[Jeff Higgins]

Todd, the context in which I made my comments is important. I was trying to drill down to where the DaVinci Code has apparently gained some credibility beyond the fictional work it is intended to be. Among folks that have just enough knowledge to be dangerous, so to speak. While I realize that many intelligent, inquisitive people who have read the Bible still don't believe a word of it, they are also not the ones assigning any level of credibility to the DaVinci Code.

What circles? Crack a Bible on a college campus some time. You are immediately labelled. Mention you believe the scriptures in acedemic circles and you lose a bit of credibility. Try to discuss the Bible seriously in professional circles (engineers in my case, but just about any will do) and you will get the old "you don't believe that fairy tale, do you?" look and/or response. Many left-leaning political circles (gay rights advocates, pro-abortion advocates, etc.) dissavow much of what the Bible says; show up with one around them and see how far you get. There are many others, but I think that illustrates what I meant. Be seen with a Bible in any of these circles, and folks will think you have been hitting the kool-aid again. I think that keeps a lot of people from reading it, which is unfortunate.