Enraged by The DaVinci Code

[Annunciata]

AmyS:

I take it personally because it is taking my faith and (although the book it fiction) passing some of the lies as fact

… I have got into many a debate about it. You know how many people have a negative opinion of Opus Dei because of this book, which didn’t even portray them close to being right… The truth will prevail, but, the misinterpretations many have of my faith does not need any help.
Thanks for your excellent response, Amy!
The truth will prevail…however when it’s distorted by so many false assertion by this author it’s almost frightening to see how many who are not knowledgeable in the Faith WILL and HAVE believed it! Yes it is a work of crummy fiction but he does have a fact page at the beginning of the book that states all research is factual!
God Bless,
Annunciata

 

[CARose]

adnauseum:

…
My suggestion? Instead of using the pulpit to preach pop-psych, perhaps priests could use it to teach us what the readings mean, and how the old and new testaments are woven together in ways that, if we understood them, would send a chill up your spine! …

There are faithful priests out here, I’m lucky and have one. Each morning we have a homily either on the reading or the Saint being honored on the Church Calendar. It is through my attendance at daily Mass that my interest was first sparked to know more.

But we need to take responsibility ourselves as well. My appetite was whetted by the excellent homilies of a faithful priest, but that alone was not sufficient to quench the thirst it started. Scott Hahn’s Salvation History and Series on the Books of Romans and Hebrews have also helped. A 26 video tape series by Fr. Corapi also added to my knowledge of the CCC. We need to step up to the plate, so that drivel like the Da Vinci Code cannot begin to shake our Faith.

Let’s encourage others to know and Love the Lord. Study the Truth and share it when we can.

CARose

 

[Annunciata]

CARose:

There are faithful priests out here, I’m lucky and have one. Each morning we have a homily either on the reading or the Saint being honored on the Church Calendar. It is through my attendance at daily Mass that my interest was first sparked to know more.

But we need to take responsibility ourselves as well. My appetite was whetted by the excellent homilies of a faithful priest, but that alone was not sufficient to quench the thirst it started. Scott Hahn’s Salvation History and Series on the Books of Romans and Hebrews have also helped. A 26 video tape series by Fr. Corapi also added to my knowledge of the CCC. We need to step up to the plate, so that drivel like the Da Vinci Code cannot begin to shake our Faith.

Let’s encourage others to know and Love the Lord. Study the Truth and share it when we can.

CARose

CaRose, I have the Salvation History series and 1 or2 of Corapi’s series…truer words could not have been spoken… God Bless, Annunciata

 

[Church_Militant]

dumspirospero:

I just got watching a program on the DaVinci code it made me sick…it is full of blashemy and heresy…It actually made me so mad I wanted to curse the TV. Has anyone else seen this program or read the book? There are fallacious claims that John The Baptist was higher than Jesus, That Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and had children, etc…amongst other blatant lies, heresy, and blasphemy. It paints the Catholic Church as a lying, secret society hell bent on hiding the truth from people and supposedly DaVinci is now some definitive source according to these people in matters of philosophy and encoded his paintings with the truth…what a bunch of hogwash…and I even hear this is required reading at some schools…is this true?

Yes, I read the book and wasn’t impressed with it. It had no climax…more a plateau and I knew that the stuff he said was baloney. since then I’ve had a great time giving my opinion of all it’s tripe and propaganda. Amy Welborn’s articvles and book are good ways to get the truth out. I say we should turn every attack to our advantage as God gives us grace.

 

[Lorarose]

One helpful fact that comes in handy for me when I discuss this issue with DaVinci believers involves the painting of The Last Supper that Dan Brown bases his book on.

First of all, Leonardo DaVinci made sketches of his work prior to painting. His sketch of this painting had the 12 Apostles clearly labeled. The young beardless figure? It was clearly labeled as John - who was believed to have been a teen or very young man.
Mary Magdalen was not labeled in the sketches.

Why is there no cup for the wine in the painting?
Because the moment portrayed is NOT the moment Jesus blessed the wine.
The moment portrayed is the moment Jesus announced that one of them would betray him.
What does scripture tell us about this moment?
It tells us that Peter asked John to ask Jesus who this betrayer would be. Scripture tells us that John turned to Jesus and asked Him.

Keep this in mind and look at the painting again. Leonardo DaVinci, in reality - did a beautiful job portraying this moment.
The expressions and positions of the Apostles and Jesus clearly reflect scriptural truth.
It is very sad that this artist’s work is being twisted by such a charlatan.

But Dan Brown has come to understand something Oliver Stone has known for awhile now - conspiracy stories sell! It doesn’t matter if they are farfetched or completely made up.
People love a good conspiracy story!

This painting is a primary basis for the book. I have found that with some people - when I show them Dan Brown’s take on the painting is completely contrived and ignores true history - some people have listened to this.

