If movie can shake faith, then 'problem is clearly not The Da Vinci Code'
Editor:
The Rev. Bill Harrell has a right and a responsibility to defend his steadfast faith against The Da Vinci Code (guest column, May 17). However, there are some key points that he, like many Christians, are missing. If one is truly swayed from the Christian faith by a single paperback novel, then the problem is clearly not The Da Vinci Code. The what-if scenario is extraordinary and controversial, but it is just that: a what-if scenario. Anyone who actually thinks Dan Brown is privy to some arcane knowledge needs to reexamine their intellectual skills and their faith.
I also take odds with the fact that the reverend is "weary" of attacks against Christianity, when not only was Christianity the root cause of the Crusades and one of the bloodiest conflicts in history, but that if, as he claims, The Da Vinci Code is the work of Satan, then this is probably something he should expect, coming from God's adversary. I seriously doubt Satan goes on sabbatical to give Christians a rest before the next temptation.
The fact is, there is no proof one way or the other if Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. The Bible does not say he was married. But it does not say he wasn't married. And one must consider that if he was married (which may forever remain a mystery), does that really lessen his message? Does that diminish the sacrifice he made for humanity with his own blood? Does that make him any less the son of God, who came to live as a man? Is it not the human experience to love one another as Jesus himself taught?
And to be honest, Jesus hasn't seen this much public spotlight in many years, even more so than The Passion of the Christ. In fact, to the right of the reverend's column is an advertisement for a church panel discussion on The Da Vinci Code. In this day and age, anything that gets people going to church can't be all bad. ...
If you're looking for a real, unbiased, intellectual examination of The Da Vinci Code claims, I recommend the excellent Secrets of the Code by Dan Burnstein. And if you are someone who honestly read The Da Vinci Code and immediately discredited the Bible as lies, then there's an underlying question of faith that no book, especially a 400-page paperback romp through Europe, can possibly cause. Maybe there's another book you should be reading a bit more often.
Andrew Rauch, Evans