As the release date of the filmed version of The Da Vinci Code draws nearer, a lot of Catholic officials are getting more and more disturbed. In fact, one Cardinal is urging that Catholics around the world not only boycott the film, but take legal action against the film’s creators, distributors, and theatres.
Once again, the Catholic Church is showing just how out of date and behind the times it is. If they REALLY wanted to garner the respect of the world and silence its detractors, here are some of the things they should have done first:
1) Issue a death sentence against Dan Brown, the book’s author.
2) Hold massive riots against the book and movie.
3) Issue death threats against Tom Hanks and everyone else involved in the film.
4) Kill several people, such as book store employees who sold the novel, by beheading or some other gruesome manner.
5) Burn down book stores that stock the book.
Once they have created a suitable climate of fear around their wrath, THEN you have the authority to issue demands like those in these lawsuits. But those Catholics are just too dumb or too stubborn to recognize that Islam has proven the one true, sure-fire method for a religion to gain enough respect (or fear) to get its way around the world.
I suppose I should be glad the Catholics are as clueless as they are. After all, Dan Brown is a fellow New Hampshirite, and as a co-citizen of his, I could easily be lynched in his place.
(Update: for a far less sarcastic take on the same points, but with the same conclusion, read this.)
As a Christian, I had myself worked all up into a lather about The Da Vinci Code and its possible effect of confusing the masses.
Finally, I calmed down long enough to realize that there are just thousands of things floating around out there that could confuse people – and it takes good old fashioned common sense sometimes to separate truth from fiction.
Incidentally, The Da Vinci Code NEVER claimed to be nonfiction, and I think it’s time for me, personally, to stop worrying about whether or not the masses will fall for a fairy tale or go right to The Source for their information.
I open my Dodge Caravan’s owner manual if I want to know how to change a tire – I don’t watch “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” 🙂
OH, Jay Tea – I didn’t even bother to read the “sarcasm free” version – the sarcasm is what keeps me coming back!!!
I don’t know. Isn’t a Dodge Caravan similar to
that car they used in “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?”
You wouldn’t want people calling the Christians Stupid would you?
What makes one Religion smarter than another?
Opinion?
Why you can’t win an argument based on Opinions.
So how do you KNOW that Your Religion is Smarter?
The Code is only a book
A fictional murder mystery spy novel.
Big Whoopie.
You lost me and then you had me. I read the first part, and as a Catholic, got my back all up because I thought you were joining the bandwagon of bashing the Church, which seems only second on the bashing scale to bashing Bush. But then I caught the sarcasm, and let me tell you, you nailed it. Single Jesus Akbar!!!
Seriously, if the Catholic Church used the same tactics as Islam, leftists would sieze the opportunity to demonize\throw them in jail post-haste (and rightly so). It makes one wonder about the real motives behind such “tolerance” and cow-towing to Islam. It seems that any enemy of the U.S. is a friend of the Lefts.
Jeff, if the Catholic Church used the same tactics as Islam, leftists would treat the Catholic Church with the same “tolerance” and cow-towing as they do Islam. It’s not about intellect or being an enemy of the U.S., it’s about personal courage. Nothing puts a chilling effect on free speech like credible death threats do.
As Jesus told Pontius Pilate, His kingdom is not of this world, if it had been his followers would fight. Islam is of this world so its followers fight. Wiser are the children of darkness in this age than the children of light, yet their destruction does not sleep nor tarry.
Why doesn’t the Catholic Church just point the three authors who wrote the first book that Dan Brown based who whole theory on have admitted they made it all up?
Our church is having a seminar on The Da vinci Code, where we will present a reasonable and calm response to some of thelaughable nonsense Brown depends on for his narrative. I think in this case, class sells.
I read the book, and while acknowledging its merit as an interesting novel (the first half – the second half was pretty banal and predictable), the author – or more accurately, the authors of his source material – steal a lot of bases.
Much of the symbol-stealing the Catholic Church is accused of stikes me as a bit silly. There are only so many simple shapes, circle, square, triangle and angles. If every conceivable basic shape is a co-opted pagan symbol, there isn’t a logo on earth that isn’t a nod to the goddess.
