Ok, ive read some posts, and i do not understand how Christians can read the book and consider it a good book for entertainment and be proud that they have not fallen into the trap of beleiving the lies. As if that is the only trap the devil has set with regards to the book.
I can just imagine the devil speaking to Christ and saying, 'look all your children are using the blasphemy and insult of your name as their means of entertainment'. And lets all stop pretending that we need to read or watch it to be informed, there are at least 50 books and dvds explaining how the da vinci code is an attack on christianity, informing the reader on everything they need to know as well as how to use the popularity of this story to introduce people to the truth of Christianity.
If you people out there are serious about defending the faith and spreading the gospel take a read of those books instead. I know many Christians which claim to read the book or watch the movie to be informed, they watch it, enjoy it, think they are smart because they pointed out some lies, and then get on with their life. That is not defending the faith.
We can really use this attack on Christianity against the devil, learn about the history of Christianity instead, so when people approach you about the movie you can defend our faith and use it as a posibility of introducing the true Jesus to them.
God bless you all, pray for God to give us His mind and heart so that we feel the same way He does about everything in this world.
[quote author=doit4Jesus link=board=12;threadid=3752;start=30#msg54055 date=1146841293] And lets all stop pretending that we need to read or watch it to be informed, there are at least 50 books and dvds explaining how the da vinci code is an attack on christianity, informing the reader on everything they need to know as well as how to use the popularity of this story to introduce people to the truth of Christianity.
Unfortunately, you can read ABOUT the DaVinci Code until you become some form of Leonardo DaVinci expert, but it will never make you as informed about it as just reading the actual book itself. Also, if you are arguing with somebody about it, and they say "Did you even read the book to begin with?" and you respond "No I haven't" you might as well throw in the towel, because then the person will just see you as an "uninformed bigot".
The problem with only reading about the book can be seen with one of the posts that said: "For those who said that a large portion of the book is not even about Jesus, you are wrong. The ENTIRE BOOK is about Sophie and Langdon's struggle to prove that Jesus did actually have relations with Mary Magdelene, that the Priory of Sion does actually exist, and that it does actually guard the (false) secret of Jesus and Mary Magdelene"
From what I got, the author of the post has read about the DaVinci Code, but not the actual book itself. Because for the entire book, Sophie and Langdon are trying to find out who killed Sophie's grandfather so they can clear Langdon's name. It's as they try to find the killer, that they discover the whole Jesus plotline. If you were to say this to somebody who supports the DaVinci Code, they'll just say "Look, you don't even understand the basic plot of the book, so how can you claim to understand all the historical claims that Dan Brown makes?!"
what this book does or does not imply is not (and should not be) the question….i think we should All read the Bible in its entirety and then if you still feel so inclined to read this book then its up to the individual…
for the claim that the only way to build defense against the book is to actually read it, is not practical…our best defense against such blatant heresies to read the word of God….which will not only strengthen your faith but will allow the holy spirit to work through you if you are questioned.
Da Vinci Code is Blasphemous and Insulting in its fictional story telling The story is written AS IF it is true because he uses real events such as the Council of Nicea, etc. Persons who are untrained in History or Theology may be deceived into thinking that anything in the characters' analysis of historical events is true It portrays the following lies:
The Truth: The following quotes are directly from Christians, Patriarchs, doctors, and Fathers of the Christian Church BEFORE Constantine was even born, all of them clearly showing that Jesus is God.
110 A.D. -Ignatius of Antioch (110 AD): "For our God, Jesus Christ, was conceived by Mary in accord with God's plan: of the seed of David, it is true, but also of the Holy Spirit" (Letter to the Ephesians 18:2 [A.D. 110]).
170 A.D. -Tatian the Syrian (170 AD): "We are not playing the fool, you Greeks, nor do we talk nonsense, when we report that God was born in the form of a man" (Address to the Greeks 21).
190 A.D. -Clement of Alexandria (190AD): "The Word, then, the Christ, is the cause both of our ancient beginning-for he was in God- and of our well-being. And now this same Word has appeared as man. He alone is both God and man, and the source of all our good things" (Exhortation to the Greeks 1:7:1 [A.D. 190]).
210 A.D. -Tertullian: "God alone is without sin. The only man who is without sin is Christ; for Christ is also God" (The Soul 41:3 [A.D. 210]).
225 A.D. -Origen: "Although he was God, he took flesh; and having been made man, he remained what he was: God" (The Fundamental Doctrines 1:0:4 [A.D. 225]).
All of these were written before Constantine could tell anyone that Jesus was God, before Constantine was even born! How is it then that the Da Vinci Code attempts to rewrite history and utter lies when clearly the Christians worshipped Christ even before Constantine was even born, let alone before the council of Nicea. The above persons were leaders and doctors of the Church and lead the people in the faith and correct (Orthodox) Christian Doctrine. These were leaders of the main Christians, the majority of Christians, not some fringe cults. They clearly taught that Jesus is fully God and fully Man. Several writings from HUNDREDS of years BEFORE CONSTANTINE, show that ALL Apostolic Christians believed that JESUS IS GOD.
