The book an the movie has over 200 LIES!!!!

It's a work of fiction. Chill.

Ahh, Sir Ian. Shame he chose to do that movie.

I thought it was a boring read. Find clue. Get chased. Lather, rinse, repeat. Only controversial to people who don't think about what they read.

it was a good book... i enjoyed the part where they talk about mary magdalene in the painting of the last supper. when i was a kid, i always insisted to everyone who would listen that THAT PERSON BESIDE JESUS IS A WOMAN!! and everyone would say 'no no no, thats a man.'

A-HAH!!! I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG!!!

and i enjoyed when ian mckellan did that bit in the movie, too. that was good.

I liked the book, but for most people I know (who didn't read it till they heard about the movie coming out), I think half the intrigue of it came from all the controversy different religious groups created that the media broadcast. I mean, I do think some who are new and still unsure of their faith (if they're Christians) may have questions arise from reading it, but people just blew it way too far out of proportion. Like Blah said, it's FICTION, for crying out loud...

I haven't seen the movie (I understand they chose to ignore all of the feminine imagery - boo!), but read the book after hearing from an atheist friend that I shouldn't read it unless I wanted to have my faith severely challenged. I'm always up for a good challenge ;) and was quite disappointed that it wasn't really all that controversial (to me). But I thought it was fun, although the character development was very weak, not to mention the ending. Bleh.

It was Biblical fiction. The only reason why I say Biblical is not that it was based on the Bible but took characters from the Bible. The story of Mary Magdelene marrying Jesus has been around much longer the author of the The DaVinci Code so it was really not new. People who had not heard the "heretical" stories before were a little shocked. It was not controversial. What controversy is there when someone writes a FICTIONAL book? It was not evil. If it only takes one book or one movie to talk you out of your faith then you never really had much faith to begin with. I did not like the story myself. I thought it was just a new way of packaging an already overused idea. It is unfortunate the Catholic Church got ahold of this and gave it more credibility than it should have by suggesting a ban.

Am I agreeing with Serena?

Say it ain't so...

It was a good chase story and I had trouble putting down.

As to the "religious" part -- it didn't hang together. The conspiracy it proposes makes no sense -- cobbling together the goddess cult, Mary Magdelene and the Royal House of David makes no sense. Even if Mary and Jesus had children and were going to usher in a new era of the Kingdom of Israel, what does that mean to us today? It runs against the idea that Christ is spiritual saviour of all, but rather a temporal saviour of Jewish people. How does the sexual union of Christ and Mary make her THE goddess? Why does physical intemacy with a failed King of Israel make Mary worthy of Langdon's worship at the end? Paper thin!

The grail story was a good McGubbin for the chase -- this is all Dan Brown meant it to be. If your faith was challenged by it, your not much of a critical thinker.

Meh. I didn't read the book, but I thought the movie was pretty crap. Maybe because all of the so-called controversial "surprise" theories are really not new at all, and were already well known to me, or maybe just because it is crap writing, I had the story figured out within the first 10 minutes. And really, a mystery when you already know the end is pretty boring.

Dan Browns other book with the same character (dark angel...brain cramp) is a better book. Or at least I thought so.
To the people who have been disdaining the conspiracy I find that is exactly what THEY want you to think ;).
The movie was not nearly up to par with the hype but Sir Ian McClellan (sp?) is, as always, pure gold.

Peace

Joel

Also as to controversial I foudn that my faith was challenged far more by my father who is a minister.

Peace

Joel

But it did get people talking....what if Jesus was married to Mary M? Would it make a difference to our faith? Why or why not? What if he had kids? Would that make a difference? What about the feminine side of God? etc

I think anything that gets people thinking outside their box & talking about something other than sports & the weather is a good thing.

The movie was a definite thumbs down, though. Dull stuff.

Diana:
True, but it makes me sad that it takes a piece of fluff like that to get people to think about an issue.

Good point, nighthawk. That is a depressing thought.

I found the book one of the most boring I've read in recent years. The concepts presented were poorly thought out, the action too predictable and the plot inane.

If one wants to get into the sacred feminine (a good thing to do) there are FAR more interesting ways of doing it.

I think it is funny how everyone becomes a literary critic or a musical critic over something that became popular. Saying things like it wasn't well thought out, or character development etc. I think that people are afraid to say that they enjoy something that the rest of teh people enjoyed too. Big deal if you liked something that 20 million other people liked. it doesn't make you less intelligent because you enjoyed something other than war and peace.
I liked the book. It was an easy fun read that let's you escape the day. The movie was okay too, not as good as the book but they never are. It recieved a lot more controversy than it was worth and people got too worked up about trying to refute the claims when all Dan Brown ever claimed was that it was a work of fiction. Angels and Demons (his other book with the same main character) was a good book as well. I'm not sure why it didn't get the attention of the vatican as it also framed the catholic church for many misdeeds.

Well that is my thought of the day.

I've never read the book, but I saw the movie a few weeks ago in my art class. It was frustrating because another girl in the class who's heavily involved in her church kept saying things like "That's not true" or "That would never happen". The whole point of the DaVinci Code is to open your mind and consider the different theories. I thought it was a good movie, and was definitely a good discussion topic.

