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“The only thing that matters is what you believe”
The Columbia Pictures movie opened in 3,735 theaters in the United States and grossed a respectable average of $7,764 per screen.
And according to showbizdata.com, the movie has grossed $85.9 million in the US today since its May 19th opening.
In the movie there are two characters, Robert Langdon and Leigh Teabing, who make some incredible claims. In the introduction to the article, The Da Vinci Code Movie: Checking the Facts, author Mark Hansard writes,
The movie makes a number of claims about Jesus and Christianity that do not stand up to historical scrutiny. The film is briefly analyzed here in Q&A format. Questions are answered about Jesus and Mary Magdalene, the relationship between paganism and Christianity, the history of the Crusades and witch hunts, as well as Constantine and the divinity of Jesus.
It’s a very useful and quick resource on some of the historical differences from the movie and what really happened. It’s certainly worth a read.
Later in the article, Mark Hansard writes:
“The only thing that matters is what you believe”
This line from the movie may sound believable on the surface, but is really not a rational position. The implication here is that religious belief is a matter of taste or opinion, having nothing to do with facts, which is a popular notion today. But believing something cannot and will not make it true, no matter how strongly it is believed. A person may believe he can fly, but if he jumps off a building, gravity will work on him just as it will on anyone else.
You read Hansard’s article and the evidence for Jesus’ deity, but do you believe it? So what makes truth truth to you? Is truth absolute and what is the truth about Jesus to you? Who do you think Jesus is?
Did Leonardo da Vinci hate the Bible?
Sophie read the words.
Many have made a trade of delusions “Here’s another,” Teabing said, pointing to a different quote.
and false miracles, deceiving the stupid multitude.
-LEONARDO DA VINCIBlinding ignorance does mislead us. Sophie felt a little chill. “Da Vinci is talking about the Bible?”
O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!
-LEONARDO DA VINCITeabing nodded. (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code, Chapter 55)
If Leonardo was really referring to the Bible, these are very harsh statements. But as I was surprised to discover, neither quote actually is about the Bible!
His first comment, in context, is about alchemists who claimed that they could change lead into gold. His second comment, in context, refers to the foolishness of what he called men?s “own opinions”, “lascivious joys”, and “vain splendour”. Brown completely misrepresented Leonardo?s writings to make it seem as if the great artist detested the Bible. (Richard Abanes, The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Code)
In these passages, Brown misuses Leonardo Da Vinci’s statements. Don’t take our word for it, read the actual quotes from Leonardo’s own notebooks! See sections 1207-1208 (“Against alchemists”) and 1180-1182 (“On foolishness and ignorance”).
Do you think Brown is justified in taking Leonardo?s quotes out of context? If this part of Code is inaccurate, what about the rest of it? Though the book is a thriller and “fiction”, most authors try to be accurate in their research for their stories. Is it okay that Leonardo’s words are taken out of context for the purpose of furthering the plot?
Christian crusaders want to discuss Da Vinci?Globe and Mail
Globe and Mail published an article Friday about this blog site and different religious groups? reaction to the The Da Vinci Code movie: Christian crusaders want to discuss Da Vinci
Omar El Akkad wrote: ?That’s partially why Campus Crusade is taking a decidedly non-combative stance on The Da Vinci Code. Volunteers at theatres will engage in “informal discussions” with moviegoers, said Braden Douglas, the group’s national head of marketing and communications. The pamphlets to be handed out don’t attack the movie, but rather invite people to visit a website, aptly named discussdavinci.com, where they can discuss some of the concepts . . . Although he says the response to a less combative campaign has been overwhelmingly positive, Mr. Douglas added that some donors were disappointed the group didn’t call for an all-out boycott as other religious groups have done.?
What do you think of people boycotting the film and telling others to do the same? What about people who picket against films? Have any of these generated bad experiences for you? What other bad experiences have you had with Christianity or religion and how has this affected the way you view Christianity?
Barna report:The Da Vinci Code second only to the Bible
A nationwide survey released May 16, 2006 by The Barna Group finds that:
The Da Vinci Code, has sold more copies than any other fictional work in U.S. history.
