Posted on 05/19/2006 2:23:10 AM PDT by leadpenny
STEUBENVILLE — There’s been a stir of excitement and debate among scholars and historians ever since the release of Dan Brown’s novel, ‘‘The Da Vinci Code.’’
But with the release of the movie version today, that stir has accelerated into a frenzy over the controversy that some scholars fear will influence the faith people have in Christianity.
‘‘It presents a distorted picture of Jesus and the Catholic church and other Catholic organizations,’’ said Alan Schreck, professor of theology at Franciscan University in Steubenville.
The novel alleges that the lost Gnostic gospels portray Jesus as an average person who falls in love and marries Mary Magdalene. According to the novel, Magdalene is the “Holy Grail” who carries the blood of Christ in her womb by way of bearing a child, and that is a secret the Catholic church has been trying to hide for almost 2,000 years.
‘‘It’s not even such a matter that this is false that Jesus was married as it is the way the book portrays Christians and the Catholic church as being an institution that is investing in covering things up. If this were taken as an expose, I think that would be the greatest cause for concern. Brown’s implication is that we don’t really know the truth about Jesus from the church. Instead, what’s really true about Jesus is in these hidden Gnostic gospels,’’ Schreck said.
Schreck said that scholars have been aware of the Gnostic gospels for centuries but have discredited them as being false.
‘‘Nobody who seriously looked at these sources for 2,000 years believed that Jesus was married,’’ Schreck said. ‘‘Why believe it now?’’
One reason Schreck said that people would probably go see the movie or read the book is because of the culture’s fascination with wanting to be let in on secrets. Schreck fears that because people get caught up in the novel, they will want to take it seriously.
‘‘The average person who doesn’t know the facts is going to begin to think that the Catholic church is shrouded in these mysteries when the purpose of the church is not to cover up things about Jesus, but to uncover and tell the truth about Jesus against these false views that have been around for about as long as the church has,’’ Schreck said.
One positive effect that Schreck hopes the movie will bring is an occasion for people who want to know the truth about Christianity to discuss it and learn more.
Although the debate over whether or not the movie should be boycotted persists, Schreck believes that it is a decision everyone must make on their own.
‘‘In perspective, five or 10 years from now no one is going to remember ‘The Da Vinci Code.’ But the gospel of Jesus Christ is going to last until the end of time,’’ Schreck said.
"Sister Mary Michael, from Lincoln, England, stages a protest against the film “The Da Vinci Code” in front of the Cannes Festival Palace where the film is due to premiere this evening at the 59th International film festival in Cannes, southern France. The film debuts today in the United States."
Let it. No more protests.
I have no plans to see it, but if it does bomb like many are saying, I'll feel bad for Howard and Hanks for letting themselves get into it.
Why?
I just like them both.
Brown's fictional work is not only fabricated Christian history/theology--it distorts Gnosticism too.
Folks, don't get hysterical. It's fiction.
Last evening Matthews was at Opus Dei Hqs. (sp) for Hardball and he played a clip when Matt Lauer was doing an interview with Brown and others. Brown struck me as dark and creepy.
That was the clip on Hardball. Brown made the statement that there needed to be a "fiction" stamp on the Bible.
Medved had a very good show on this yesterday. His final conclusion was this: Dan Brown has presented a distorted view of history that's actually easily debunked by reality and historical evidence. He claims that this 'conspiracy' by the church is an effort to suppress the feminine aspect of Godhood, demonstrated in part by the witch hunts and social repression of women (again, easily debunked).
The motivation isn't Gnosticism at all. Brown simply uses the trappings of Gnosticism to promote an underlying advocacy for Goddess worship, or plain old paganism. Interesting logic.
Oh, wait: that's the OTHER religion...
The trouble comes in where hordes of people who have never read the Bibel go to see this tripe, and their foundational knowledge of God becomes distorted by a prism of lies.
The good news is, Brown's version of reality is so different from the real spiritual realm, that the deception is easily separated- unlike some texts (the Watchtower's New World Translation, and the Book of Mormon come to mind) that are much more subtle.
I get the feeling that the demon Brown was listening to is a bit more ham-fisted than these others.
We'll know by Monday how well it will do. Word-of-mouth determines if a movie gets legs or not.
"the OTHER religion..."
More like a cult.
It was Ian McKellan (sp?), the guy who plays Leigh Teabing in DaVinco Code and who played Gandalf the Grey in LOTR, who said that Bible should have a fiction label if DaVinci Code needed one. He also said that the Church should be happy to learn Jesus was married to dispell rumors He was Gay. Sir Ian himself is very much out in the open about his Gayness.
Thanks for clearing that up.
Shows ya how much I'm into almost any aspect of this - - very little.
The most hotly-awaited movie of the year "The Da Vinci Code" failed to crack an audience of movie critics here at a sneak preview ahead of Wednesday's opening of the Cannes Film Festival.
Several whistles instead of applause were all that greeted the end of Ron Howard's 125-million-dollar film, and worse than that, the 2,000-strong audience even burst out laughing at the movie's key moment.
Critics crucify 'Da Vinci Code' in Cannes
how come they do't make a movie of "the satanic verses"? why only pick on the catholics? let's be egalitarian?
I guess becasue Catholics won't issue a fatwa for the head of Ron Howard.
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