The Da Vinci Code IS Fiction... Get Over IT!
'Da Vinci Code' Sparks Outrage and Ennui
Okay, folks... Let's get this straight.... The Da Vinci Code IS FICTION... It is a novel about a mystery that could not possibly exist because the very premise that Opus Dei is behind the process as a secret extension of the Knights Templar is ridiculous prima facie. The fact that it calls into question some of the details of orthodox Christianity isn't insulting, it's part of the challenge each Christian faces when dealing with faith. But the Church, especially the Catholic Church, has been facing down a lot of issues as of late and finds anything that would question the constructs of the faith is less than tolerable in the eyes of an entrenched orthodoxy.
In my view, as a Christian of the Catholic flavor, it is good to question the faith and the orthodoxy. The fact that this novel is causing the Church to respond by really engaging in a public debate is a good thing... it is just too bad that they won't seize the opportunity to make it a dialog rather than an exercise in public relations spin.
But for the record, the Da Vinci Code is fiction... It relies on some existing facts and some innuendo, just like most works of fiction throughout history (i.e. Machiavelli's The Prince, Dante's Divine Comedy, Swift's Gullivers Travels, Dickens' Tale Of Two Cities, etc.) It is an art form, and as art it has been thought-provoking... which is exactly how I like my art. So, for those that see it as an insult to Jesus, please get over yourselves. The biggest insult to Jesus and Christianity is the harm we do to one another, all the while claiming to be His biggest fans.
Christians in many countries denounced the movie "The Da Vinci Code" as it opened Friday, complaining that the big-screen adaptation of Dan Brown's best-selling novel distorts history and offends Christians.
" 'The Da Vinci Code' gratuitously insults Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church," said Vincent Nichols, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Birmingham, England. "It deliberately presents fiction as fact."
Okay, folks... Let's get this straight.... The Da Vinci Code IS FICTION... It is a novel about a mystery that could not possibly exist because the very premise that Opus Dei is behind the process as a secret extension of the Knights Templar is ridiculous prima facie. The fact that it calls into question some of the details of orthodox Christianity isn't insulting, it's part of the challenge each Christian faces when dealing with faith. But the Church, especially the Catholic Church, has been facing down a lot of issues as of late and finds anything that would question the constructs of the faith is less than tolerable in the eyes of an entrenched orthodoxy.
In my view, as a Christian of the Catholic flavor, it is good to question the faith and the orthodoxy. The fact that this novel is causing the Church to respond by really engaging in a public debate is a good thing... it is just too bad that they won't seize the opportunity to make it a dialog rather than an exercise in public relations spin.
But for the record, the Da Vinci Code is fiction... It relies on some existing facts and some innuendo, just like most works of fiction throughout history (i.e. Machiavelli's The Prince, Dante's Divine Comedy, Swift's Gullivers Travels, Dickens' Tale Of Two Cities, etc.) It is an art form, and as art it has been thought-provoking... which is exactly how I like my art. So, for those that see it as an insult to Jesus, please get over yourselves. The biggest insult to Jesus and Christianity is the harm we do to one another, all the while claiming to be His biggest fans.
posted by Jim Downey at 10:05 AM
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