The New Testment books, from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John through the Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline Epistles, that Universal Epistles to Revelation, clearly teach that JESUS IS GOD.
Consider these New Testament verses:
-The Word was God... and became flesh.... -Christ came, who is overall, the eternally blessed God... -I am the First and the Last, the Almighty... -I AM... the Jews took up stones to stone Him... Because You being a Man make yourself God (the Jews understood that He was calling Himself God) -God was manifest in the flesh -In Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily. -Our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. -Thomas said to Jesus- "My Lord and My God"
Besides these, several Church Fathers and regular people wrote a lot of letters professing that Jesus is God. How then is it possible that the Da Vinci Code claims that only in 325 AD, the emperor raised Jesus status to deity. He was already deity and the people worshipped him as such.
The Council of Nicea in 325 AD came together to WRITE the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CREED about what the Church ALREADY believed, NOT to write a new belief. The Church already believed that JESUS IS GOD. The Council was there in 325 A.D. to put this ALREADY EXISTING BELIEF IN WRITING to fight the heretics like Arius and his followers. Just because you have bishops coming together to excommunicate others who teach heresy does NOT mean that they believe something new.
Dan Brown claims through one of his characters that Constantine ignored other writings that spoke of Jesus manhood and that he put together the current Bible to emphasize the Deity of Jesus.
THE TRUTH The Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, along with the Acts of the Apostles written by St. Luke, the Pauline Epistles, the Universal Epistles, including those of St.s Peter, John, and Jude, and Revelation were ALL completed within the first century and were written by those who were EYEWITNESSES to Jesus teachings, sayings, and miracles. The reason that the "other gospels" were not accepted is not because they spoke of Jesus' Humanity more than His Divinity but because they were written much later than Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and some were established forgeries, others yet has suspect sources. The entire New Testament was completed within the 1st Century and the Church, GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AS JESUS PROMISED, has the duty to protect the TRUTH and protect its children from falsehood and error.
If Constantine wanted to "edit" the emphasis on Christ's humanity, WHY WOULD HE LEAVE SO MUCH of CHRIST's HUMANITY in the Canonically Accepted New Testament. The current New Testament if full of a VERY HUMAN JESUS- a Jesus who was born, hungry, sad, cried, was asleep, tired, suffering, thirsty, lonely, praying, dying, happy, physically weak. Even if the other writings were accepted, what would Dan Brown's characters' erroneous analysis of history have us believe, that we should accept ONLY the other gospels and IGNORE the gospels that speak of Christ's Deity? Do we then reject those Gopels that speak of His Deity? Of course not.
The New Testament is clear Jesus is Fully Human and Fully God and no reputable scholar on earth would agree with Dan Brown's Character that Constantine either put together the Gospels or edited them.
This is a nitwitted claim that is completely false. The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, knew what was Gospel and what was not. Constantine had nothing to do with the Bible. The process by which the Bible formed was one that took time; it was not collated at any one time. Nor did Constantine have anything to do with the process, either before or after he converted to Christianity. The Old Testament canon (that is standard) had been forming for centuries. Jesus and the apostles already recognized the authority of the Old Testament writings that existed in their time, way before Constantine would have "put it together" as illustrated by the following verses:
· "And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27).
· "You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me" (John 5:39).
· "And Paul went in, as was his custom, and for three weeks he argued with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead" (Acts 17:2-3).
· "From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 3:15, NIV).
In the first century the apostles and their associates wrote the books of the New Testament, which were passed down to succeeding generations of Christians and read in the churches, and GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. St. Peter Himself says that the men who wrote all the prophesies of scripture were clearly written BY THE HOLY SPIRIT through men.
Much later, in the second and third centuries, some heretics were unsure of what they believed and began to manufacture writings that falsely claimed to be from the apostles, but since they had NOT been passed down in the churches from the beginning like the other writings, they were rejected. In response to these new, false writings the churches drew up lists of the authentic books that had been handed down from the apostles. A famous list of the sacred writings from the mid-second century is known as the Muratorian Canon.
The process by which the canon of Scripture was formed was largely complete by the time of Constantine (the early fourth century), and he made no contribution to it. There were a few Old Testament books (known today as the deuterocanonical books or "apocrypha") that continued to be discussed after Constantine's time, into the late fourth century-further illustrating that he did not collate the Bible. No Bible scholar holds that Constantine played such a role in the development of Scripture. Dan Brown is simply wrong and playing with ignorance.
Brown is asserting that the Bible was put together by Constantine in order to deny the evidence that exists against his position. He cannot back this claim up, for there is no evidence for it whatsoever. No Scripture scholar-Christian or non-Christian-supports this position. There is a number of reasons for this, some of which we will see below, but one reason is that the writings of the Church Fathers (and even non-Christian historians) before the time of Constantine show that Christians regarded Jesus as God.
LIE: The Gospels have been edited to support the claims of later Christians.
THE TRUTH
Many of the early manuscripts of Scripture that we now have were waiting, lost, in the desert until their discovery by modern archaeology. But when we look at these copies, they teach the same doctrines as later copies and show no evidence of having been censored or changed.