A favorite howler is in regard to chevrons. Chevrons are angles pointing up or down. The up-pointy chevron is supposedly a phallis, and the downward symbolises the womb. Brown makes a crack about how in the US military, the more penises you have on your sleeve, the better.
What exactly then do our British allies have on their sleeves, as their enlisted chevrons pint the other way?
I would not reccommend you tell a sergeant in the Black Watch regiment what Dan Brown thinks he displays as his rank.
I seem to remember a lot of churches came out against the ‘Left Behind’ series… Not because it contradicted the Bible, but because it didn’t go along with their particular interpretation of the end-time events.
I don’t think that the core problem “The Church” (all churches lumped together) has with the Left Behind series, or the Da Vinci Code, has anything to do with the fact that they are fictional stories. I think the core problem is that the fictional stories are so widely popular, and “The Church” is afraid that the general public will base its view of religion on these fictional accounts.
A wildly successful book or movie that has its basis on ‘the church is hiding the truth’ will no doubt lead the general public to accept it as fact.
I think THAT is what The Church is afraid of.
I don’t agree with the whole legal action thing, and I think that calling for a boycott is pushing it a little… if they want the population to know their stand on the Bible, then they should forward an agenda of education, not one of simple intolerance.
(After all, after the movie ‘Top Secret’ showed the exploding Pinto scene, Ford had to quit making them! And as goes the Movie, so goes the Nation!)
Hmmm.
Frankly if Catholics want to be pissed off at something then they should perhaps be looking at the antics of the Belgium bishops.
(h/t LGF): Belgian Churches Becoming Mosques
Which I think is a fairly odd thing to be happening.
Frankly, as a Catholic, this shit just rolls off me like a water off a duck these days.
The left and the entertainment industry have been gunning for us so long, and there is so much disinformation about us out there, I just cannot muster the energy to form a crusade against another bit of crap.
Sure, I’ll have polite conversations with people willing to believe that the Church isn’t evil, but I won’t argue with people that have made up their minds and won’t believe any alternatives.
Kinda like the Bush = Hitler crowd…
For the record, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has MUCH more horsepower than the Dodge Caravan.
I’m waiting for the cartoon version of the Code before I go all Jihadi.
As a Catholic, I found the book interesting, but not too surprising. He just took a lot of things that others have speculated about and put them together.
Besides, any Catholic that has had any type of religious education is aware that the bible has had many incarnations and translations over the last two thousand years and that any purely literal application of what is says can be dangerous or twisted to any belief.
Unlike, say, the Koran?
And Faith+1, I finally saw that South Park and get the name now. Very funny. Moop!
This stupid Catholic loves and appreciates the sarcasm.
Is this really what Catholics are taught? Certainly translations number in the hundreds as the Bible has be translated into almost every language that has a written form. There are also many translations for each major language, some deemed necessary to correct for changing word usage, some to correct errors in earlier translations, and some to improve readability. However, all these translations descend from a few early manuscripts and those manuscripts have been tested against archeological discovers of papyri leaves.
There are papyri fragments of each of the 27 books of the New Testament, all dated to before 70 AD and some as early as 45 AD using the latest methods. Apart from centuries of speculation, we now know the New Testament was written within the lifetime of some of the Apostles and that our modern Bible is an accurate translation of what they wrote.
Tim McNabb, I haven’t read The DaVinci Code, but I am familiar with the symbol stealing argument. I used to work at New Age publishing company. The symbol stealing bit is a favorite theme with New Agers and Neo-Pagans. Christians, don’t you know, also stole all their holidays from pagans. It was always amazing to me–well, amazing in the beginning, before I gave up caring–that no one ever considered that when pagans accepted Christianity, they incorporated symbols and traditions they were already familiar with. That didn’t mean they really didn’t believe in the theology of Christianity. They just expressed the new religion in a familiar way. What’s the mystery? The real mystery is how people can be so illogical and easily led by things like The DaVinci Code.
