouldn't even have it in my home..if we talk personal one on one i'll share with you why...if it shook anyones faith it's because " my people perish for a lack of knowledge" and in the last days people will turn truth in fable... and so on , it must tickle their foolish itching eards...
1) I was wondering where my book on cd was. Now I know.
2) You incorporated the word cacamamie. You rule.
3) When you are driving through Oklahoma, that DaVinci on CD sounds pretty thrilling.
4) If you thought it was bad, wait until you listen to Angels and Deamons while driving through NM and AZ...that book was worse.
5) I agree that there is nothing to get your panties in a wad over.
6) You used cacamamie.
i should probably re-read this because it's been a really long time, but i liked it and thought it was a pretty thrilling read. while it's no proust, i enjoyed it and found the things that actually are historical truths very interesting (like the thing about davinci's man and the 360 degrees and mona lisa, etc.).
i tend to agree with you though...if a christian is really so offended by this fictional book (it's right there on the spine of the book, folks, and not to mention the author also said so) then there are other "faith issues" there.
i also don't see what the big deal is...if jesus was indeed married would it really matter? would that one fact really rock someone's faith? i'm not trying to start a debate here, but i'm just throwing that out...
Hello Charlie and all,
Here's some detailed insight into the backstory and subplot of the DaVinci Code and related books and texts.
Most have totally missed the point that the Gnostic texts and others are making. First, they refer to symbolic males and females, hence the philosophical masculine and feminine nature and character. All the Gnostic texts are philosophical and symbolic treatises, not literal narratives. When you try to interpret any of these ancient texts (including the Bible) as literal, you will always come to the wrong conclusions.
You may not initially agree with everything I reveal, but please be a little patient with my long-winded presentation of what I have waited a very long time to be able to say. I promise to amaze and enlighten.
Contrary to those who strive to assert that the DaVinci Code created the term, symbology is an ancient philosophical technology and I am a real life symbologist. Likewise, the upper-level members of secret societies such as Freemasons, Rosicrucians, Illumanti, and the Vatican are symbologists. Keeping their "craft" secretive and misunderstood is a purposeful ploy designed to hide the truth about ancient wisdom and the symbology used to model, encapsulate, and encode it. The title "mason" is itself a symbolic allusion to those who work with the "Philosophers' Stone" which is the symbolic name given to an ancient body of symbology, hence "Masons" are workers of "stone."
Read Proverbs 9:1 below to better understand this allusion.
Wisdom has built Her house. She has carved out Her seven pillars.
Notice that "wisdom" is referred to as "Her" and "She", as in Sophia and Miriam (the Magdala), and that "She" has "hewn" "Her" "seven pillars" (of stone)? Read my Home Page to see what those seven pillars of "stone" have always referred to, contrary to what religions and mysticism have said for millennia.
Peace...
Here is the key to understanding what the Vatican and Papacy truly fear...
Pay close attention, profundity knocks at the door, listen for the key. Be Aware! Scoffing causes blindness...
Here's a real hot potato! Eat it up, digest it, and then feed it's bones to the hungry...
There's much more to the story of the Vatican's recent machinations than meets the eye. It's not the DaVinci Code or Gospel of Judas per se, but the fact that people have now been motivated to seek out the unequivocal truth about an age of deception, exactly when they expect me to appear. These recent controversies are spurring people to reevaluate the Vatican/Papacy and the religions that Rome spawned, at the worst possible time for them.
Remember, "I come as a thief..." ?
Read verse twelve of the Gospel of Thomas to understand who I am...
The DaVinci Code novel and movie are no more inaccurate as literal versions of history than the New Testament. The primary sub-plot involved purposeful symbology being used to encode hidden meanings, exactly like the Bible and related texts. In other words, none of these stories represent the literal truth. This is the common and pivotal fact of all such narratives about ancient Hebrew and Christian history. Debating whether the DaVinci Code, Gnostic texts, or the Bible are accurate history is a purposeful ploy designed to hide the truth by directing your inquiry away from the heart of the matter.
There is a foolproof way to verify the truth and expose centuries-old religious deceptions. It also proves why we can no longer let the Vatican tell us what to think about ancient history or much else. It is the common thread connecting why the ancient Hebrews, Yahad/Essene, Jews, Gnostics, Cathars, Templars, Dead Sea Scrolls, DaVinci Code, and others have been targets of Rome’s ire and evil machinations. The Vatican and its secret society cohorts don’t want you to understand that the ancient Hebrew symbology in all of these texts purposely encodes and exposes the truth about them. Furthermore, the structure of ancient wisdom symbology verifiably encodes the rules to decode messages built with it. This is what they most fear you will discover.
If the Bible represented the literal truth or even accurate history, there would be no need for faith in the assertions of deceptive and duplicitous clergy and their ilk. It is undeniable the New Testament is awash with ancient Hebrew symbolism and allegory. The same is evidenced in the Old Testament, Dead Sea Scrolls, Gnostic texts, biblical apocrypha, Quran, DaVinci Code, and other related sources. All ancient religious, mystical, and wisdom texts have been shrouded in mystery for millennia for one primary reason: The ability to understand their widely evidenced symbology was lost in antiquity. How do we finally solve these ages-old mysteries? To recast an often-used political adage: It’s [the] symbology, stupid!