[it is] the most widely read book with a spiritual theme, other than the Bible, to have penetrated American homes.
Among the 45 million who have read The Da Vinci Code , only 5% – which represents about two million adults ? said that they changed any of the beliefs or religious perspectives because of the book?s content.
The Barna report went on to say, ?The book generates controversy and discussions, but it has not revolutionized the way that Americans think about Jesus, the Church or the Bible.?
?On the other hand,? the researcher continued, ?any book that alters one or more theological views among two million people is not to be dismissed lightly. That?s more people than will change any of their beliefs as a result of exposure to the teaching offered at all of the nation?s Christian churches combined during a typical week.?
In some ways this isn?t really a fair comparison in that Barna is not comparing one week of The Da Vinci Code with one week of attending church, however it is surprising to think that a single book could have that kind of impact. Earlier in the report Barna states that:
?Before reading The Da Vinci Code people had a full complement of beliefs already in place, some firmly held and others loosely held,? explained George Barna, the author of numerous books about faith and culture. ?Upon reading the book, many people encountered information that confirmed what they already believed. Many readers found information that served to connect some of their beliefs in new ways. But few people changed their pre-existing beliefs because of what they read in the novel. And even fewer people approached the book with a truly open mind regarding the controversial matters in question, and emerged with a new theological perspective.
So it seems that for the most part people reading the book had a theology in place before they read the book and still 2 million of them changed their philosophy after reading it. Influential book.
New report shows Code confirms religious views
Researcher George Barna has released a report saying that The Da Vinci Code confirms rather than changes people’s religious views.
- According to the nationwide survey, The Da Vinci Code has been read “cover to cover” by roughly 45 million adults in the U.S. ? that’s one out of every five adults (20%).
- Roughly 11 million adults consider The Da Vinci Code to have been a ?helpful spiritual document?.
- Among the 45 million who have read The Da Vinci Code, only 5% – which represents about two million adults ? said that they changed any of the beliefs or religious perspectives because of the book’s content.
If you have read the book “cover to cover”, do you considered it to be a “helpful spiritual document”? How were your beliefs changed or confirmed as a result of reading Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code?
What if another view of George Washington came to light?
Join us for a 15 min The Da Vinci Code chat weekdays at 12.30pm Eastern.
Imagine this fictional scenario: Timeworn documents are discovered in a vault, deep within a government office. Astonishingly, the documents paint a much different picture of George Washington than the one that we know. Written by an army officer, the mysterious documents claim that Washington was promiscuous, stole government money and never personally led troops into battle. In short, they tell a completely different story to the history we know of Washington.
Unlikely, sure, but if something like that were found how would we approach such documents? It would be na?ve to take the document’s claims at face value, ignoring all of the other historical evidence. It would be equally na?ve to dismiss them out of hand. So how would we assess their validity? Perhaps we would begin by asking questions like these:
- When did this person write in relation to the events and people they describe? The shorter the gap between the events and the writing, the better chance that their writing can be trusted.
- What do we know about the person who wrote it and their motives for writing? A person’s motives do not mean what they are writing is untrue, yet it may help us to understand why they wrote in they way that they did.
- What evidence does the author provide to back up his assertions? Anyone can make claims, but what evidence do they give?
- Why should we trust this anonymous author? If their work has survived in only one poorly maintained manuscript, and no other copies, why trust it instead of all of the other historical data we have?
If these questions are appropriate to the fictional George Washington situation, shouldn’t they be asked about other unusual new claims, such as those made in Dan Brown’s novel, or Michael Baigent’s new book, ‘The Jesus Papers’? What sort of criteria should we use to evaluate the claims Baigent or Brown make?
Did da Vinci paint Mary Magdalene in The Last Supper?
In The Da Vinci Code Brown treats the figure in the painting as being undoubtedly Mary Magdalene, but what evidence does he have to back that up? Take another look at The Last Supper in the Art of The Da Vinci Code gallery.
In the book Dan Brown writes:
Sophie examined the figure to Jesus’ immediate right … a wave of astonishment rose within her. The individual had flowing red hair, delicate folded hands, and the hint of a bosom. It was, without a doubt… female.
