Posted on 05/10/2006 7:13:23 PM PDT by Libloather
Official wants Da Vinci movie banned
Wed May 10, 8:51 AM ET
MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippine government should ban the controversial movie "The Da Vinci Code," a senior official in the mainly Catholic country said Wednesday, describing the religious thriller as blasphemous.
The film, based on the best-selling fiction novel of the same title, is due to open in Manila's cinemas next week.
"I think we should do everything not to allow it to be shown," said Eduardo Ermita, executive secretary to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, expressing his personal opinion as a "devout Catholic."
He told journalists the state's censors should take a closer look at its guidelines before giving the green light to the film whose central premise is that Jesus Christ sired a child by Mary Magdalene.
More than 80 percent of the Philippines' 85 million population are Roman Catholic. Along with Malta, the Philippines is one of only two countries in the world without a divorce law and frowns on the promotion of artificial contraception.
"In the name of many like you who love and revere the Son of God made Man, I strongly appeal to you that the showing of the film 'Da Vinci Code' be banned throughout our land," said a Roman Catholic archbishop in a letter to the chief censor this week.
Ramon Arguelles of the archdiocese of Lipa, south of Manila, said the movie was an affront to Christianity, reminding the censors that the government had imposed a ban on another movie, "The Last Temptation of Christ" in the 1980s.
Ermita said Arroyo, also a devout Roman Catholic, has not made any statement on the issue. She is due to return from a four-day state visit to Saudi Arabia Thursday.
"It's something that we should not be talking about," he said, referring to the movie's storyline. "We might get struck by lightning."
Have you actually 'read' the book; or is your statement based upon things you have 'heard'?
By now I feel it is my duty to point out the movie "The Body" which was much more sacrilegious than the much tamer "Davinci Code" could ever be.
Where was the Church on that one? I mean, it starred Bandaras for goodness' sake!
Better yet, a cartoon Da Vinci does Islam.
Of course it is, so what else is new?
It would seem like the Lord is using things like this book and movie to filter the real believers out of the population. Those that know their Bible won't take this story seriously for an instant.
It could be that this, along with several other manifestations in the world, portend some exciting times ahead.
It's a fictional book, nothing more.
Followed by the final chapter ... "Islam does Dan Brown".
You pagan liberals and your overpopulation myths ....
Sure the story is fiction, but the background of the story is being presented as fact. Yeah, Jesus married Mary and had kids and the Catholic church covered it up. That part is being presented as well researched fact, and many Christian bashers are eating it up. Just old gnostic text crap that liberals have been floating around campuses for decades, but ignorant people are easily fooled.
I'd imagine a Dan Brown version of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion would get a substantial rise out of folks, too. People don't enjoy seeing their core values attacked and will mount a spirited defense of the same.
For a secular example, find a thread that questions any action taken or decision made by President Bush and note the responses.
Good for Eduardo Ermita! I think its great he's suggesting his government take a stand for Christians here. We all remember a film 15 years ago by Scorcese that portrayed the same lie about Christ and Mary Magdelane. Fiction = Lies.
BTTT!
haha.. it doesn't take long for 'ITS FICTION' drone lame reply to appear isn't it?
Its not suprising that filippinos being a Catholic country are against this anti-catholic and anti christian movie.
If the Chuch is afraid that a book or a movie is going to shake their faith than maybe their faith isn't that strong to begin with.
And being married is a sin? Going forth and 'multiply' is blasphemy? Jesus was called 'Rabbi', and at that point in time one of the requirements of being a Rabbi was to be married.
Whether or not Christ was married, does not affect his message, his purpose or his significane. Hypothetically, if we found his DNA, and could prove he had offspring, would that invalidate his message? I would say that his message is what matters.
This is really bordering on absurd. Don't they realize that the more they squawk, the more they are bringing attention to this stupid movie?
LOL - sinister!
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