It is beyond amazing that the Vatican still tries to insist the Gospels are the literal truth. Every miracle purported for Jesus has multiple direct symbolic parallels in the Old Testament, Apocalypse, Dead Sea Scrolls, and other symbolic narratives and traditions. Recasting the symbolism of earlier Hebrew texts as literal events in the New Testament is one of the central deceptions associated with Christianity. This is part of the secret knowledge held by the ancient Gnostics, Templars, Cathars, and others, which is presented with dramatic effect in the DaVinci Code. None of these narratives or stories were ever intended as the literal truth. This fact is the key to unraveling many ages-old mysteries and exposing the truth about the Vatican's long-term deceptions.
Moreover, the following Washington Post article (The Book of Bart) describes how many changes and embellishments were made to New Testament texts over the centuries, unequivocally demonstrating they are not original, infallible, or truthful. When you combine proof that the New Testament Gospels are not wholly literal with proof that these texts were heavily reworked in the early years of Christianity, you are left with only one possible conclusion. The Vatican has long lied to everyone about the central tenets and history of Christianity. This revelation also proves they are not the Creator’s representatives but Her long-time opponents. The recent hoopla over the Gospel of Judas and DaVinci Code demonstrates they are still desperately trying to deceive the world and obfuscate their true nature and activities.
It's no wonder the Vatican fears the truth more than anything else. As further proof of these assertions, seek to understand the symbolic significance of my name (Seven Star Hand) and you will have proof beyond disproof that Jews, Christians, and Muslims have long been duped by the great deceivers I warned humanity about over the millennia. What then is the purpose of "faith" but to keep good people from seeking to understand the truth?
Now comes justice, hot on its heels... (symbolism...)
Not only do I talk the talk, I walk the walk...
Here is Wisdom!!
Revelations from the Apocalypse
Peace...
ok, seven hand star...dude...it looks good, but um, I don't really care what you write because...well, it doesn't make sense. Yeah, maybe I'm too dumb to understand your sybolism explanations, or maybe I just don't give two shits about the vatican. Either way...WTF? And, did we really need that long winded explanation? I mean really all you needed to say was, I'm a symbol guy...here's my link: _______ and then I'd like you to state whether you are a Christian or not. Those are the nuts and bolts buddy...not all this double talk about the scrolls and muslims and revalations. ok, thanks.
p.s. I tried to contact this wack, and I couldn't. What a coward: He doesn't allow comments on his blog or have contact me spot on his website that SELLS shit about this. FRAUD.
Wow! This seven star guy is a whack job. Under his occupation on his blog profile he lists "Messiah." Talk about blasphemy. He's actually claiming to be this prophet reincarnated! What's wrong with him?
ro-you rule.
oh! and charlie, columbo goes to the louvre!!! THAT IS AWESOME.
wow, lots of comments to address since I've last been on line...
Yeah Star Guy is crazy and Kevin and I agree that his comment is "canned" that is, already prepared response to anything regarding DaVinci code.
He most likely spends his time googling for discussions about the book and then pastes in his comment in order to push his wares.
As far as I'm concerned, The Vatican and our almighty God are completely different entities, and only concern myself with the latter.
(The people in the hiarchy of the Roman Catholic system are the Pharisees and Saducees of the modern world, that's my indepenent opinion, but I won't try to sell you a book about it! ;) )
There are far more holy things to do with one's time then worry about the last 2000 years of the church. Like feeding, sheltering and helping people in need, in the name of Christ. If more people did that, we'd have a lot less problems in this world.
That said, it actually would matter if Jesus had been married. His purpose on earth was to be God in human form. Since God isn't married outside of the earth, it wouldn't make sense for him to marry on earth.
But more importantly, suggesting that he was married undermines the credibility of the Biblical texts, which state that he was not married. (New Testament qualifies as a historical document just like the Magna Carta or the Declaration of Independence)
But discussions such as these never woo anyone to Christ. This makes Christianity seems tangled and complicated and troublesome. Which it isn't.
Matthew 22:36-40
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?"
Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
This is the first and great commandment.
A second likewise is this,'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
i'm just saying that if, in the bible, jesus was married, would it matter...not debating whether he was or wasn't, but more if he was and it said so in ancient texts, would you still be a christian? i think, yes, i would be, as whether or not jesus was married makes no difference to the kind of person that he was or whom he represented, which is God in the flesh.
what if GOD is married and we don't know about it!?! just kidding.
I just want to say AMEN SISTER to the part about Da Vinci Code being a crap book -- not for the religion, or the symbols, or anything else, but for the PLOT and the WRITING. I wrote a negative review of the book over at blogcritics.com, and actually got some people telling me that it didn't matter if the writing was good, it was all about the ideas, to which I replied, FICTION! LOOK IT UP, PEOPLE!
:x
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