If Constantine or any one else had tried to change Scripture, Christians would have refused. The Christian Church had just come through an age of persecution in which Christians had been burned and tortured for refusing to deny their Lord and the Scriptures He gave them. To allow those writings to be mutilated would be unthinkable, and any attempt to change them would have resulted in an enormous controversy that would be mentioned in the writings of the period.
It would have been a practical impossibility to change Scripture, because thousands of copies were in existence all across the Mediterranean world, from Europe to North Africa. There was no central registry of who had copies of the Bible, so there was no way to track them down and edit them. There were simply too many copies floating in circulation.
Moreover, the writings of the early Church Fathers from before the time of Constantine show the same teachings and quote the Gospels as saying the same things as in the canonical Gospels.
LIE: Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.
THE TRUTH There is no mention of ANY marriage of Mary Magdalene ANYWHERE. The gospels state that Mary Magdalene attended to Jesus, supported His ministry with the other Apostles, and was the first to see Jesus' Resurrection. She, like the other Apostles, loved Jesus as a friend, as a master, and as her God.
Even the unaccepted writing state that Mary Magdalene was a companion of Jesus. The other Apostles were also constant companions of Jesus. EVEN THE HERETICAL WRITINGS, NEVER do they state that she was his wife or that there was a wedding between them or anything like that.
People with sinful minds make that connection in the same way that they make the connection that Jesus was gay because he hung around with 12 disciples or because St. John was the disciple that Jesus loved, or because Jesus asked Peter after the resurrection, "Simon Son of Johan, do you love me?" or because St. John liened on the chest of Jesus. People who apply modern day's relativism and sinful nature to the Pure God the Christ and Logos of the Father and His Disciples are in deep error and their thinking gives evidence of the depth of their depravity. Love is PURE and God is Love and God is Holy.
Jesus lived a celibate life. He stated that celibacy is a gift of God to some people for the Kingdom of God. St. Paul states that it is better to remain unmarried as he is so that one can focus completely on God's Kingdom instead of also being distracted by married life. Virgins are given a special crown in heaven. Is it possible that St. Paul is BETTER than Jesus???
St. Paul states that he has a right to have a wife if he wanted, just like St. Peter had a wife. Think about this, would he not have said, I have a right to take a wife, just like Jesus had a wife and Peter had a wife? Surely if he noted that Jesus had a wife like this, that would have made his argument perfect and strong, but he did not because Jesus was NOT married.
The reason that Brown and a handful of others (chiefly New Age authors) have tried to identify Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus is obvious: She is one of the few women disciplines of Christ who is prominent, whose name we know, and whom we don't know was married to someone else. Other female disciples of Jesus are known to be married to others (e.g., Joanna the wife of Chuza [Luke 8:3]) or are too insignificant ("the other Mary" [Matt. 28:1]) or we don't know their names (the Syro-Phoenecian woman [Matt. 15:28]). If one wants to force Jesus into the role of being married, Mary Magdalene is one of the few prominent and (seemingly) available women to be pushed into the role of being his wife.
Furthermore, there is nothing in the New Testament that states or implies that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. According to the New Testament, Mary of Magdala was a devout follower of Christ and one of the first witnesses of his Resurrection (cf. Matt. 28:1), but not his wife. There is no evidence in the New Testament or the writings of the Church Fathers that she was married to Jesus (or anyone else).
Jesus also said things that indicated that he wasn't married to anyone. He explained that some voluntarily refrain from marrying in order to be fully consecrated to God. He says that they "have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake" (Matt. 19:12). He portrays voluntary abstention from marriage as the highest form of consecration, and as the spiritual leader of the Christian movement, it would be strange for him to hold up such a standard if he himself did not meet it.
Moreover, the early Church was unanimous in regarding Jesus as unmarried. This is not a later doctrine of the Church Fathers but something found in the New Testament itself. The authors of the New Testament regularly depict the Church as "the bride of Christ" (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:21-33; cf. Rev. 21:9-10). This metaphor would never have developed if a flesh-and-blood "Mrs. Jesus" was living just down the street. Only if Christ was celibate would the Church have come to be depicted metaphorically as his bride. How can Christ tell us to be married to one wife while He Himself takes one Mary Magdaline and also has the Church as His betrothed bride, the Church, wouldn't that make him having two wives. If He's already married to someone else, how then can he also consumate his marriage to the Church.
PAGAN IMPLICATION · She (Mary Magdalene) is to be worshiped as a goddess.
THE TRUTH The Da Vinci Code refers to Mary Magdaline with a capital "S" She in the middle of a sentence. I thought Jesus is NOT God, according to Dan Brown's story. If this is the case and He empregnated Mary Magdalene, then both she and her daughter are only human, why would we worship her. Where's the logic? Some have stated that Jesus' claim to the Throne of David would necesitate an heir to the throne, which is the child He supposedly had with Mary Magdaline. How can this be since He Himself said, "My Kingdom is not of this world. ... If My Kingdom were of this world, My followers would have fought to prevent my capture" He was not interested in an earthly throne. Furthermore, according to the analysis of some of these accusers, the descedants fled to France.... that's a far away and foreign place for the descedants and heirs of the throne of David, the King of ISRAEL!!?!!