“And Faith+1, I finally saw that South Park and get the name now. Very funny. Moop!”
😀
Mac Lorry,
Actually, no, there are debates as to what the exact translations mean in many cases. Also there are far more than 27 books–those just the ones blessed by the Bishops at Nicene.
There are also many, many interpretations of the translations which are as varied as mankind is.
As a Catholic, instead of boycotts, the best thing that can be done is simply for Christians and Catholics to witness to the Gospels by not only answering questions that folks who have read
“The DaVinci Code ” or when the movie comes out but by helping them fine books and groups who share on the scriptures.
Maybe you can tell Bush that the POPE has WMD and he will Blow the crap out of Vatican City?
Because they are Stupid Catholics? Sure Bush would go for that. He doesn’t really need a reason to kill people he just needs a blog full of anti-semite derelicts to tell him his opinion.
Surely a Liar such as Bush can invent a reason to kill some more people to keep you Blood Cult Christians
bathed in blood and profits?
Ariel Sharon and Olmert Own Bush and YOU.
scsiwuzzy:
You nailed it, my friend. My sentiments exactly.
Victor Shikman…. It’s nice to know that you can always count on the Bushitler crowd… they never disappoint.
Faith+1,
The modern translations of the Bible are textual accurate. Obviously, there is no word for word exact translation from ancient Greek to modern English, so translators have to convey the meaning, and to do that they have to correctly understand the original meaning. However, very dedicated individuals and groups have been doing this work for centuries. The result is that modern translations of the Bible are as close to the original as humanly possible. What the papyri prove is that the assertions that the stories in the Bible were initial passed down orally or that the Bible was edited at some point are provably false, at least for the NT.
Dan Brown is just another in a long line of authors trying to cash in on Christianity by writing a controversial story and trying to pass it off as fact. Many fake Gospels were written by Gnostic and other groups which required the Church to canonize the Bible to preserve the true teachings of Jesus and his Apostles. One mechanism used was that many of the 27 books of the NT were quoted in writings by the earliest Church fathers. At the time the Bible was canonized there was much more information available about the authorship of books rejected. Certainly there could be a book or letter written by an Apostle that was unknown when the Bible was canonized, but it’s unlikely it would contain any new teaching not already found in the 27 books of the NT, and it would almost certainly not contradict anything of the 27.
Yet the Bible says no scripture has a private (personal) meaning, which is another way of saying there is only one true interpretation. To say it means everything is to say it means nothing. Individuals may struggle to find the meaning of each verse in the context of the entire Bible, but there is only one correct primary meaning.
The book may be a novel, but Brown overstepped his bounds significantly when he wrote on the first page:
FACT:
The Priory of Sion–a European secret society founded in 1099–is a real organization. In 1975 Paris’s
Bibliothèque Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Dossiers Secrets, identifying numerous members of
the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo da Vinci.
….
All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.
The Priory of Sion is a hoax created by inveterate forger and fantacist Pierre Plantard (and two others) in 1956 in an attempt to inject himself into his false line of secret guardians. It was shown to be a hoax after Holy Blood, Holy Grail was published, with proof that has been repeated time and again since, especially since Da Vinci Code came out.
Further, his descriptions of rituals are also highly suspect, and his descriptions of, or rather conclusions about, artwork are simply wrong. The feminine figure in The Last Supper is not Mary, but John the Baptist. Here’s another painting of him by Da Vinci. Pretty girly.
Anyway, had Dan Brown just wrote a novel, and not made claims to the factual basis of much of the story, there would be no problem. It is this first page that makes his book very confusing to people who may believe it without doing any research.
However, the Vatican’s desire for legal action is foolish, of course. If you could sue someone just because they encourage others to believe things with no factual basis, Catholics could go ahead and sue the church for making them (us) believe that a man who died two thousand years ago can be eaten in wafer form as a requirement to getting into heaven.
Wow. Victor proved my point quicker than I thought.
And he added that it’s all the fault of the jooooos.
