[BR]
Here’s a site with lots of information: Jesus Decoded: Catholic Belief Versus Modern Fiction. Check the “Truth be Told” tab – Amy Welborn & an art historian have some “debunking the myths” tips. There’s lots of information about the early church and the Councils – Nicea, etc. in the first few centuries of Christianity. Also, it looks like KARE 11 will be airing a movie. There’s a trailer for it but I haven’t viewed it. I’m waiting for a chance to dive into this site.

[CP]
I hope you have read “Cracking the DaVinci Code”. It was well-written and spot-on. Amazingly, I read “The DaVinci Code” first and as much as I thought it was one of the best written fiction books, I was quite protected from the spiritual untruths that were perpetrated throughout the book. I knew it was fiction; however, it was not until I read “Cracking the DaVinci Code” that I truly came face-to-face consciously of ALL the spiritual lies that were exposed in Brown’s book, nor how damaging these lies have been to our faith. I think what really struck me from the book is that people who are not ready (or unwilling) to surrender to THE TRUTH are pretty much seeking the experience of God, (or a God-like experience) instead of having a relationship with God. Blessings, and keep on “pulling”

[SJ]
Ah, The Da Vinci Code. The Gospel of Judas. What are we to do? Personally, I find it a little exciting. Rather than defending a status quo of Christianity, now the Faith has to fight its way in the marketplace of ideas. And Dan Brown is full of wacky ideas. The Gnostics who brought us the Gospel of Judas were also pretty wild as well. My point is simply that it is more like the 1st century AD, and I think it is in situations like this that Christianity functions best for both believers and non-believers. It does not do its best work when it is the status quo, the state religion, the power structure. The situation forces all of us who are Christians to know what is going on in the Bible and in our theology. It can no longer be up to the pastor, or the authority of self, or the Internet, or CNN or Fox News or National Geographic. You and I and everyone in the church must learn and know as deeply as possible what is in their hearts as Christians and what it means to be moved by the Spirit into a life with Christ. Amen to that!

Here is a great link from Christianity Today that is a compilation of articles and reflections on TDVC. Decoding The Da Vinci Code Good luck and as Paul said, Fight the Good Fight! Peace!

[KJ]
My husband and I read The DaVinci Code several years ago, when it was still a new book. While it was, at the time, all the rage and the "cool" thing to read, we found it rather dull in that everything within it was old news, we'd heard it, heck, we'd even debated and discussed it during our years as wandering taoist hippies. This concept, that the Catholic church — the largest cultural icon of the Christian faith — could be a festering scab over the hidden kernel of a truth far different than what our structured society presents, has the potential to capture the imagination and inspire a person to feel free from the shackles of deceits. It is a wild and radical concept, though hardly new in such a weary world as ours.

We talked many many long hours about that book, because our discussions delved into more than the concept of the novel itself, we wondered why such a book would capture the imagination of so many people so viscerally. We continue to discuss it and, God willing, we will continue to discuss it for years to come, because there is more to this than we suspect.

Having said that, I still find this book dangerous because to the wild attention it has received. Not specifically because of the book itself or its content, but because we live in an advanced technological, scientific society filled with very busy people who might not always have the time to consider the material they read, research something that interests them nd come to their OWN conclusions. Such a situation, in my mind, can produce, for lack of a better phrase, lazy thinking and superstition.

People are hungry for something to believe in. People feel overwhelmed by the tasks which they need to perform, the duties calling them, the loves they cannot fulfill, the dreams they cannot pursue. People feel the world changing, and they cannot keep up. People know instantly the news events from across the globe but sometimes have trouble remembering the schedule of their own families. People are tired. People make mistakes.

I choose to follow Christ. But that has not always been the case. I have wandered and been lost, spiritually, and I have questioned and raged against the church of God, the church of Christ, because I felt the church had failed me. It had. The church, made up of people, is as flawed as the people within it. We are all people. We all make mistakes. Sometimes the mistakes leave little marks upon our lives, sometimes large scars. Such is the lot of humanity.

God loves anyway. Jesus gave his life for us because of God's love. Jesus broke the barriers of death because of that magnificent love, that remarkable faith that God has in us. We can truly be everything God wishes for us: loving, compassionate, wise, caring, just. God and Jesus love us that much, they're willing to stay with us while we stumble through our own particular jungle, peering out from between the leaves, knowing when our raging is done, God will still be there, holding us as he's always done.

Perhaps we must be lost for a time to really appreciate being home, here, in our own heart, feeling held by God. Perhaps this book, this movie, is not as dangerous as I might have thought. Perhaps it might inspire conversation between people about God, about Jesus, about faith, about the difference between the person in the pulpit and the God in your heart.

I believe in God. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son. I believe in the Holy Spirit. I do not always believe in the person in the pulpit. Does that make me a bad Christian? A bad person? I don't think so. But it does mean that I have to be willing to question, to answer, to follow and to lead. So I discuss, I talk, I wonder, I read, I research. I praise God for my husband, the love of my life, my partner in thought and discourse, my companion on this path of life. I praise god for my brothers and sisters in Christ with whom I can wrestle such weighty (and light) matters. I praise God for my experiences that, when I meet someone who rages against the church, the faith, God, I can remember that I should cast no stone, for Jesus reminds me that everyone has been in those shoes.

I must go, I have delayed too overlong.

shalom, Brother!