The Da Vinci Code is an attack on the Roman Catholic Church AND the Christian faith itself.
The author, Dan Brown. is a former English teacher who has authored three previous books. The first two, Digital Fortress and Deception Point, were techno-thrillers. With his third novel, Angels & Demons, he turned to writing thrillers involving religion and the Vatican/ Church of Rome.
Opus Dei, a Roman Catholic group, responded to the publisher of The Da Vinci Code regarding its misrepresentation in the book. When contacted by Catholic Answers, Opus Dei's U.S. communications director, explained that the organization sent a letter of protest to the publisher: Shortly before the publication of The Da Vinci Code, we sent a letter pointing out some of the numerous misrepresentations in the novel and explaining that the "portrayal of Opus Dei in the book is false and inaccurate in almost every way."
The letter explained what the real Opus Dei is all about: "The basic activity of ... Opus Dei is giving spiritual guidance to help them live the Gospel in their daily lives. This past October [2002], Pope John Paul II canonized Opus Dei's founder, St. Josemaria Escriva, before several hundred thousand people, just a fraction of those who have benefited from Opus Dei's spiritual formation." Whether the organization will take legal action against the publisher remains to be seen.
The Author's First Book: ANGELS AND DEMONS ALSO HAS SEVERAL ERRORS and FALSEHOODS
The book states that the practice of "god-eating", that is, the Sacrament of Holy Communion, was borrowed by the Christians from the Aztecs.
THIS IS A LIE
THE TRUTH IS That communion has its roots in the Last Supper around 30 C.E. The Aztec civilization did not arise until the 14th Century- see any encycolpedia. EVEN if the Aztecs were around at the time of the Last Supper, there was no CONTACT between the Mid-east or Europe with central America or the Aztecs until the 14th Century A.D. around 1492.
The Novel also asserts the Hashshashin hired by the villians refers to Christians as bringing on the downfall of the Hashshasin sect.
This is historically false as any textboot encyclopedia will tell you that the Hashshashin was brought down by invading Mongol hoards who attached their Alamut Fortress in 1256 in what is today Iran.
The author of this website is a memeber of the One, Holy, Universal and Apostolic Orthodox Church, founding by Jesus Christ and His Apostles. It is hoped that the above information will turn away those seeking the Truth from the falsehood and doubts sown by the Da Vinci Code's irresponsible accusation against Christ and His Church. It seems that the author of the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons is using some of the past errors of the one of the original five Patriarchates, the Church of Rome (for which they have apologized) to attack all of Christianity. This seems to be an insult to God, who is worshipped through the only hope salvation He provided to humanity, His Logos, Jesus Christ, who is worshipped by nealy one quarter of the planet.
Galatians 6:1-10 "1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5for each one should carry his own load. 6Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. 7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
1 Corinthians 16:13-24 "13Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 14Do everything in love. 15You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, 16to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it. 17I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. 18For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition. Final Greetings 19The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. 20All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 21 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. 22 If anyone does not love the Lord a curse be on him. Come, O Lord! 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen."
DB wrote a very malicious book with the same poisonous tactics done before with Eve and Adam. Deceipt, twisted facts, doubting God's teaching and stuffing disguised false facts within more known ones. DB books and movie are another "give your back to God", some will sadly believe the author and not God, the book is anti-christian faith.
Since DB does not understand Christ he leaves out many errors, but these may not be noticed by all.
The most universally distributed book is the Holy Bible.
I think the DB movie comes miraculously later than they may have planned: they missed Our Lord Jesus Christ Resurrection Feast (Easter)!
In contrast, MG movie of "The Passion of the Christ" was a real hit (surprise!) and a terrible big blow in the devil's face. The Passion of the Christ movie should then be seen every year with other movies (like "Jesus of Nazareth"). It should be broadcast for all youth before and after the DB movie to remove its evil impressions.
Matthew 13:24-30 24Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' 28" 'An enemy did this,' he replied. The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 29" 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' "
We shouldn't fight each other but unite in one faith. The DB books and movie do worse than paving a way against the RCC: it shakes many people faith in the Divinity of Christ. We need to pray the Lord a lot to save us and our brethren and sisters.
Lord, you know we love You, strengthen our faith and have mercy on all Your Church.
this is a really nice topic but i have a little thing to say..if you know that all that stuff is wrong why would u even bother to read it and waste ur time and money to go watch it..i don't see the point, just ignore it! :-\ we had alittle nice convo. in out last preservants meeting and thats what we talked about and after hearing about it that was simply my opinion!