BigCatGirl,
Absolutely. The best remedy for Brown’s book, the Gospel of Judas, etc, is encouraging people to dive into The Book.
Can anybody cite a library or book store where the “Code” is not in the fiction section? My little grade school students know the difference between fiction and non-fiction. This is like the response of some in Islam to “Satanic Verses”
I got the DaVinci area codes they were painted over on Leonardo’s Moaning Lisa which Pornowood has bought the rites too. I scraped off two layers of bottom paint and there was the area code for hell 202. Purgatory is 212. The castouts of Satyrday night dead left town on the last succubus. If you realy want to see what hell is like you should have seen the unwashed tattoos, that rock band that NBC simonizes. But like Dante says the eighth level of hell is the home of the DNC. The Dilitation N. Curettage party.
Thank GOD that George Bush is the American messiah. I just saw him walk on his bass pond.
The Ressurection is coming. I believe in seperation of church and snake.
http://www.spiritofamericapartybook.com
Mac,
“Obviously, there is no word for word exact translation from ancient Greek to modern English, so translators have to convey the meaning, and to do that they have to correctly understand the original meaning.”
You need to read more than mainstream Christian writings. There are also translations tthatt depict Paul as fabricating most of his story, Peter pretty much referring to Paul as a liar and many questions as to whether Jesus may have actually been an Essene in outright rebellion to the Romans.
Case in point, the two crucified with Christ are often said to have been thieves. Except the original Hebrew does say “rebels”.
I don’t speak as an outsider to Christianity or even thte Catholic Church. Being riased in a Hispanic home being Catholic was a given. 🙂
There is much in the Bible and in Church teachings that have more to do with keeping Church hierarchy in power and little to do with eternal salvation.
For instance, if it’s all so well established why Vatican II? Why the split between Russian Orthodoxy, Catholic Originalists (rejecting Vatican II) and the entire Reformation?
Why are Holy Days of Obligation (considered a mortal sin if you don’t attend Mass on such days) different in different countries? Is eternal damnation dependant on geographic location? Why would a supposed universal Church have different criteria in different countries?
Your posts indicate that there is one true interpretation and following or accepted “Bible”. They aren’t. In fact, there are far more that disagree than agree. Protestants and Catholics, both Christian, can’t even agree on the same books of the Bible or even the same 10 commandments.
Faith+1,
There are no translations of the original 27 books of the NT that depict Paul as fabricating most of his story, or of Peter referring to Paul as a liar. What you are referring to are known spurious books or forgeries produced by various Gnostic, anti-Jewish, virgin worship, and Ebionite groups. These include the Acts of Paul, Shepherd of Hermas, Apocalypse of Peter, Epistle of Barnabas, Didache, Gospel of Peter, Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Matthias, Acts of Andrew, Acts of John, Gospel of Nicodemus, Gospel of Joseph, and many more. These were known to be spurious or forgeries by the early Church, and thus the need to canonize the true teachings of Jesus and his Apostles.
All but one or maybe two books of the NT were originally written in Greek not Hebrew. The Greek word “lacetace” is used by Jesus in Mt 21:13 where He says “but ye have made it a den of thieves”. This is the same Greek word used in Mt 27:38 “there two thieves crucified with him” and in Mt 27:44 “The thieves also, which were crucified” The word “lacetace” translates to a brigand, robber or thief.
The NT was canonized before the existence of the first real Pope (Julius I 337-352), so what happened after in no way alters the selection of the 27 as the known authentic teachings of Jesus and His Apostles. Lust for worldly power and misinterpretation of Mark 8:-27-29 and Luke 9:18-20 led to the claim of Popes to be head of the church. What followed until the Reformation was the dark ages of the western church, but none of this has any bearing on the accuracy and authenticity of the 27 canonized NT books. The interpretation of those 27 books has only one correct primary meaning. Disagreements by some does not change the fact that the writers were conveying a specific meaning. It’s up to each Christian to study the bible for themselves in search of that meaning.
