RON HOWARD LIES ABOUT “ANGELS & DEMONS”

Catholic League ^ | April 21, 2009 | staff

[kellynla]

Ron Howard, director of “Angels & Demons,” the movie version of Dan Brown’s book by that name, attacked Catholic League president Bill Donohue yesterday on the Huffington Post.

Referring to a booklet on the movie that Donohue authored, “Angels & Demons: More Demonic than Angelic,” (click here) Howard wrote: “Mr. Donohue’s booklet accuses us of lying when our movie trailer says the Catholic Church ordered a brutal massacre to silence the Illuminati centuries ago. It would be a lie if we had ever suggested our movie is anything other than a work of fiction….” Howard also said that “most in the hierarchy of the Church” will enjoy his film; he denies being anti-Catholic.

Donohue responded today:

“Dan Brown says in his book that the Illuminati are ‘factual’ and that they were ‘hunted ruthlessly by the Catholic Church.’ In the film’s trailer, Tom Hanks, who plays the protagonist Robert Langdon, says ‘The Catholic Church ordered a brutal massacre to silence them forever.’ Howard concurs: ‘The Illuminati were formed in the 1600s. They were artists and scientists like Galileo and Bernini, whose progressive ideas threatened the Vatican.’

“All of this is a lie. The Illuminati were founded in 1776 and were dissolved in 1787. It is obvious that Galileo and Bernini could not possibly have been members: Galileo died in 1647 and Bernini passed away in 1680. More important, the Catholic Church never hunted, much less killed, a single member of the Illuminati. But this hasn’t stopped Brown from asserting that ‘It is a historical fact that the Illuminati vowed vengeance against the Vatican in the 1600s.’ (My emphasis.)

“Howard must be delusional if he thinks Vatican officials are going to like his propaganda—they denied him the right to film on their grounds. Moreover, we know from a Canadian priest who hung out with Howard’s crew last summer in Rome (dressed in civilian clothes) just how much they hate Catholicism. It’s time to stop the lies and come clean.”

[irishjuggler]

Ah, yes, the black legend of Galileo...
http://www.catholicleague.org/research/galileo.html

[the invisib1e hand]

all I know is some chick was reading the book on the subway today and was noticably ruder than your average pushy subway rider.

[YankeeReb]

Warning: if you're a fan of the Andy Griffith Show like I am, this video of "Opie" and "Andy" endorsing Obama and his Marxist "Change" agenda will surely sicken you...

I remember hearing this on the radio just before the election. I never had much use for little Opie Cunningham since I knew what a leftist he was, but I always respected Andy Griffith, no more. I won't even watch the reruns on TvLand anymore.

The shots of Opie putting on and taking off his hair were hilarious though.

[Notwithstanding]

From the NY Times:

Tom Hanks as Buffy clomps and minces at once, exaggerating his character’s femininity while coyly promoting his own masculinity. He doesn’t move like a girl, he moves like a guy might think a girl would move. In the occasional serious scenes Mr. Hanks displays the heavy-handedness that would later flaw his dramatic performances (and win him Oscars). In lighter moments, though, he’s so polished and elegant, it’s hard to believe he’s only 23...in and out of drag Mr. Hanks is the sexy one.

[Notwithstanding]

From the NY Times:

Tom Hanks as Buffy clomps and minces at once, exaggerating his character’s femininity while coyly promoting his own masculinity. He doesn’t move like a girl, he moves like a guy might think a girl would move. In the occasional serious scenes Mr. Hanks displays the heavy-handedness that would later flaw his dramatic performances (and win him Oscars). In lighter moments, though, he’s so polished and elegant, it’s hard to believe he’s only 23...in and out of drag Mr. Hanks is the sexy one.

[Notwithstanding]

[Notwithstanding]

[Victoria Delsoul]

When is Howard going to do a film about Mao Tse-tung, Stalin, Mussolini, Pol Pot, Franco, and assorted communists and fascists, and point out the true facts of their crimes and the deaths of millions of people at their hands.

Howard obviously hates Catholics and religious people in general, since his purpose isn't just to make money but to also misrepresent the truth and present lies as facts.

[erman]

It's not a "legend" and not anti-Catholic.

Read what he says. He was under "house arrest", he did publish or give data to someone in France in order to allow it's distribution and the church did, at that time, try men for opposing the dogma of the church.

I'm "pro-Catholic" but think that the science versus religion battle is all just an excuse for men to pit each against the other.

