Mark Dawes, Staff Reporter 
People walk past an advertising mural for the upcoming film 'The Da Vinci Code' on the scaffolding of St. Pantaleo church in Rome on April 25. Clergy opposed the advertisement because of the storyline of the film, which is based on Dan Brown's best-selling novel of the same name. The story speculates that the Church has for centuries concealed the fact that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and that the couple have descendants who live to this day. The script reads in Italian, 'How dark is the deception of man?'
'Becausse of the movie:
Evangelicals and Catholics are probably working more closely today
than they have in a really long time'
"ALMOST EVERYTHING our fathers taught us about Christ is false." That is a line from the book, The Da Vinci Code. That quote by itself helps to explain why both this 2003 published novel and the movie version which hits the big screen May 17-19 has generated much controversy within the international Christian community.
The novel's plot revolves around a conspiracy by the Roman Catholic Church to cover up the 'true' story of Jesus. The Vatican supposedly knows it is living a lie concerning Jesus, but it does so to maintain its influence. The book also speaks to Church-led conspiracy to suppress Christ's alleged marriage to Mary Magdalene and his fathering of a royal bloodline. Critics of the novel and movie describe the plot as inaccurate and sacrilegious.
The film is due to be released in Jamaica in May 20 according to Palace Amusement Company, the local cinematic monopoly. It has as its stars Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou. The movie is directed by Ron Howard for Columbia Pictures.
BACKGROUND TRUE
Brown's book, which alarms Christian scholars and historians, has sold more than 40 million copies. Brown told National Public Radio's 'Weekend Edition' during a 2003 publicity tour that his
characters and action are fictional but "the ancient history, the secret documents, the rituals, all of this is factual." Around the same time, on CNN he said that "the background is all true."
Predictably there have been demonstrations against the book and movie. Catholics and Protestants have been mounting forums and publishing books,
setting up Internet sites that seek to expose Dan Brown's novel as
lacking credibility. The influential Trinity Broadcasting Network has been promoting the newly released book, The Da Vinci Deception by Erwin W. Lutzer. The Roman Catholics have responded to the controversy with the publication of The Da Vinci Deception: 100 Questions About the Facts and Fiction of The Da Vinci Code by Ted Sri, Mark Shea, Edward Sri, and staff and editors of the Catholic Exchange.
Among the websites seeking to debunk The Da Vinci Code are:
thetruthaboutdavinci.com: Westminster Theological Seminary
jesusdecoded.com: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
go.family.org/davinci: Focus on the Family
davincioutreach.com: Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
www.archden.org:
The Archdiocese of Denver.
Those supporting The Da Vinci Code include:
danbrown.com: the author's official site
thedavincidialogue.com: sponsored by Sony Pictures
Predictably, many Catholic and Protestant clerics have called for a boycott of the movie. The boycott advocates include: Archbishop Angelo Amato, No. 2 in the Vatican's doctrine office, and India's Catholic Secular Forum.
In Sydney, Australia, church leaders there, have sensed an opportunity to use the interest in religious-inspired conspiracies to their own advantage and engage the public in a wider debate about faith. Once wary of giving the novel credence, churches are organising special film screenings, seminars, discussion groups and website resources
coinciding with the film's release.
According to Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, Primate of the Anglican Church in Sydney, "The church and faith is bigger and stronger than The Da Vinci Code ... The
challenge for the church is to use The Da Vinci Code as a vehicle to spread understanding of the true message of the faith," said Dr Aspinall, who said he may well go to watch the movie. He said too: "There are opportunities if the church uses the book creatively and gets people searching about religious questions and assists them in their inquiring."
The Bible Society of New South Wales in Australia has decided to publish a 40-page booklet, Deciphering The Da Vinci Code, to equip churchgoers with the answers to questions that the movie will raise.
Australia's Cardinal Pell said The Da Vinci Code "probably
provokes more to go looking for the truth, than damages those with already weak faith."
GENUINELY SEARCHING
Dr. Ross Clifford, president of the Baptist Union of Australia, said people were genuinely searching for meaning. "My experience is that, when in conversations one has answered all the factual questions about Jesus the book raises, people still come back to the issues that The Da Vinci Code has at its heart: That institutions, including the church are not to be trusted, and the role of women in the churches."
The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Peter Jensen, said the success of The Da Vinci Code pointed to a modern-day fascination with Jesus but also widespread biblical illiteracy. "It's not that the church may have contributed to the distrust, it's that we don't want to give up our independence to worship Jesus. The Da Vinci Code purports to give us the Jesus we don't have to worship."
USA Today newspaper in its April 25 edition cited a survey done for the influential Catholic Digest magazine. The results showed Catholics view the brouhaha with a big yawn. Most (73 per cent) say The Da Vinci Code has had "no effect on their faith." And 92 per cent say they don't know of anyone leaving the church after reading the book, says the March 23-27 survey of 443 Catholics, by Yankelovich Inc. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.7 percentage points. Other findings:
Twenty-eight per cent have read all or part of the book; 63 per cent did not read it, chiefly, they say, because they lack time, interest or inclination to read fiction.
Forty-three per cent plan to see the film; 48 per cent don't.
Ninty-one per cent say it's not wrong or a sin to read the book or see the film.
One thing for certain, the imminent release of The Da Vinci Code movie has served to unite Roman Catholics and Evangelicals on an issue. "Evangelicals and Catholics are probably working more
closely today than they have in a really long time," said Kyle Fisk, executive administrator of the National Association of Evangelicals in an interview with The Rocky Mountain News. Evangelicals number about 60
million in the United States.
Sources include: Sydney Morning Herald, www.Christianitytoday.com, Wikepedia.com, Reuters, Associated Press.
Send feedback to mark.dawes@gleanerjm.com