[quote author=sandrahanna link=board=12;threadid=3752;start=30#msg54233 date=1147044680] this is a really nice topic but i have a little thing to say..if you know that all that stuff is wrong why would u even bother to read it and waste ur time and money to go watch it..i don't see the point, just ignore it! :-\
[quote author=sandrahanna link=board=12;threadid=3752;start=30#msg54233 date=1147044680] if you know that all that stuff is wrong why would u even bother to read it and waste ur time and money to go watch it..i don't see the point, just ignore it! :-\
Well I know that all that stuff is wrong, becuase it is a fictional book and a fictional movie. It's the same thing when we read any other fictional book or watch any other fictional movie. For example, when I saw the previews to the movie Lord of the Ring, I didn't say to myself, "I know this stuff is wrong and this stuff never happened, so why would I bother wasting my time and money to go watch it?" I knew it was all wrong and I knew that it's a fictional movie. But I still watched it simply because it's a good movie. Similarily, when I see the previews to the movie The Da Vinci Code, I know that it's all wrong, and I know that it's a fictional movie, and I know that none of what the movie implies is true, but I'm still going to watch it simply because it's a good movie, and I like watching movies that have a lot of suspense, twists, and that has to do with solving mysterious crimes.
yes..everyone loves watching movies but ther is no point of watching it just because ur cerious why people say its wrong because that happened to smoeone from my church and now his mind is messed up! just be carful and don't pay ANY attention of the wrong stuff that happened!
Would you still go see a “good” movie if it insulted you? Or if it insulted your mother or your father by their name and/or events that they went through?
Personally I wouldn’t support such trash even if it was the best movie ever made on the face of the earth.
Would you still go see a “good” movie if it insulted you? Or if it insulted your mother or your father by their name and/or events that they went through?
Personally I wouldn’t support such trash even if it was the best movie ever made on the face of the earth.
In His Name
Well, just like I said before, I know it's wrong. So why would it affect me if I know the things it implies is wrong? It's a fictional story, it's a fairy tale. Nothing in the story ever happend, and everything it implies isn't true and I know this, so why would it affect me? I once heard an argument against people believing this story that said, "When did anyone over the age of 8 ever leave a Spiderman movie thinking they, too, could crawl up walls?" In other words, people shouldn't be affected by fairy tales, such as The Da Vinci Code or Spiderman. Unfortunately, uneducated people are affected by The Da Vinci Code and believe it, but what does that have to do with me not watching the movie? Me not watching the movie won't change people's opinions on this issue, right?
Everything a person sees, hears or experiences (by any of our senses) leaves a memory of some kind. You have to think about it even a bit. It can have good or bad end result, this depends on the level of concentration, the age, the mood, and the person's knowledge (education, environment) and other special factors (like those subliminal flashes used in the advertising industry).
These impressions and thoughts stick in the mind, and can be reinforced or fought by similar or different means. What distorted image would kids have of Our Lord Jesus Christ if they had an uncontrolled occasion to view the movie, or if forced to see it in schools for studying or analysis - with the fear of losing their marks?
This requires kids (and everybody) to be seriously prepared before confrontations or situations of debates forced on us. I think we must be ready to defend our faith in a wise, loving and peaceful way.
If you are absolutely sure you don't want and won't ever view the movie or clips and trailers (or read the DB books) then it's still allright to read the good christian critics.
I am repeating myself here, but if you ever have to read or see DB things then I suggest that quickly afterwards you view a real good movie on Christ, read the Bible and then pray to God He helps you clear away bad thoughts or doubts in the mind.
Ask yourself.....What would Jesus do in this situation? Would he rather you read his Holy Bible or read a fictional novel full of herieises that may weaken your faith? Will you benefit more from reading the Bible or the Da Vinci Code?
[quote author=Katherine link=board=12;threadid=3752;start=30#msg54155 date=1146943761] [quote author=doit4Jesus link=board=12;threadid=3752;start=30#msg54055 date=1146841293] And lets all stop pretending that we need to read or watch it to be informed, there are at least 50 books and dvds explaining how the da vinci code is an attack on christianity, informing the reader on everything they need to know as well as how to use the popularity of this story to introduce people to the truth of Christianity.
Unfortunately, you can read ABOUT the DaVinci Code until you become some form of Leonardo DaVinci expert, but it will never make you as informed about it as just reading the actual book itself. Also, if you are arguing with somebody about it, and they say "Did you even read the book to begin with?" and you respond "No I haven't" you might as well throw in the towel, because then the person will just see you as an "uninformed bigot".
The problem with only reading about the book can be seen with one of the posts that said: "For those who said that a large portion of the book is not even about Jesus, you are wrong. The ENTIRE BOOK is about Sophie and Langdon's struggle to prove that Jesus did actually have relations with Mary Magdelene, that the Priory of Sion does actually exist, and that it does actually guard the (false) secret of Jesus and Mary Magdelene"
From what I got, the author of the post has read about the DaVinci Code, but not the actual book itself. Because for the entire book, Sophie and Langdon are trying to find out who killed Sophie's grandfather so they can clear Langdon's name. It's as they try to find the killer, that they discover the whole Jesus plotline. If you were to say this to somebody who supports the DaVinci Code, they'll just say "Look, you don't even understand the basic plot of the book, so how can you claim to understand all the historical claims that Dan Brown makes?!"
I am the one who posted that. I did read the book. Although the author tries to cover up the real purpose of the book with them trying find Sophie's grandfather's murderer, that facade can be seen through if you really look.
