And the Da Vinci Code Gets Closer

Several articles and op-eds, with a fairly wide range of opinion, have popped up around the country now that the premiere of the movie is looming on the horizon this Friday

Amy Welbor, the author of “De-Coding Mary Magdalene: Truth, Legends and Lies” and “De-Coding Da Vinci: The Facts Behind the Fiction of The Da Vinci Code,” writing in USA Today wants to know where’s the concern for biblical accuracy that accompanied Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” and says that “The book is bothersome because it not only doesn't tell the truth about Jesus, it also doesn't tell the truth about what Christians say about Jesus.”

I’m not all that sure the concern was for biblical accuracy as much as it was a concern about throwing fuel on the always smoldering fire of anti-Semitism by highlighting Matthew’s unfortunate quote in Matthew 27:25, “Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.”

If the media got into general accuracy, it was as a side issue.

As for not telling the truth about what Christians say about Jesus, I guess I missed that one and Ms. Welbor doesn’t explain how the book doesn't tell the truth about what Christians say about Jesus. You know what's bothersome to me? Editorial writers that don't justify their allegations. Besides, since when have Christians themselves agreed about what to say about Jesus?

Welbor goes on to lament that some folks are being misled.

“Sure, there's a slight difference in genre, but the fact is, The Da Vinci Code presents its theories authoritatively, and a startling number of readers embrace them as such.

Does this not bother anyone who cares about an intelligent approach to art and history?”

Sure, in the same way it bothers me that children are being misled when they’re taught that evolution is just a theory. I do think the media has the obligation to make it clear that the ideas presented in “The Da Vinci Code” are not accepted by the overwhelming majority of credible scholars just as it has the obligation to inform the public that evolution IS accepted by the overwhelming majority of credible scholars.

One has to wonder however if Ms. Welbor would also support the media making it clear to the public what the consensus among scholars is relating to the Documentary Hypothesis, the historical accuracy of Genesis, the authorship of the gospels and the authenticity of the Pauline Epistles.

Dennis P. McCann, Professor of Bible and Religion at Agnes Scott College, also writing in USA Today, is concerned about what he calls the spiritual decadence underlying the acceptance of the Da Vinci code fantasy.

“Digging for stubborn facts, apprehending the truth about them and acting accordingly are inconvenient, but the failure to do so has resulted in the whirlwind we are reaping. Though our private fascination with all-too-easy fantasies such as those Brown offered is only one symptom of our spiritual disarray, it has the potential to corrupt all aspects of American life. “

LOL!! Whoa professor, you do realize that all of religion is predicated upon the fact that most people are too lazy to dig for the facts and are attracted to easy, comforting fantasies don’t you? You’re just asking them to exchange one fantasy for another. Rather than accept the fantasy of “The Da Vinci Code,” they should accept the fantasy of Christianity? I suspect that “The Da Vinci Code” fantasy would do less harm. At least Dan Brown isn’t likely to burn anyone at the stake for not agreeing with him.

In the meantime many evangelicals are using this as an opportunity to present what the bible really says to a mostly biblically illiterate society. Or at least, to be more accurate, what they claim the bible means when it says what it says. You can be sure that this will be rather selective and have the right “feel good” twist. In other words, another collection of fantasies that Christianity hopes people will accept without getting into stubborn or embarrassing facts.