The Da Vinci Hoax Part II

[Antonio_B]

Dear friends,

 I and many have asked ourselves, why was The Da Vinci Code written to begin with? What was the purpose of the author in writing such a book? Well, one finds the answer to that question on page 18 of The Da Vinci Hoax by Olson and Miesel. Here it is:

"More than “just fiction” or an entertaining book, the chart-topping novel was purposefully written to challenge what people believe about God, Jesus, the Bible, Mary Magdalene, religion, history, and the nature of truth itself. The author readily admits this is so. In a June 9, 2003, interview on The Today Show, host Matt Lauer said to Brown, “You ask the reader to -to challenge certain long held beliefs or truths about religion.” Brown answered, “Yes.” He then went on to say that while some readers have found the book to be “a little bit shocking”, the majority of readers “love it,”

When I read this I thought of two major factors that would affect Christians today, particularly Catholics in the reading of this book. 1. Living in a secular society where the idea of the sacred is marginal. 2. Being part of a church where catechesis is poor for children and teenagers and practically non-existent for most Catholic adults. Those two realities combine and the advent of this book is a disaster for Christianity and for the Catholic Church, specifically.

On the other hand, the book can be seen as a challenge for us to wake up and really study our faith seriously.

What do you think?

Antonio

 

[Riley259]

Yes, as bad as this book is in terms of attacking the foundations of Christianity, it may offer us an opportunity as well. After reading Dan Brown’s book, you quickly realize that he is not just hinting that orthodox christianity is false, he is blatantly stating that the whole thing is a sham. A practicing Christian who reads this book needs to make a choice: either ignore Brown’s silly claims or take them seriously. If one was previously a practicing Christian and decides to take the claims seriously, then a discongruent state of uneasiness will arise and may provide the impetus for that person to once and for all research whether Brown’s claims hold any truth. By researching the claims of Brown versus orthodox Christianity, the person will eventually discover the truth and hopefully along the way understand his own faith in a clearer and more confident way - this may have never happened if this situation had never arose and the person may have eventually drifted from a practicing Christian to a marginal one (or worse agnosticism). Just a thought.

 

[RobedWithLight]

The fact that they aim to challenge the truth simply means they maintain that it can be challenged and refuted. This is the common yet insidious thinking of secular society, that since there is **no **objective truth, anyone that clings to it (like the Church) should therefore be put into question, their credibility eroded and their authority denied.

Even the devil would gladly deny his own existence just to see his own nefarious agenda succeed.

Gerry

 

[JCPhoenix]

Let’s remember that God uses the unsuspecting to carry out his will.

This IS a call to action, a call to study, and a call to truth. Of those of us who are here, we are all called–to something.

Look how many have accepted the lies…their realization of the truth can be very powerful when it occurrs.

AntiCatholic and Anti Christian sentiment in general is centuries old. The difference now is that we all know who the true author of this book is. He calls himself Dan Brown, but this is a book written by the father of lies (I refuse to capitalize his name as I have no intention of allowing any dignity in it). Yet God is still using this fallen angel to do his will and make us see how far we’ve gone from him.

On the surface, Dan Brown wrote this because he is anti-Christian and very carefully researched to seperate the lies so as to present them as truth. Have no doubt his research was very careful. Research is tedious, but trust me (as in investigator by trade) that finding dirt is not easy…but finding dirt and portraying it as fact is very difficult. This man has taken sources which have long been discredited and used them to support his adjenda.

The book was written to help us get a better handle on our faith and the problems within the people who claim to be a part of it.

If I were a professor of theology I would have the students read the DVC after providing a questionnaire regarding general Christian beliefs (the foundational questions ie: Mary Magdalene, Jesus, Jesus’s Mother Mary, etc. Was Jesus divine? Belief in the Trinity…etc). I would provide the same test afterwards, and then have them read the best refutations to the book and look up a certain number of sources on both sides.