[irishjuggler]

Sure, there’s a kernel of truth here and there to the Galileo story. The problem is that it’s been spun and exaggerated by protestants, freemasons and atheists as evidence that the Catholic Church is anti-science.

[erman]

The problem is that it’s been spun and exaggerated by protestants, freemasons and atheists as evidence that the Catholic Church is anti-science.

I think it shows that the Catholic Church is/was more into "control/power" than anti-science.

The reason that most of the protestant sects of Christianity formed was as a form of "protest". I've said it before and still believe that any church or religion has both good and bad men involved with the day to day operation of the organization. The only purpose of a church is to bring us and support us in our quest for finding Christ and bringing us closer to what he has given us and how to live our lives to honor him. All other things such as economics, politics, sexuality, redistribution of wealth, social injustices and the rest are all distractions from a religion/church's only true purpose.

The Roman Catholic church is , I believe, a force of good that has men involved in the day to day operation that might not be concerned about it's mission to bring us to the Lord, but more concerned about money, politics, power and "earthly" needs. The church is here to feed our souls.

As far as the "Galileo" story, there are written archives of the proceedings and the fact that Galileo was under house arrest is not disputed. His ideas and observations of the orbits of other heavenly body was in direct opposition to the teachings of the church. His book did state that it was a "theory". The problem with Galileo's book on the subject was that it was presented as conversation between a man of science and made the skeptics in his book appear to be stupid and arrogant. Pope's don't like that......... in those days you crossed the Pope at your own risk.

The man with the gun makes the rules... or in this case the man with the soldiers makes the rules.

I just wish the Church would concern itself with "church" and give us an island of calm and a politics free sanctuary from day to day life. Heck, you can't even watch the Miss USA pageant without politics getting in the way.

[Notwithstanding]

The Great Galileo Myth
is pure
vengeful
agitprop
created
& perpetated
even today
by those
who hate
the Church.

Every culture must have arbiters of knowledge - institutions or associations of learned people who evaluate ideas that are circulated and promote those that seem to have merit.

For centuries the Church funded and promoted most of the western world’s intellectual and academic pursuits - especially the scientific. The university is the invention and creation of the Church. As such, churchmen ended up with the role of arbiter of knowledge - and it is impossible to point to any other contemporary association or institution that would have been more suited to fill that role than the Church.

The Church funded and promoted even the ultimately controversial work that Galileo did. The Church actually honored Galileo for the very work that ended up as the core of the Great Galileo Myth (his thoughts on heliocentrism). A lasting testament to the Church’s great commitment to science are the churches that were built to also function as astronomical instruments that would track the movements of the sun throughout the year.

Thus, as the rightful contemporary arbiter of ideas, the Church was clearly in a position to safeguard even scientific truths. While the Church PROMOTED AND HONORED GALILEO’S THEORIES ABOUT HELIOCENTRISM, the Church also insisted that Galileo speak of these ideas as unproven - though plausible - theories.

FACT: Galileo’s “proof” or theory to explain heliocentrism was and remains 100% incorrect. Galileo had no proof.

FACT: While Galileo was clearly correct to conclude that the earth revolved around the sun, he had no accurate explanation or scientific proof.

FACT: In the interest of science and stability, the Church (as the contemporary institution that funded all universities and all scientific developments, and which safeguarded scientific truth from wild non-scientific specalations) insisted that Galileo promote his ideas on heliocentrism as unproven theory - rather than fact.

FACT: The enemies of the Church will use any stick to beat the Church - even one that is an utter lie.

[erman]

FACT: Galileo’s “proof” or theory to explain heliocentrism was and remains 100% incorrect. Galileo had no proof.

Galileo didn't prove anything. He made observations about the shape of observed orbits or movement of planets. These observations as well as Keppler's contributions led to a heliocentric system and not one in which the universe revolves around the earth. But he was made to denounce the heliocentric theory. that was my point... what does this have to do with the Church's main function. It was about control.

They had so little "faith" that an open an honest debate about observed phenomena rattled their assumptions. Just because the earth is not the center of the universe doesn't mean there is no God.

It would be similar to finding "life" on another planet or system. would that mean there is "no God"? I'd still believe and would have no problem with extra-terrestrial life. Others would use it as a weapon against God and the Church. Those people that hate God and the Church will use any and everything to denigrate and mock the Church.