 

[aridite]

I felt ripped off by the book. I was expecting an exciting read, a carefully crafted tale wherein the nefarious conspiracy would be slowly, carefully revealed. But no, there were lame cliff-hangers at the end of almost every chapter and the lies were told in such off-hand and sermonizing ways that it was not even interesting. Holy Blood, Holy Grail is much better read of essentially the same lies – plus there is no silliness of Opus Dei masochistic albino monk-assassins running around.

 

[chrisb]

aridite:

I felt ripped off by the book. I was expecting an exciting read, a carefully crafted tale wherein the nefarious conspiracy would be slowly, carefully revealed. But no, there were lame cliff-hangers at the end of almost every chapter and the lies were told in such off-hand and sermonizing ways that it was not even interesting. Holy Blood, Holy Grail is much better read of essentially the same lies – plus there is no silliness of Opus Dei masochistic albino monk-assassins running around.

Peace be with you,

This is going to be the next field of battle for the hearts and minds of the next generation. The fact is very few people have “faith” in history and thus one doesn’t have to be accurate any longer.

Peace.

 

[JMJ_Pinoy]

The Da Vinci Hoax
Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code
Carl Olson & Sandra Miesel

The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown’s best selling novel, purports to be more than fiction: it claims to be based on fact and scholarly research. Brown wants his readers to believe that he is revealing the long-concealed truth about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and early Christianity, a truth that he says has been suppressed by the malevolent and conspiratorial forces of the Catholic Church. The novel alleges that there has been throughout history a secret group of true followers of a Gnostic Jesus and his wife, Mary Magdalene, the true “Holy Grail”. Almost everything most Christians and non-Christians think they know about Jesus, according to Dan Brown, is completely wrong, the result of Catholic propaganda designed to hide the truth from the world.
But are The Da Vinci Code’s claims fact or just plain fiction? Is the novel well-researched as claimed? What is the truth about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the early Church? Has the Catholic Church distorted the real Jesus? Why is the novel so popular? What about the anti-Catholic, anti-Christian agenda behind the novel?

Best selling author Carl Olson and journalist Sandra Miesel answer these and other important questions. Their painstaking research into The Da Vinci Code and its sources reveals some surprising truths. No one who has read or heard about The Da Vinci Code should miss this provocative and illuminating new book.

ignatius.com/books/davincihoax/

I’m adding this to my New Year’s Resolutions list: Read The Da Vinci Hoax.

 

[manualman]

To boil it all into a sound bite:

Dan Brown claims to be an author like James Michener, when in fact he is more like Oliver Stone.

The problem is only with those people who believe his claims that it is a “historical” fiction work.

 

[awfulthings9]

Too many on this thread have dismissed TDC as “just fiction”. Dan Brown, however, is very clear in interviews and on his website in stating that his “fiction” is simply a vehicle for perpetuating a “truth” that has been around for two-thousand years. People who take the book seriously will NEVER be won over with the “it’s just fiction” argument because he does such a good job of convincing them that the premise is factually based. What’s worse, as an 8th grade teacher, I have several students whose parents encouraged them to read the book and whose adult friends endorsed dangerous spiritual choices, such as studying Wicca, because they bought into the book and wanted to share the wisdom with the younger generation. If anyone has a tough time discerning fact from fiction, it is our youth (who will no doubt see the movie in great numbers). If we really care about saving souls, we need to do our homework on the book instead of dismissing it out-of-hand because it is shelved in the fiction section. Many of you have said you plan to read “The Da Vinci Hoax”, which is an excellent book, but the first thing you should do is is e-mail everyone in your address book and provide them with a link to the Catholic Answers tract, “Cracking The Da Vinci Code”, which is a great place to at least plant the seeds of doubt about the novel. I’ve done this and at least a couple people have now asked to read my copy of “The Da Vinci Hoax”. Hope you all had a great Christmas

 

[Newman60]

JessicaCeleste:

First - Yes, I have read the DaVinci Code. I actually liked it a lot.

Second - Come’on Guys! This is a work of fiction, pretend, make believe

Do I necessarily agree with the people who say “Oh, Jeez…my life / faith / whatever is forever changed / shattered / whatever by this wonderful book”…No - I think they are a giant sucker. If it encourages them to get out there and learn about the Catholic church, then great! But to claim that it “shattered their faith” sounds like a great big cop-out to me and the fact that they take a book of fiction to be holy writ irritates me to no end.

Thus endeth the rant

It is as you said a work of fiction. However since it starts with a bogus “fact” sheet many people (I know some and I’ve met some) will incorrectly and gullibly assume that those really are facts. They won’t “get out there and learn”.
You have to know many people who accept major media news reports as “gospel”. They don’t look for an agenda nor do they question the “facts” as presented.
Newman60