I am not a teacher by trade nor do I want to be, but I have to say this issue lights a fire under me that was not there before!

This book is not about one issue…it is a bridge to true Theology and the teaching of it. God has shown us part of his hand here…we should keep playing until he displays the winning cards (oh, and btw…we ARE those cards, people)

 

[Antonio_B]

“If I were a professor of theology I would have the students read the DVC after providing a questionnaire regarding general Christian beliefs (the foundational questions ie: Mary Magdalene, Jesus, Jesus’s Mother Mary, etc. Was Jesus divine? Belief in the Trinity…etc). I would provide the same test afterwards, and then have them read the best refutations to the book and look up a certain number of sources on both sides.”

Excellent idea and I might just do that in my Church History class next semester.

Antonio

 

[JCPhoenix]

“If I were a professor of theology I would have the students read the DVC after providing a questionnaire regarding general Christian beliefs (the foundational questions ie: Mary Magdalene, Jesus, Jesus’s Mother Mary, etc. Was Jesus divine? Belief in the Trinity…etc). I would provide the same test afterwards, and then have them read the best refutations to the book and look up a certain number of sources on both sides.”

Excellent idea and I might just do that in my Church History class next semester.

Antonio

If you do I would love to hear about it and the results of the assignments! Can I attend class as an observer?

 

[Antonio_B]

JCPhoenix:

If you do I would love to hear about it and the results of the assignments! Can I attend class as an observer?

I’ll let you know in January when we begin the second semester with Church History. Also, I live here in California. Are in the same state?

Antonio

 

[JCPhoenix]

Antonio B:

I’ll let you know in January when we begin the second semester with Church History. Also, I live here in California. Are in the same state?

Antonio

I actually live in Minnesota…but I have a friend in Sacramento! And of course the weather in CA is MUCH better than the weather in cold horrible but ski-friendly MN in winter! Hmm…I’m feeling the need to buy a plane ticket for January…

Seriously, though, I would love to see how that idea goes over and the knowledge gained from it. If I was disciplined enough I would impose this assignment upon myself…but since I’m not paying someone to be sure I follow through and set deadlines I’m more than happy to just read the good stuff and see poor students suffer. And learn. After all, I’m already in debt from learning and will be for a long time. NEXT!

?Ensen~a en clases de escuela secundaria o la universidad? Tiene Ud. el poder creer las estudias espicificamente? ?Cuales clases ensena Ud.? (Lamento que no se’ como an~adir los accentos en el computadora y sin pluma!)

God Bless y Dios te Bendiga.

 

[Antonio_B]

JCPhoenix:

I actually live in Minnesota…but I have a friend in Sacramento! And of course the weather in CA is MUCH better than the weather in cold horrible but ski-friendly MN in winter! Hmm…I’m feeling the need to buy a plane ticket for January…

Well, Sacramento is not exactly around the corner, just a little bit more than 500 miles from where I live in Simi Valley where Reagan was buried. It’s somehat hot here these days but the weekend will see temperatures in the 70s

Seriously, though, I would love to see how that idea goes over and the knowledge gained from it. If I was disciplined enough I would impose this assignment upon myself…but since I’m not paying someone to be sure I follow through and set deadlines I’m more than happy to just read the good stuff and see poor students suffer. And learn. After all, I’m already in debt from learning and will be for a long time. NEXT!

I would also love to see how the assignment goes. You know with the kids one never knows.

?Ensen~a en clases de escuela secundaria o la universidad? Tiene Ud. el poder creer las estudias espicificamente? ?Cuales clases ensena Ud.? (Lamento que no se’ como an~adir los accentos en el computadora y sin pluma!)

Enseño en escuela secundaria. Sí tengo autoridad para preparar mis propias lecciones y ahora enseño las religiones del mundo y el próximo semestre enseñaré la historia de la Iglesia y los sacramentos.

God Bless y Dios te Bendiga.

Thank you!

Antonio