Maybe it's because of all of the negative hype "The DaVinci Code" seemed to be getting from a lot of conservative Christians that Micah and I were more intrigued to see it (though I should really only talk for myself on this), or it could have been because the book was so popular ... whatever the case, I was pretty interested in understanding what all of the fuss was about (though I'm embarrassed to say that I have not picked up the book yet ... I went straight for the dvd). But I have to admit, after seeing it, I was pretty disturbed. I felt like if I wasn't a follower of Christ and had seen the movie, I would have been given even more reason to believe that Christianity in general is weird, scary, and ridiculous. But I guess I have no way of knowing if that is truly how I would feel, since I cannot completely disconnect myself from my faith.
But trying to pinpoint exactly why I am offended by it has been challenging. Even though it's premise is that the Roman Catholic Church is willing to go to murderous extremes to protect "the greatest cover up in human history..." the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ, I don't think that's what offends me. It's actually an interesting concept and I can see how it can make for a good story line. Perhaps I found it disturbing because there is truth to the fact that throughout history there have been many evil things done in the name of Christianity. Even still, to have a fictitious story making the church seem kind of psychotic didn't sit well with me. I wonder if it would have been easier to swallow if it was an intense thriller/mystery about the crusades or something.
Anyways, I am not about to boycott this movie by any means, but I am kind of surprised by how offended I got by it. Has anyone else seen this movie or read the book? Any insights? Positive reactions? I'd love to hear feedback.
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Celia and I both went to this film to see what all the hoopla was about. I don’t know what it is about religious controversy, but for some reason I seem to get a real kick out of it. As for the film, it was thought provoking at times but I think I was thrown off by the overwhelming amount of twists and turns. Too much for my liking. I remember watching an interview with Ron Howard before going to see the film, he mentioned that his goal was to provoke different ideas rather than attempt to steer anyone away from Christianity. This film never presented anything that would cause me to change my beliefs, however it did present an interesting view on Da Vinci. I hear the book is better than the film so maybe someday I will give it a shot. On a side note, I came across an article that discusses how anthropologists have located Da Vinci’s fingerprints. Apparently now we will soon be able to find out what kind of food he ate. I smell a sequel!
My link was a failure, so here it is if anyone is interested.
Da Vinci's fingerprints
Having read the book and seen the movie, I can see what Jamie is talking about. I think anytime you dive into a story whos major focus is to upset one of the core blocks of your life (ie the Church) there is bound to be some discomfort if not anger. Personally I thought the movie was a washout compaired to the book. I don't think Dan Brown is going straight for the jugular by any means but I do think that he's writing on a subject that is very sensitive. The question I'll now suggest is this:
Should Christians feel the same apprehension to Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins with The Left Behind Series?
Jamie I completey agree about the use of violence in the movie, talk violence at the hand of church is always an uncomforatble topic b/c it is real.
That said, I enjoyed the movie. There is so much more that happened in Jesus' life than is recorded in the Bible. I'm not saying I believe the story present in the movie, but I like when what I think about the Bible is expanded. A friend told me about a fiction novel about Jesus as he grew up and had to deal with love and heartache. Given that is is purely fictional, there is much more that happened than we know about. It makes me realize that there is always more to know and the ability to grow in our knowledge of who God is.
I should read the book. So many parishioners read it and think it's true...
Funny story. We were in England this past summer and visited the Templar and ran into a DaVinci code tour group...strange folks sign up for those things!
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