The Da Vinci Code

[Tonio]

Originally Posted by Railroad

Religious zealots (people who make ME look like a real bad sinner and a heretic) have panicked and ignored the fact that the book is a work of FICTION.

And as a novel, it is one of the best I've read. I expect that if the movie sticks close to the book, it'll be great. When it comes out on DVD I plan to buy it. Until then, I'll hope it has a fast run in the theatres and a faster run to the DVD publishers.

Good post. When Khomeini issued his fatwa against Rushdie, I bought and read Satanic Verses, because I wanted to support the principle of artistic freedom, and because Rushdie had a reputation as a decent writer of magic realism.

No religion can control what other people say about its doctrine. That's part of life in a world filled with numerous belief systems. Railroad, the zealots you referenced are the fearmongering demagogues who stir up trouble just to attract attention. They don't represent the mass groups of believers, who are secure enough in their beliefs to not feel threatened by a book or movie.

[Railroad (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Tonio

Good post. When Khomeini issued his fatwa against Rushdie, I bought and read Satanic Verses, because I wanted to support the principle of artistic freedom, and because Rushdie had a reputation as a decent writer of magic realism.

No religion can control what other people say about its doctrine. That's part of life in a world filled with numerous belief systems. Railroad, the zealots you referenced are the fearmongering demagogues who stir up trouble just to attract attention. They don't represent the mass groups of believers, who are secure enough in their beliefs to not feel threatened by a book or movie.

For the most part you're right. There is also a snowball effect, and it pulls normally rational people into it, and they begin foaming at the mouth like the radicals. Nobody gets hurt by this, except those raising the stink.

[Tonio]

Originally Posted by Railroad

For the most part you're right. There is also a snowball effect, and it pulls normally rational people into it, and they begin foaming at the mouth like the radicals. Nobody gets hurt by this, except those raising the stink.

And the stink actually backfires, because it motivates other people to see the movie or read the book to find out what all the fuss is about.

[Railroad (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Tonio

And the stink actually backfires, because it motivates other people to see the movie or read the book to find out what all the fuss is about.

Yup.

[desertrat (Premo)]

More free publicity.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/0....8elxm53p.html

"From a religious and historical point of view the content of the book is wholly false."

Good, they just defined a work of fiction for us.

[Hessian]

I suppose this thread will heat up a bit in the next few weeks...

I know a number of Christians are very angry ...not that this piece has torn at the fabric of Christianity but because it mounts yet a new attack on Christianity in an age absorbed by post-modern thought.

Dan Brown seriously screws around with timelines...councils...sects... and doctrine while dabbling in a lot of pagan dieties, rites & practices.

So great, he made a clever murder mystery and manages to throw all sorts of distorted elements out to the public--who are naive enough to start taking it as fact.--Never bothering to check the facts and more than willing to soak up a new conspiracy theory.

If it leads to people searching church origins & practice and studying history--THEN good!...if it leads to more irrational criticism of the faith & mockery and further conspiracy beliefs:--BAD.

I'm hoping that awareness & study & interest in history would grow...but in this generation of idiots,...the latter will happen-its just human nature.

[Nickel]

Originally Posted by Hessian

So great, he made a clever murder mystery and manages to through all sorts of distorted elements out to the public--who are naive enough to start taking it as fact.--Never bothering to check the facts and more than willing to soak up a new conspiracy theory.

Jurassic Park anyone? It's fiction, people, plain and simple. It doesn't have to be historically or factually accurate. It is fiction...

[desertrat (Premo)]

It would be interesting to see what would happen if they made a similar movie, but with an Islamic theme. You know, Muhammad actually was a woman or something like that.

[Bustem' Down]

Originally Posted by Hessian

I suppose this thread will heat up a bit in the next few weeks...

I know a number of Christians are very angry ...not that this piece has torn at the fabric of Christianity but because it mounts yet a new attack on Christianity in an age absorbed by post-modern thought.

Dan Brown seriously screws around with timelines...councils...sects... and doctrine while dabbling in a lot of pagan dieties, rites & practices.

So great, he made a clever murder mystery and manages to throw all sorts of distorted elements out to the public--who are naive enough to start taking it as fact.--Never bothering to check the facts and more than willing to soak up a new conspiracy theory.

If it leads to people searching church origins & practice and studying history--THEN good!...if it leads to more irrational criticism of the faith & mockery and further conspiracy beliefs:--BAD.

I'm hoping that awareness & study & interest in history would grow...but in this generation of idiots,...the latter will happen-its just human nature.

These ideas have been around long before Dan Brown. There have been many best selling books both fiction and non-fiction on the subject so I really don't see it affecting anything.

[Hessian]

previous books did not have the savvy marketing and the star appeal of a hyped movie.

Lets take O. Stone's JFK for example...it was a lot more fun to tie loose events together, create a paranoid aura around the underdog, and play fast & loose with the facts.
Good Movie...based on some factual events...Money maker and creates a surge of spin-offs.

Dan Brown has thrown even MORE fiction in with a smidgeon of fact. This age of viewers/readers are even more susceptible to buying into a forced/noncredible conspiracy theory---and only a minority will put out the effort to dig in and understand how much of Brown's work is contrived fiction.

Previous books have toyed with similar topics to only mediocre response--this work has the ability to confuse and cast aspersions on the Christian faith (Catholic & Protestant)