[rhema]

The polls that show more Americans abandoning organized religion don't suggest a dramatic uptick in atheism: They reveal the growth of do-it-yourself spirituality, with traditional religion's dogmas and moral requirements shorn away. The same trend is at work within organized faiths as well, where both liberal and conservative believers often encounter a God who's too busy validating their particular version of the American Dream to raise a peep about, say, how much money they're making or how many times they've been married.

These are Dan Brown's kind of readers. Piggybacking on the fascination with lost gospels and alternative Christianities, he serves up a Jesus who's a thoroughly modern sort of messiah — sexy, worldly and Goddess-worshiping, with a wife and kids, a house in the Galilean suburbs, and no delusions about his own divinity.

[dfwgator]

he serves up a Jesus who's a thoroughly modern sort of messiah — sexy, worldly and Goddess-worshiping, with a wife and kids, a house in the Galilean suburbs, and no delusions about his own divinity.

[coloradomomba]

Years ago I read “Holy Blood, Holy Grail”, on which Brown’s books are based. It was a compelling read that left me with real concerns about my faith. I realized what the book was doing to me one day and I burned it.

[melsec]

I saw the first movie hoping to see something that would challenge me to think. I was sadly disappointed. Not only was the plot thin but the movie never reached any good level of thrills or cinematic prowess. It was largely a waste of my time and energy. I can’t imagine the new movie or book will be any better.

Most people don’t believe Dan Brown’s crap because they are stupid and uninformed - they believe it because they want it to be true!

Mel