I'm just saying that the history of the Roman Catholic church is littered with the weaknesses of the bureaucrats and as Christians we'd be better off dealing with observations in nature as things to explain and not as heretical rantings by the scientist who should be arrested and silenced.

FACT: While Galileo was clearly correct to conclude that the earth revolved around the sun, he had no accurate explanation or scientific proof.

He was just making observations about the planets he observed and in doing so came to the conclusion that the shapes of the movement of planets in relation to the earth didn't make sense if they rotated around the earth.

You are making it seem as if he started out with the premise of heliocentric system. He was not. He looked at the sky and said, "If these planets revolve around earth they should move or look like this." But after looking at them it didn't make sense... so he wrote down what he observed.

It would be similar to you rolling a ball off the end of the table and when it reached the edge it "fell" upward and stuck on the ceiling.

everything and everyone around you has told you about gravity pulling everything down..... and now you observe that the ball you are observing has fallen up.

So you write this down. But because it conflicts with all the current scientific explanations of gravitational fields, you are made to come before a group of physicists and state that you do not believe that balls can fall up. Even though you've seen it, you are made to state that it's just a theory that balls can fall upwards. You can't explain it but send off your observations to a Dutch guy that has made some calculations that might explain your observations. You then write a satirical article in Scientific American that makes the physicists look stupid...... After that you are to be kept in your house and not allowed to travel or write anymore about balls falling up.

All Galileo did was make observations and wrote them up in a satirical manner as an "argument". His writings made the opposition seem stupid and that pissed off the pope.

This is actually a good lesson that the Catholic church gave us in this Inquisition of Galileo. The lesson of humility. How the Church was so proud to have it's theories questioned and finally disproved but was only able to argue the point by making him, FORCING him, to recant his observations.

This isn't Catholic bashing, it's bashing stupid, small minded, prideful, bureaucrats that are more worried about the "institution" than about having faith enough to know that God's creation may have many mysteries that are difficult to explain in relation to what we observe.

[Notwithstanding]

I guess you missed the important objective facts that weaken your point.

As the founder and benefactor of the university system, at the time the Church was still the only arbiter of academic (including scientific) developments because no other institution was capable of doing the job.

The Church LAUDED the very work of Galileo - which consisted of his theories (based on his observations) about heliocentrism. We now know his theories were FALSE, and even at the time the Church wisely understood that Galileo must teach these ideas as theory rather than as fact since they were not scientifically proven.

Galileo refused to heed the Church’s absolutely correct and proper demand, and instead blatantly taught his (now proven to be incorrect) theories as if they were fact. His theories to explain heliocentrism are what was at issue - and his insistence on declaring his theories to be scientific fact. He was not punished for suggesting that heliocentrism was likely a scientific fact. He was punished because he claimed that his observations proved that heliocentrism was scientific fact, when we know beyond a doubt that his observations cannot and did not prove that heliocentrisim was a a fact.

This is no different than today’s scientists wanting so badly to prove that their hunch about “man-made global warming” or evolution or embryonic-stem-cells-as-cure-all is a scientific fact that they will use even the weakest and clearly unscientific “data” as “proof” that these ideas are true.

Yes, the Church always has been and will remain imperfect and riddled with incidents of imprudence, but the Great Galileo Myth is not one of them.

[PhiKapMom]

I agree with you 100% about Howard. Believe he does hate Catholics and other religious people in general. Believe this second movie says it all along with what the author had to say. Both should have checked the facts.

[RichardMoore]

The Latin Mass is available in most diocese. It is still beautiful and very much more reverent. Check out in your area by going to the website for your diocese.

[erman]

the church didn't laud any such thing. I don't know where you studied history but they USED the MATH of heliocentrism but did NOT encourage heliocentrism. Those FACTS are missing from your misguided defense of the Catholic church's treatment of Galileo.

It has nothing to do against the church but the men in the church.

If you know for a fact that the church was helping and encouraging Galileo, who put him under house arrest?

the fact that you think NO other institution was capable is again misguided. Middle Eastern math models were made that were more accurate than some of the western models.

Anytime you have institutions run by men more concerned with power than with truth, you'll get oppression and the suppression of knowledge.

[wardaddy]

Ron's buttbuddy Tom Hanks as the "new Jimmy Stewart"...what a load of bullmerde

[dennisw]

I never see Tom Hanks movies or Will Smith. They are too contented and shallow and in Smith’s case just mugging for the cameras....Kinda like 0bomo

[wardaddy]

when Stewart played a hero on film he didn’t have to act..