“That’s a woman!” Sophie exclaimed.
Teabing was laughing. “Surprise, surprise. Believe me, it’s no mistake. Leonardo was skilled at painting the difference between the sexes.” (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code)
The person sitting on Jesus’ right (the figure to the left of him in the painting) does have some feminine-looking features and may appear feminine but there is more evidence that it is a man, not a woman.
Evidence that the figure is not a woman:
- Da Vinci often drew androgynous looking men (men with feminine qualities); for example, see his painting of John the Baptist.
- It was common convention at that time to paint John the disciple with feminine qualities
- It makes sense to have John (called ?the beloved disciple? or ?the one that Jesus loved?) sitting to Jesus’ right.
- The person to Jesus’ right seems to be wearing men’s style clothing
- Surely when the picture was first painted, someone would have noticed it was a woman if indeed it was intended to be a woman. After all it is ?among the most famous paintings in the world?; it seems unlikely that this would just be coming to light now.
- The painting is meant to capture the moment when Jesus tells His disciples He will be betrayed, so all the disciples should be there. But if that is a woman in the painting, then one of the disciples is missing. Remember that at the time of the last supper, Judas has not yet betrayed Jesus so all twelve disciples would have been present.
- Even if da Vinci painted a woman sitting next to Jesus, that’s no reason to believe that da Vinci was accurate; he was painting over 1,400 years after the incident occurred
Sophie was pretty quick to identify the person in the painting as a woman, but what do you think? Looking at the painting is that a man or a woman? Do first impressions sometimes need correction? Is the evidence as obvious as Brown would have us believe?
This blog is front page news!
The May 11, 2006 edition of the Vancouver Sun has an article referenced on the front page that talks about this blog. If there are any Vancouver Sun readers joining us today, welcome! This blog is all about discussing The Da Vinci Code, the claims of Christ and the history of the church. We hope you?ll join the conversation.
Peter McMartin?s article, ?Selling Jesus, with Hollywood?s help? isn?t available online line yet, but it looks like it might be released in a few days. McMartin, a regular columnist for the Vancouver Sun, seems intrigued that while the Vatican has been vocal in condemning first the book and then the movie, Campus Crusade for Christ, Canada is encouraging people to engage with them, notably through this blog.
There is a little confusion in the article. McMartin claims that CCCC spent a great deal of money to convince people to go and see the movie. That?s not correct. We?re not advertising the movie, we’re creating awareness that there’s a place to come and discuss it. Like The Passion of the Christ, which McMartin also references, The Da Vinci Code is a Hollywood blockbuster that has people talking about Jesus in a very public way. CCCC believes that through Jesus? life, death and resurrection, we are forgiven for our sins and we can have a personal relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If people are talking about Jesus, we want to be part of that conversation.
I agree with McMartin?s claim that condemning a movie as immoral often only encourages people to go and see it. Midway through the article he writes, ?there has been the usual religious frothing over the movie?s profane take on Christianity, most notably from the Vatican, which has guaranteed the box office success of The Da Vinci Code by telling people not to go see it.?
Christians have often been accused of ignoring topics, of hiding in churches and refusing to acknowledge the ?outside world?. I don?t think that sounds very Christ-like. In the Bible we read that Jesus was always getting in trouble with those in charge for talking to the wrong people, or being in places nice people weren?t supposed to go. He didn?t avoid culture, he engaged it. He was always ready for a good discussion. If your ideas are solid, if you?re speaking the truth, there?s no need to hide.
There is always a danger in telling people not to see something, do something, say something. Like five-year-olds in a candy store we find it so hard to resist. But there are things in this world a lot more dangerous than a sugar-high, things that really should be avoided. The question is, is The Da Vinci Code one of them?
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Messiah or Moral Teacher?
Jesus made the most astonishing claims, about God, society and ethics, and yes, about himself. He claimed to have the authority to forgive sins, to be the representative of all humanity come to die in order to reconcile man to God, and to be the only way for people to attain salvation. He claimed to have had glory with the Father, He claimed to be the I AM, He spoke with absolute authority.
Was Jesus the Messiah or a moral teacher? Read the article
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