It's a crazy opinnion. Its also incorrect in some of the places it mentioned (whatched a show on discovery channel about it). I beleave it is ok to see it (movie) and read the book (I didn't read it but heard a summery and friends talkin about it. I beleave to better understand the churches opinnion about our relegion you must also see other peoples opinnions. Also I like to research other relegions to find a connection between the two and see how they think. But ofcourse I will always be Coptic Orthadox.
Da Vinci Code Movie is not just a fairy tale movie to watch as you would spider man.
It is a blasphemous attack on our saviour and is in no way to be used as entertainment. We may as well watch pornography as entertainment which is not even a direct attack on God, but an attack on God through attacking man. The Da Vince Code is a direct attack on God!
We are not supposed to watch it as a factious movie, we are supposed to 1) defend our faith through knowledge of scripture and church history. 2) show our disapproval and lack of support for the movie by not going to see it and influencing others to do the same. 3) Use any opportunity of discussing the movie to bring unbelievers to the truth of Christ (Only if 1 and 2 are true)
If anybody wants to argue that we should watch the movie in order to defend our faith properly and preach Christ then i have too much to say to disprove that so i wont write it now. God bless
If you read the post look what this book and movie is doin its got great christians arguing over something a man wrote.This is the work of the devil and will use it to tear christians apart if he can. Thats somethin we should all think about. The book is a book our bible is the word of god and the onley book that i know is the truth about christ. But many fictions have been told to stear christians astray.My friends it want be the last time somethin sturs up the christian society.Stay close to your brothers and sisters in christ we will all be together in heaven one day and the book will be a distant memory.Great topic its allways good to talk with eachother about what is goin on.God bless you all and lets pray about it.
When I read this page http://www.coptichymns.net/module-pagesetter-viewpub-tid-1-pid-318.html it is clear that the fight against Our Lord Jesus Christ is raging. I decided to be on His winning side and try to avoid at all cost anything that would further weaken my faith and practice. Boycotting the Da Vinci Code book and film is for my own good.
Think about it: it's not a regular movie, it wouldn't have caused all that controversial noise. It is obviously dangerous for both kids and adults. The only interest for us is that we'll probably stick more to our faith (but I cannot be sure to do that if I see it).
If the Church says it's not preferable to see it then it's not to be seen. I will not rely on my own thoughts alone in this.
I think you should read the Da Vinci Code...I haven't read it and I really want too...if you get in an argument with someone about this topic about how will you defend yourself if you did not read the book...its like an Atheist person coming to you and asking you to prove the bible is correct...if you don't read the bible how can you defend yourself...YOU CAN'T...same thing with Da Vinci code...if you don't read it you won't have the knowledge about what it is about and you can't defend yourself
[quote author=mtanious32 link=board=12;threadid=3752;start=45#msg54690 date=1147552247] if you don't read it you won't have the knowledge about what it is about and you can't defend yourself
This is like trying a cigarette (as I have said before). "Try it first and if you don't like it don't do it." But the reality is that it is too late. You are already hooked. You have already tasted the fruit from the tree of knowledge the Lord forbade you to eat from. You have already tasted the bitter taste of sin. If people "read it first and then decide" it might already be too late because people might have the thought of the faith not being true planted in their hearts. The devil might have already gotten to them first and planted his evil seed, which grows into a tree of sin which bears no fruit. "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."- John 15:2
ok understood...but that knowledge can't go for everything...there are some things you have to read to understand to defend yourself..but if you don't how then will you...the person arguing with you will see you do not know what you are talking about and will think you are a bigoted person and then the person's confidence with what they believe in will increase and it will only be harder to show them the truth
I am afraid I am not that confident in my abilities, I may not have the necessary ammunition to debate all details, historically or spiritually.
In many cases it is only required to rely on God's guidance to the Church, understand and trust the Orthodox Christian literature about such a subject and be distant.
This method is safer and wiser: Satan has mobilized a lot of his evil trickery to fight Christian faith and is surely planning even more serious campaigns to follow. Our mind is nowadays duller and somehow directed to be more and more conditioned not to adequately resist the attacks against Our Lord Jesus Christ that are everywhere.
Extreme caution and lots of wisdom are needed: not all people have these special gifts, but in these cases the Lord helps if you pray a lot and flee. At least we agree these are seriously difficult temptations.
If you read and finished the book, as an exercise I suggest you make a table with two columns, one for Our Lord Jesus Christ attributes and the other for the blasphemies in the so-called Da Vinci "code" to compare and clearly see what it is about, and never mind the indirect trickery facade of that "story".
If someone says to me: haven't you read the book yet?! I will not be shy to just tell him or her: it's ok I am not interested, I read many critics and maybe two pages: it's a time machine adventure rubbish disguised as academic book! I only have time to read good books and I prefer reading theology books or serious history books. Does this mean my knowledge lacks important facts? I would only read it and very reluctantly, if I am forced to do an essay for example. I would not be proud to keep such a bad book in my library. Slogans like "millions of readers can't be wrong!" do not prove it is a good book, but it provides an "easy" debating way out tool for people who refuse Christian religion.
The movie may have costed them a lot, this does not make it right, and they do not worry! they will have an unfortunate audience of many age groups and "gain many millions". It does not need advertising: it takes advantage in using famous characters and names known to most of the planet.