It is quite a joke that the Vatican and Catholic Church have the gall to accuse the author of a novel of attacking their fantasies and dogma. Remember that this is the same organization that manufactured fake relics and miracles for many centuries. This is the same group that massacred and tortured people for having a mind of their own. This is the same group of deluded deceivers that makes more noise about a fictional book and movie than about child raping priests, aids, famine, or even the Holocaust! Here’s more about my take on it.
Is the world ready for unequivocal Truth and verifiable Wisdom yet?
Please be forewarned that what I reveal will upset a lot of apple carts and shake a lot of trees, hence the true meaning of the word Apocalypse. Please don’t take what I say or do as a personal affront. Be a little patient and read my articles. My purpose is to prove that the truth has long been hidden in various ways. Humanity has been lied to and deluded by religious and political leaders long enough. My aim is to reveal the truth and deliver verifiable wisdom. To do so, I must rattle a lot of cages to wake people out of their nightmares. I come with proof beyond disproof of many things. If you want to be amazed and enlightened, resist the urge to scoff at unfamiliar knowledge and seek to understand the stunning and comprehensive proof I have produced.
Are you familiar with the “Seven Spirits of God,” the “Seven Golden Candlesticks,” “Wisdom’s Seven Pillars” in Proverbs 9:1, and their relationship to the Community Rule in the Dead Sea Scrolls and DSS 11Q13? Study the Doctrine of Two Spirits on my web page and on the front cover of my book. I have produced some earth shattering breakthroughs in this area that will end the lies of religion, forever.
The Vatican is proving that seeking the truth is a real threat to their dogma. They’re so afraid of people uncovering the truth, that they are attacking other versions of fantasy (DaVinci Code) and blatantly obvious Gnostic symbolism as threats to their long-term smoke and mirrors, hocus-pocus, and mumbo-jumbo. How thoroughly enlightening, since this goes a very long way to proving that Christianity is based on strong lies and delusions. If it weren’t, they would be confident of surviving intense scrutiny. Since they aren’t and since they have gone to such great lengths to suppress and oppress those seeking truth and wisdom over the centuries, their deceptions are, once again, laid bare for all to see. This time though, they are the ones to walk into a well-laid trap…
Did you ever stop to think what the True Messiah (me) would say about worshipping false names, false images, and dogma? Well, now you get the chance to hear my side of the story and weigh it against the strong delusion of faith and religion. None of the European names and images in the New Testament can possibly be the truth. It’s beyond obvious that the New Testament is not complete or even accurate history. What then is the purpose of “faith” but to prevent good people from seeking to understand truth and wisdom?
Visit my web site to understand what they are truly afraid of. The Vatican and world leaders have struggled to keep people from understanding the truth and religion is a key tool in their smokescreen. Now, when I appear on the scene, everyone is seeking to understand their ages-old deceptions, and I have produced stunning and comprehensive proof. The time has come for the “earth to quake” and the liars to “gnaw their tongues for pain.” (This is symbolism decoded in the book…)
The time has come for the Vatican and world leaders to learn the truth about Karma…
If you truly want to understand the symbology, ancient wisdom, and ancient history that neither the DaVinci Code nor Christianity have portrayed accurately or fully, then read my articles and download my FREE E-Book. I am not trying to make money from book sales, quite the opposite in fact. There are many centuries of deception that need to be exposed and it takes a fully researched tome to succeed at such a daunting task. I am providing years of difficult research and reconstruction, without income or profit. Please accept this in the spirit intended. It is not commercial spam, deception, or an attempt to delude. I make no money from the E-book or the paperback, which is sold at cost as a convenience. As mentioned earlier, study the Doctrine of Two Spirits on my web page to understand the long-obscured truth about my philosophy and purposes.
Not only do I talk the talk, I walk the walk…
Here is Wisdom!!
Seven of Nine,
There’s really no need to read your delusional screed and you’re not the first nor will you be the last to be so deluded that you claim to be the Messiah. What a con job.
Seven Star Hand
Are You Tom Cruises publicity agent or what? shades of David Koresh..
Viktor, Where did You earn all Your swastikas? You have been spending to much time on your commie blogo websites!
