Good work, itsmedave, Da Vinci Code approved

[SpiceMan]

The agnostic says "I have never seen a flying pig but I can't rule them out."

[Coss]

whosyourdaddy said:

well if you athiest get together, you might have as much power and money as organized religions.

 

We have, that is why, if you count up all the religious persons in the world, there's less of them than us.

 

And it is also the reason that there is Sanuk.

And a decline in in the incidence of self flagellating albino monks.

And the demonstrated fact, that the earth goes round the sun instead of the other way around.

And the reason for any technology existing.

And the existence of education for the masses.

And the existence of democracy.

And unfortunately, because of democracy, the continued existence of organised religion.

And the end of serfdom.

And the existence of science.

 

Oh I could go on...

 

Cheers

 

Coss

[chuckwoww]

It seems to me it always comes back to SEX. Somewhere along the line the Christian church decided that it's a sin to have sex outside of marriage. Therefore Christ had to get along without sex. The Da Vinci Code suggests he maybe was married and even had a child. So that's what all the fuss is about. Christians say no sex outside marriage...non-Christians (and punters) say why not? You too can have this kind of profound revelation after a few beers.

[bust]

Publicity like this always puts me off seeing a film. Soon as there is a moral debate I just lose interest. Film sounds like it might be a dud considering the amount of media attention. MO for desperate and concerned studios. Hype it up to get bums on the seats more out of curiosity than interest. Didn't read the book either.

[Flashermac]

The RC Church would also have a problem in insisting on celibacy if it were shown that Jesus was not himself. It's awkward enough when St Peter -- the first pope -- is known to have had several daughters. Celibacy came into the RC Church as a matter of practical policy, not any biblical requirement.

 

<< The agnostic says "I have never seen a flying pig but I can't rule them out." >>

 

The atheist says, "There is nothing in the universe more important than me and I refuse to even consider the possibility."

[Mekong]

coss said:

whosyourdaddy said:

well if you athiest get together, you might have as much power and money as organized religions.

 

 

And the reason for any technology existing.

Cheers

 

Coss

 

When Newton first explained Gravity he used the words "The Apple Fell", a subtle dig at the fairytale about the Garden of Eden.

[itsmedave]

The movie/book claims several things which might upset the devout Christians, such as (discontinue reading as there are many spoilers to follow if you want to be surprised at the movie)

 

*

 

*

*

*

 

Christ WAS married to Mary Mag, who was never a prostitute but who was pregnant with their child when he was crucified

 

Christ wasn't necessarily the Son of God at all, and many Christians didn't believe him to be more than just a prophet until 500 years later when a council of church leaders proclaimed him to be.

 

At this same meeting they chose some gospels for the Bible and threw out others (including Mary Mag's) and any other which made Jesus appear to be "just a man"

 

Mary Mag is herself the Holy Grail, or Sang Real, or blood line, and it is her coffin which is being hidden from those who would want to destroy or worship at it.

 

The Catholic Church had to get rid of the power of Mary and women in general so they put out the prostitute story and created the witch trials, killing all women of independant thought (perhaps in the millions)

 

The church (with Opus Dei) is actively hiding all of this info and sending out people to try and kill both the legend and the living ancestors of Christ who might deprive them of their power if the truth was known

 

A group called the Priory of Sion is, and has been protecting the grave of Mary and hiding her children for thousands of years. Members of the Priory include Leonardo Da Vinci, and Issac Newton.

 

Now these are all provocative ideas (true or not) and coupled with explanations of why they ARE true, and with a fast and furious action thriller of our heros being chased by killer monks and other zealots who are trying to kill them before they can get to the truth...along with several plot twists and turns (which I haven't mentioned here) made this book the top selling book of the last ten years.

 

It also makes the movie interesting. I saw it yesterday and enjoyed it very much...as did my wife who, I must confess, didn't necessarily understand all of the implications, but tended to believe that what she saw was true. (but, then she also believes that Thai's are true Buddhists and don't spend most of their time on old African jungle animism voodoo rituals) And, actually, she used the placement of the warnings that the movie was fiction at the beginning and end of the film as an argument of the opposite. ("If it wasn't true, then why would they need to try and tell you that" was her logic)

 

I would recommend seeing the movie as it does get your brain a moving, and it is exciting stuff. Boycotting simply because of hype seems as intelligent to me as stopping being fans of a rock band just because they get too successful. Hype, like success, is usually an indicator that something interesting IS going on.

 

But up to you.

[sayjann]

the Catholic Church can't see a good thing when it hits them between the eyes.

 

after the sex scandals involving their Priests over many Decades this Film is ideal.

it portrays Jesus has a normal Hetro Guy who settles down and marries.........but they don't want that.

 

they would still prefer the World to think of him as a Guy who spends time with 12 other Men and no Women involved.

now that sounds strange to me..................

[Flashermac]

Big problem is that the Priory of Sion document has long been known to be a forgery. Yet in the front of the book -- and presumably the film -- the author claims his story is based on "historical fact".

 

Actually, theologians -- as distinct from loonies like Pat Robertson and the other ultra fundies -- do study the history of early Christianity, as well as other religions of the period. There are something like 60 gospels known to have existed, of which 20 are still around (at least in part). Only 4 made it into the New Testament. I had a friend who got his degree in theology from a Methodist university, as had his father. He tells me that he is basically an agnostic ... as are many other theology students. They study the bible and other religious writings as history, sociology, psychology etc. The notions that Brown came up with are not exactly original. And yes there was a struggle between factions in the early church. The "Dead Sea Scrolls' of the Essen community near Wadi Kumran turned out to contain many of the books which the RC Church had sought to suppress or even destroy once it became supreme.

 

I think it was Gibbons, in "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire", who wrote that Christianity didn't conquer Rome. Rome conquered Christianity.

[Flashermac]

p.s. If anyone cares to read where Brown pilfered the idea ...

 

Priory of Sion