Lastly, would you find it easier to preach the word of God to members of an audience that has been previously poisonned by the book or movie? I am not concerned only for the faithful Christians, but all people. Because of the many stuffed details, I reasonably expect some will never have the chance to know the full truth.
Let us pray Our Lord Jesus Christ help us all. GBU.
If it's any consolation, the movie is getting quite a few poor reviews ( 7 "rotten reviews" already, see www.rottentomatoes.com/m/da_vinci_code).
Considering that the lead role is being played by a two-time Oscar winner (Tom Hanks, also my favourite actor, except for this film obviously) the script was written by an Oscar winner (Akiva Goldsman) and it was directed by the admittedly over-rated, but still Oscar winning Ron Howard, this is pretty suprising...unless God decided to bring down the old wrath ;D
The whole situation is as follows, Dan Brown gets an idea, researches it, and writes a FICTIONAL book on his research + idea. If you look under the category the book is under. Fiction. And also, i have read both Angels and Demons, and the Davinci Code. Angels and Demons was a good book that would have very easily be portrayed as attacking the vatican, but it didnt, it only attacked one fictional character. It combines science with faith and in the end, faith wins. The Davinci Code was a mixture of a love story, an action thriller, and an adventure story. The only problem i see and has helped me get through this whole christianity vs davinci code situation (you know what i mean) is that Dan Brown is writing his opinion about a man (davinci) who used to draw his opinion of our God.**SPOILER** In the book, the chalice is revealed as Mary Magdalene and Davinci "knew that" but davinci could've been easily gullible into believing lies, he could've assumed it, or he could've even thought nothing of it. Unfortunatlly, we are never gonna know, so as long as you have faith, whats a piece of fiction gonna do?
Comments
I can just imagine the devil speaking to Christ and saying, 'look all your children are using the blasphemy and insult of your name as their means of entertainment'. And lets all stop pretending that we need to read or watch it to be informed, there are at least 50 books and dvds explaining how the da vinci code is an attack on christianity, informing the reader on everything they need to know as well as how to use the popularity of this story to introduce people to the truth of Christianity.
If you people out there are serious about defending the faith and spreading the gospel take a read of those books instead. I know many Christians which claim to read the book or watch the movie to be informed, they watch it, enjoy it, think they are smart because they pointed out some lies, and then get on with their life. That is not defending the faith.
We can really use this attack on Christianity against the devil, learn about the history of Christianity instead, so when people approach you about the movie you can defend our faith and use it as a posibility of introducing the true Jesus to them.
God bless you all, pray for God to give us His mind and heart so that we feel the same way He does about everything in this world.
And lets all stop pretending that we need to read or watch it to be informed, there are at least 50 books and dvds explaining how the da vinci code is an attack on christianity, informing the reader on everything they need to know as well as how to use the popularity of this story to introduce people to the truth of Christianity.
Unfortunately, you can read ABOUT the DaVinci Code until you become some form of Leonardo DaVinci expert, but it will never make you as informed about it as just reading the actual book itself. Also, if you are arguing with somebody about it, and they say "Did you even read the book to begin with?" and you respond "No I haven't" you might as well throw in the towel, because then the person will just see you as an "uninformed bigot".
The problem with only reading about the book can be seen with one of the posts that said:
"For those who said that a large portion of the book is not even about Jesus, you are wrong. The ENTIRE BOOK is about Sophie and Langdon's struggle to prove that Jesus did actually have relations with Mary Magdelene, that the Priory of Sion does actually exist, and that it does actually guard the (false) secret of Jesus and Mary Magdelene"
From what I got, the author of the post has read about the DaVinci Code, but not the actual book itself. Because for the entire book, Sophie and Langdon are trying to find out who killed Sophie's grandfather so they can clear Langdon's name. It's as they try to find the killer, that they discover the whole Jesus plotline. If you were to say this to somebody who supports the DaVinci Code, they'll just say "Look, you don't even understand the basic plot of the book, so how can you claim to understand all the historical claims that Dan Brown makes?!"
for the claim that the only way to build defense against the book is to actually read it, is not practical…our best defense against such blatant heresies to read the word of God….which will not only strengthen your faith but will allow the holy spirit to work through you if you are questioned.
God Bless
http://www.geocities.com/orthodox_christians/index.htm
Da Vinci Code
is Blasphemous and Insulting in its fictional story telling
The story is written AS IF it is true because he uses real events such as the Council of Nicea, etc. Persons who are untrained in History or Theology may be deceived into thinking that anything in the characters' analysis of historical events is true
It portrays the following lies:
The Truth: The following quotes are directly from Christians, Patriarchs, doctors, and
Fathers of the Christian Church BEFORE Constantine was even born, all of
them clearly showing that Jesus is God.
110 A.D. -Ignatius of Antioch (110 AD): "For our God, Jesus Christ, was conceived by
Mary in accord with God's plan: of the seed of David, it is true, but also of the
Holy Spirit" (Letter to the Ephesians 18:2 [A.D. 110]).
