Vatican fights Da Vinci Code
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4350625.stm

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone: The book is everywhere. There is a very real risk that many people who read it will believe that the fables it contains are true.

Is he talking about the Da Vinci code or the bible?

Re: Vatican fights Da Vinci Code
 

Ouch!

I got no dog in this fight, but one thing is abundantly clear; the Vatican has a credibility gap that's hard to overlook. From the Inquisitions to the clandestine "pedophilia protection programs" in Boston, it's tough to take the church seriously when they tell us "Keep moving, folks. Nothing to see here." In truth, Enron may have a better record of public accountability than the Catholic church.

As a "recovering Catholic" I can honestly say that the Church is one of the most secretive and self-protective institutions I've ever come across. It really DOES make you wonder what they're hiding. . .

If even half of what Dan Brown puts forth in the "Code", it's HUGELY damaging to the credibility of the Church.

I'm sure the Jesus freaks will claim it's some left-wing consipracy nonetheless though. . .

The Code is just fiction. As a Catholic, I found it entertaining and interesting, but it didn't change any of my beliefs.

Have you seen the Discovery Channel show called 'Unlocking the Da Vinci Code" or something like that?

They interview Dan Brown, some priests and lots of historians.
In the end - all agree that essentially zero of the theories in Dan Brown's books can be substantiated.

I have read all of Brown's books - very entertaining.

True. But the Church is such an easy target. An organization that hides everything can be easily accused of hiding anything.

Re: Vatican fights Da Vinci Code
 

Excellent question. IMHO, when you realize that some parts of the bible simply aren't true, then the entire book becomes suspect.

Mike

why would you want to start that can of worms?

I saw that article in the (on-line) paper today too and the title made me laugh. My husband and I both went to catholic school and have questioned a lot of what was taught when we were younger. We both read the book (I just started his other one: Angels & Demons). We've enjoyed his books, and I find them very interesting and a fast read. What's exactly true and what's not...not sure. I have 2 sisters who won't read it. :)

Hmm... I just might have to read it now that the Catholic church has condemmed it. I grew up in an Irish Catholic house. I walked away from the Catholic church at a young age when it became apparent to me they were not exactly on the up and up. Christianity has a lot of problems these days, chief among them, in my humble opinion, being the Catholic church. Not the members themselves, but the whole hierarchy and leadership. If this thing rattles their cage a bit it must be worth reading.

Jeff - I would read it. I thought at first it would be too many names, dates, places, and get hard to keep up and hurt my head...smile....but my husband said I would enjoy it and I did. I thought it read like an Indiana Jones movie...

computer error trying again

The NOVEL is well written IMO and that is where this argument should end. The "problem" this book has caused stems from the author's masterful marketing. Dan Brown goes on talk shows and claims his book has basis in fact and that he in fact does believe the thesis he suggests in the book which I believe can be summed up as:

1. Mary Magdalene and Jesus may have had a "relationship" (sexual, marriage, or some other form)
2. That relationship may have led to children, which may exist in bloodlines today
3. A secret organization possessed the knowledge of this "relationship"
4. Leonardo DaVinci was a member of this organization and pained clues to his beliefs into his works (ie, the last supper stuff).
5. The church is aware of this "secret" and guards it with a zealousness like no other.

And other sub-themes to numerous too list.

What does this amount to? Well, to me, nothing more than the previously mentioned Indiana Jones stuff. Great reads, great movies but do you really believe the Nazi's had the Arc of the Covenant? I am sure you could make a case for it though, just like every other theory out there with anything. Mix in some fact with the fiction and it becomes an even better "page turner." Think about all the publicity this guy drew for this book, all because of his claims of fact based fiction in the book. I say, well done Dan, great books, although they lack some more defined research, they are well written and the "promotional" premise of the fact based fiction was well executed.

Next up, Dan Brown v. Mel Gibson starring in Passion of DeVinci, You Can't Handle the Truth.

They interviewed a researcher who applied the methodology of the Da Vinci Code to Moby Dick. He 'found' an equivalent frequency of correct 'prophecies'.

The researcher has now apparently started receiving emails from people thanking him for his discovery that Moby Dick is also the word of God .

IMO The Da Vinci Code contains more 'divine inspiration' than the bible......

The Church has had many embarrassments over the centuries. It's about four times as old as the next oldest Christian faith (other than Greek Orthodox, of course). It may even have secrets to continue hiding. There is the "Third Secret" thing, for example. My fellow Catholics will probably know what I'm talking about.

The Church has some housecleaning to do, but I also understand the Church's concern about this book. The Church is responsible for bringing people to God. The book is likely to work at cross-purposes to that.

Two things seem certain. I'll continue to put my faith in God and Jesus and support the Church's important mission. And Dan Brown's book is a very effective piece of fiction, from a marketing perspective.

Smoak, the theological problems are actually deeper than that. Dan Brown claims that Jesus was not deity, and that he died as a normal human. Further, he pushes for goddess worship with the whole "sacred feminine" routine. Of course, that's essentially paganism, by definition, which throws all of Christianity as we know it down the tubes. (Many would argue that's a good thing!!)

The great difficulty *is* the marketing -- it's passed off as "based on fact," which makes many people believe that all of the ideas presented as fact are fact. Most of the people gullible enough to buy into Dan Brown's "facts" are interested enough to believe the fiction without bothering to look up which bits are true and which were made up to make a good read. The result is a growing number of people who believe a lie. Sadly, his writing is excellent -- it's easy, fast, and light -- the sort of thing that any old fool can get through in a few days. All of the books written to counter his work are harder reads, a fact that makes them infinitely less popular.

I can't say I blame the Catholic church for fighting this. They have the resources, and Brown's work is probably costing them. They're far more organized than any other group of people who disagrees with Brown's silliness. (shrug)

OTOH, fighting it gives Brown legitimacy. If you just ignore it, it's obviously false. If you come out and say it's false, then you must be hiding something. ????

That's what most of the people at my church who read it said.

ubiquity:

The DaVinci Code has NOTHING to do with the "biblical prophecy" or "bible code" hypothesis. Totally different thing. The bible code is the belief that somehow there are prophecies coded into the first five books of the old testament.