The DaVinci Code
Haha, I finally got down to reading Dan Brown’s controversial piece. Apparently its the second in book where Robert Langdon is featured as the protagonist (The first is Angels and Demons).
I can see where the controversy comes from. But the most crucial of the claims in the novel-the parts which cannot be reduced to a mere fictional device-is the fact was Jesus was merely a man.
In a sense this claim is nothing new. Philosophers and contrarian theologians have been claiming that Jesus wan not divine ever since. It’s also the central premise in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Material’s trilogy. God is not divine, just a glorified angel.
Another contentious point is the nature of faith. Brown’s definition of faith is what we are all familiar with-a neccessary lie that makes the world a better place to live in.
Anyway, just for the record, like Pullman’s opus, I liked the book as an example of good storytelling. I sort of anticipated the ending (there’s a plot twist which I won’t spoil for anyone). But the ending satisfying nonetheless. Suffices to say, I don’t think Brown was attacking the church cos in the story, the ultimate bad guy wasn’t even the church (or in particular the Catholic Church).
‘Nuff said, if you are on the look for a murder mystery with a garnishing of an ironic plot twist, here’s a good one for you.
Hello all,
It is quite a joke that the Vatican and Catholic Church have the gall to accuse the author of a novel of attacking their fantasies and dogma. Remember that this is the same organization that manufactured fake relics and miracles for many centuries. This is the same group that massacred and tortured people for seeking the truth and having a mind of their own. This is the same group of deluded deceivers that makes more noise about a fictional book and movie than about child raping priests, aids, famine, or even the Holocaust! At what point does the Vatican’s behavior go from the absurd to simply purely evil?
It is undeniable that the New Testament is framed by symbolism and allegory. The very same is evidenced in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Gnostic texts, biblical apocarypha, and other related texts. All ancient religious, mystical, and wisdom texts have been shrouded in mystery for millennia for one primary reason: The ability to understand their widely evidenced symbology was lost in antiquity. How do we finally solve these ages-old mysteries? To recast an often-used political adage: It’s [the] symbology, stupid!
It’s amazing the Vatican still tries to insist the Gospels are literal truth. It is beyond obvious they are replete with ancient Hebrew symbology. Every miracle purported for Jesus has multiple direct symbolic parallels in the Old Testament, Apocalypse, Dead Sea Scrolls, and other symbolic narratives and traditions.
Likewise, the following Washington Post article ( The Book of Bart) demonstrates how many changes and embellishments were made to these texts over the centuries, unequivocally demonstrating they are not original, infallible, or truthful.
What then is the purpose of “faith” but to keep good people from seeking to understand truth and wisdom? It’s no wonder the Vatican fears the truth more than anything else. Now comes justice, hot on its heels… (symbolism…)
Revelations from the Apocalypse
Here is Wisdom!!
Comment by Seven Star Hand — May 16, 2006 @ 10:36 pm