THE DA VINCI CODEI’ve read the novel.I’ve seen the movie.
The novel is fiction.
Says so on the inside cover, right before page 1.
The movie is fiction.
Ron Howard and Tom Hanks have both stated this.
The controversy however, is real.The theories raised in the book and the movie have people talking.Should you see the movie? That's up to you. As movies go, I thought it was okay. I would have done it differently were I the director, but I say that about a lot of movies. I honestly think the real conspiracy was that Sony Pictures planted incredibly negative reviews of the film prior to its release so that after the general public went to see it, they would say "It's not that bad."Alrighty. Countless articles have been written about The Da Vinci Code. If you want to learn even more about the details regarding the historical inaccuracies and spiritual dangers surrounding the book and movie, please grab a copy of Josh McDowall's "The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers" and visit www.markdroberts.com which was written by a pastor with firsthand knowledge of some of the ancient documents described in the book.So, instead of replying to every single bit of error and falsehood, I thought I would narrow it down to our perspective here at THE DECODER RING. Here's the breakdown:THE BIG IDEA is that The Church has been covering up the true nature of Jesus Christ, the actual role of women (specifically Mary Magdalene) in ancient religion, and the descendents of Jesus and Mary Magdalene's offspring.THE MYSTERY is the location of "The Holy Grail," which is revealed not to be a cup, but to actually be Mary Magdalene herself. The Holy Grail refers to Mary Magdalene's body and sarcophagus along with ancient writings called "The Sangreal Documents."
THE CODES are hidden in ancient writings, historical locations, and famous works of art like Leonardo Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper."THE CONCLUSION is that all of this proves Jesus was merely mortal (and therefore not divine), that he married and impregnated Mary Magdalene, and that their descendants survive to this very day. The Church covered it up in an attempt to maintain its control over people, its opression of women, and its suppression of the role that females and human sexuality play in religion (what the novel calls "The Sacred Feminine.")Our response:The sources and research Dan Brown used to support his fictional novel do not hold up under even the slightest scrutiny. Factual, historical, religious, and chronological errors permeate both the book and the movie. Yet the combination of all these elements within the context of a mystery/thriller have proven to be very appealing.Many have read the novel. More will see the film. I believe the film is actually more dangerous. It melts into a postmodern "belief soup" where it doesn't really matter what you believe, or why you believe it, it only matters that your belief is real to you. How very trendy.Sheesh! With that mindset, I guess even evidence doesn't matter.But in reality, it does.The Bible is the most accurate historical document in the history of the planet. In it, Jesus Christ is clearly shown to be both human and divine. He was born, he lived, died, and rose again. His life changed history. His birth changed the calendar. His followers changed the world. And people every day experience how a personal relationship with Him can change their lives. Nothing "The Da Vinci Code" or any other convoluted theory comes up with can refute that.So dive in. Start researching. It won't take you too long to debunk all the hooey surrounding this publishing and cinematic "phenomenon." And then talk to people. You'll be amazed how the Holy Spirit will set up opportunities to speak boldy for Jesus. Take care, and God bless.To return to the screening response page, click
here.
CHOCOLAT (2000) rated PG13