I enjoyed it much better as a movie than as a book. And anything that gets people talking is great. But some of the historical stuff (especially in the book but omitted or toned down for the movie) was just plain wrong, especially poor Constantine and the Council of Trent. So, sure, discussion is good, and a romantic part of me hopes that Jesus had a special lady in his life to love other than his mom, but that's because I feel that when my relationship is good that it brings me closer to the holy too in a very unique way. So that wouldn't shatter my faith one way or t'other. It did push me to read the Gospel of Mary Magdaline and learn more about Gnosticism as well as going back in to the original 4 gospels.

Dan Brown got on the best sellers list his job is done. It is a work of fiction ment to challenge the status qeo it succeded. other than that it was well educated well written and will be forgoten about in 3 years when we all find something else to worked up about

I liked "Angels and Demons" much more than "Da Vinci Code". I read DVC sitting on a beach, and it was a great beach read. But then, I wasn't really sitting there with a microscope and a reference library if you know what I mean, so your mileage may vary.

Movie was all right.

Controversial? Not so much. It did get my Catholic friends telling me all kinds of funny stories, though.

Angels & Demons was way out there - falling from the sky - gimme a break!

DVC - people read it - lots of them, and then they asked questions - that is awesome! I agree, it isn't a literary treasure, but a group of us who met for a few weeks had many discussions on the history behind the story, what was true, what wasn't, the ifs that it opened up

The biggest question though was "Does it change your faith in God or Jesus" and the overwhelming answer was a resounding NO!

Now, not everyone decided that Jesus was human or married or so on, but overall, we all agreed that those points mattered far less than the central view of who we believe God is, and what our relationship with God is.

In fact this group ended up reading real theo non-fiction and continuing the group for months

Now how is that for hitting a need?

As Christians and lovers of Jesus, we ought best not read, view or support any such liberal-minded views and blaphemous lies. It's best not to mock Christ in any form.

"As Christians and lovers of Jesus, we ought best not read, view or support any such liberal-minded views and blaphemous lies. It's best not to mock Christ in any form."

Umm.. ok, and you're on a website with a billion liberal-minded views and blaphemous lies, reading many of them.. hmm.. and no, I'm not mocking Christ right now..

Anyway, The DaVinci Code was good for discussion about the man-hood of Jesus, symbolically, literally, and figuratively.. and about the Vatican and fundamentalist doctrines/dogma as a common topic and focus of some cynicism.. and about other organizations that generate a lot of cash by selling absolutist interpretations of Scripture..

The movie lost a lot of the fun contained in the book, much preferred the latter over the former.

GO_AB55 said "As Christians and lovers of Jesus, we ought best not read, view or support any such liberal-minded views and blaphemous lies. It's best not to mock Christ in any form."

I make it a habit to read and watch everything the Church says not to for three reasons.

1. To show everyone I am not controlled by the Church I make my own decisions.

2. To find out what they are keeping from me.

3. To challenge my faith and open my mind.

I didn't find any evil in the book or the movie. I read Devils and Angels first and so thought DaVinci to be quite a let down with much the same formula - guy, girl, mystery, chase etc. But it made for enjoyable summer reading.

It did, however, stretch my view of our Saviour as actually having been a man with human emotions and even the possibility of wife/children. This has continued into the fall and I found my mind opened to further searching and discussions. Then WonderCafe is the icing on the cake :)

But evil - no, I didn't see/feel anything evil.

sci-fiqueen What a pathetic way to make money the same with Mel Gibson's the passion of Christ.

I really enjoyed the book despite the really silly historical gaffes Brown made. I always enjoy historical fiction, but I feel that the writer has to get his facts straight, at the very least, to serve as a basis for the fanciful part. For example, if someone were to historical fiction about the Titanic and had it sinking in the South Atlantic in 1930, you would wonder "what the hell?"

The problem is that while Brown says it is a work of fiction, he also insists, (in the introduction, on his website, and in countless interviews), that the historical framework on which he hangs his fiction is accurate. This is quite a laugh among scholars whose expertise is in the different periods with which he plays fast and loose. A really good book on facticity in The Da Vinci Code, is the one by Bart Ehrman, an expert on early Christianity. He liked the book but finds its historical claims rather silly and badly researched.

Yeah, well. It's like Memoirs of a Geisha. Part of the appeal for the average reader is the illusion of truth.

I might be new here, but as a Roman Catholic by birth and raising it is a little more controversial to the patriarchal stiffs than Christians.

It doesn't challenge God or Jesus, merely the secular body of the Church on earth.

And to be honest, although I was dissapointed in the movie for everything they left out and changed, most of the facts were correct. At least about the history. Whether the Sancgreal is actually Mary Magdelene or not is irrelevant. (although the idea that the Holy Grail is actually a piece of dinnerware is a little far fetched...how many dishes have you broken in your time?)

The Holy Roman Catholic Church was started by a mysongynist (Peter) and committed such attrocities that it begars the mind.

I think the best line in the movie is "Since there has been a one true God, people have killed in His name."

THAT at least makes you think....

Oh, I almost forgot...

The Davinci Code referenced and base loosely based on a non-fiction book printed in the 70's called "Holy Blood, Holy Grail"

Now THAT stirred some controversy way back when....

Peter was a little out there by our standreds when it comes too women But women became legally persons in canada in the last 100 years, not to say that excusses him but something to think about

What??

what i was trying to say is that alot of people are hard on Peter and therefore the Catholic Church but leave the man alone he was no different than most men of his day as for the Roman Catholics so twhat if they are a little old fashioned so is my Grandpa but you do see me calling for a lynch mob. and i feel claiming women have no power in the RC church down plays the work of the sisters who dedicate there lives to the sick, subugated, and poor.