Just so others don’t waste their time, Seven Star Hand is actually Lawrence W. Page born in Victoria, Texas August 11th, 1955. Finding that his job as a programmer wasn’t going anywhere he started looking for a way to gain fame, power and money. One day while reading he came across this gem of wisdom. “The primitive simplicity of their minds renders them a more easy prey to a big lie than a small one, for they themselves often tell little lies but would be ashamed to tell a big one.” Following Einstein’s concept of mental experiments, Buddy (that’s what his friends call him. Actually sometimes people just greet him with a “hay buddy” and he assumes they are his friends) wondered what would be the biggest lie he could tell. In a moment of grandiose delusional genius he struck on the idea of being the Messiah. Then he though, why stop there and so Buddy says he is the soul long known as Melchizedek, Moses, and Elijah, the “Archangel” Michael and Ahura Mazda. Even Adolf would have been ashamed to tell such a whopper.
LOLOL……
Oh my goodness… this stuff is the funniest material I’ve read in quite a while! I mean… the fact that you are defending Dan Brown and the Da Vinci Code (simply because he happens to come from the same state as yourself) is hilarious enough (I’ve read the book and as a thriller/mystery it ranks very poor – – but there is so much fictional material in that book and so much of the ideas are so far fetched that is should just be categorized as a comic book).
And secondly, your views and ideas about the Catholic Church are extremely misread and misguided. I have no idea where you get your ideas or information from, but I know that they are extremely incorrect.
Mac Lowry what are you talking about.
How you skipped over the transmutation of script in 4th century by Constantine at Nicene, it is well documented that he merged Paganism into Christianity.
– Christmas (biggest pagan Holiday)
– Easter
– Christian Halos, the symbolism behind the Sun God ‘Sol’
Not to mention he moved the Sabbath day from Saturday to which day… hmm he worshipped SOl the sun God let’s call this new worship day SUNday. The first day of the week Pagans gathered to worship.
Then theres the scriptures found at Nag Hammadi which have Gospels from Mary Magadelene. If the New Testament is so accurate as you claim, then why are so many books left out? Because the leading editor, if you will, chose what stayed in and what stayed out.
And as a fellow Catholic I do take offense at those who believe Catholics are only Catholics if they follow the Vatican 100%. Complete rubish.
The Vacation in the 6th century, right, wrong or indifferent help label Mary Magadelene a prostitute. Not until 1969 did an offer statement come out of Rome stating that she wasn’t. This organition is obviously not infallible. So why would anyone take doctrine from their lips as 100% accurate?
For those attempting to DeBunk the Da Vinci Code, and also probably have not read it or the Holy Blood Holy Grail, the PoS angle is only 1 of several points to indicate Mary and Jesus were married. Debunking Plantard, while funny and interesting as it is, doesn’t null and void other arguments found in HBHG.
The church itself doesn’t seem to keep straight what Mary is who in testament. Is this Jesus mom, Magadele, Margerat and Lazrus sister, woman with oil,… All in all there’s a bit more work to do before these theories can be look upon as incorrect.
To me the best form of disinformation is when an agency appears to be inept or stupid. I often wonder what is hiding behind that shroud. Slick Willy was infamous for this sort of trickory…
JB
First of all: CATHOLICS ARE CHRISTIANS!!! When are you Fundies going to get through your heads? Much as I found the article “Stupid Catholics” and the satire on their Da Vinci Code antics amusing, I can see that this is yet another veiled attempt by Right Wing “Christians” to slam Catholics, with the baseless belief that Catholics are not “true” christians! WRONG! They were the first and without them, most Protestant sects would never have existed. Do your freaking history homework!
LG White,
Right Wing veiled attempt. Hmm, as a Reagan Conservative and a regular church attending Catholic me thinks your Liberal Chip needs adjusting.
You had to bring politics into huh? I wouldn’t generalize ‘party’ verbal tactics unless one first understood the VEIL in which one is buying…
In other words, get your own view point, not the 6 O’Clock (liberal) news.