170 A.D. -Tatian the Syrian (170 AD): "We are not playing the fool, you Greeks, nor do we
talk nonsense, when we report that God was born in the form of a man" (Address
to the Greeks 21).
190 A.D. -Clement of Alexandria (190AD): "The Word, then, the Christ, is the cause both
of our ancient beginning-for he was in God- and of our well-being. And now this
same Word has appeared as man. He alone is both God and man, and the
source of all our good things" (Exhortation to the Greeks 1:7:1 [A.D. 190]).
210 A.D. -Tertullian: "God alone is without sin. The only man who is without sin is
Christ; for Christ is also God" (The Soul 41:3 [A.D. 210]).
225 A.D. -Origen: "Although he was God, he took flesh; and having been made man, he
remained what he was: God" (The Fundamental Doctrines 1:0:4 [A.D. 225]).
All of these were written before Constantine could tell anyone that Jesus was God, before Constantine was even born! How is it then that the Da Vinci Code attempts to rewrite history and utter lies when clearly the Christians worshipped Christ even before Constantine was even born, let alone before the council of Nicea. The above persons were leaders and doctors of the Church and lead the people in the faith and correct (Orthodox) Christian Doctrine. These were leaders of the main Christians, the majority of Christians, not some fringe cults. They clearly taught that Jesus is fully God and fully Man. Several writings from HUNDREDS of years BEFORE CONSTANTINE, show that ALL Apostolic Christians believed that JESUS IS GOD.
The New Testment books, from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John through the Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline Epistles, that Universal Epistles to Revelation, clearly teach that JESUS IS GOD.
Consider these New Testament verses:
-The Word was God... and became flesh....
-Christ came, who is overall, the eternally blessed God...
-I am the First and the Last, the Almighty...
-I AM... the Jews took up stones to stone Him... Because You being
a Man make yourself God (the Jews understood that He was calling
Himself God)
-God was manifest in the flesh
-In Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
-Our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
-Thomas said to Jesus- "My Lord and My God"
Besides these, several Church Fathers and regular people wrote a lot of letters professing that Jesus is God. How then is it possible that the Da Vinci Code claims that only in 325 AD, the emperor raised Jesus status to deity. He was already deity and the people worshipped him as such.
The Council of Nicea in 325 AD came together to WRITE the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CREED about what the Church ALREADY believed, NOT to write a new belief. The Church already believed that JESUS IS GOD. The Council was there in 325 A.D. to put this ALREADY EXISTING BELIEF IN WRITING to fight the heretics like Arius and his followers. Just because you have bishops coming together to excommunicate others who teach heresy does NOT mean that they believe something new.
Dan Brown claims through one of his characters that Constantine ignored other writings that spoke of Jesus manhood and that he put together the current Bible to emphasize the Deity of Jesus.
THE TRUTH
The Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, along with the Acts of the Apostles written by St. Luke, the Pauline Epistles, the Universal Epistles, including those of St.s Peter, John, and Jude, and Revelation were ALL completed within the first century and were written by those who were EYEWITNESSES to Jesus teachings, sayings, and miracles. The reason that the "other gospels" were not accepted is not because they spoke of Jesus' Humanity more than His Divinity but because they were written much later than Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and some were established forgeries, others yet has suspect sources. The entire New Testament was completed within the 1st Century and the Church, GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AS JESUS PROMISED, has the duty to protect the TRUTH and protect its children from falsehood and error.
If Constantine wanted to "edit" the emphasis on Christ's humanity, WHY WOULD HE LEAVE SO MUCH of CHRIST's HUMANITY in the Canonically Accepted New Testament. The current New Testament if full of a VERY HUMAN JESUS- a Jesus who was born, hungry, sad, cried, was asleep, tired, suffering, thirsty, lonely, praying, dying, happy, physically weak. Even if the other writings were accepted, what would Dan Brown's characters' erroneous analysis of history have us believe, that we should accept ONLY the other gospels and IGNORE the gospels that speak of Christ's Deity? Do we then reject those Gopels that speak of His Deity? Of course not.
The New Testament is clear Jesus is Fully Human and Fully God and no reputable scholar on earth would agree with Dan Brown's Character that Constantine either put together the Gospels or edited them.
This is a nitwitted claim that is completely false. The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, knew what was Gospel and what was not. Constantine had nothing to do with the Bible. The process by which the Bible formed was one that took time; it was not collated at any one time. Nor did Constantine have anything to do with the process, either before or after he converted to Christianity. The Old Testament canon (that is standard) had been forming for centuries. Jesus and the apostles already recognized the authority of the Old Testament writings that existed in their time, way before Constantine would have "put it together" as illustrated by the following verses:
· "And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them
in all the scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27).
· "You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have
eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me"
(John 5:39).
· "And Paul went in, as was his custom, and for three weeks he argued
with them from the scriptures, explaining and
proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from
the dead" (Acts 17:2-3).
· "From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to
make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ
Jesus" (2 Tim. 3:15, NIV).
In the first century the apostles and their associates wrote the books of the New Testament, which were passed down to succeeding generations of Christians and read in the churches, and GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. St. Peter Himself says that the men who wrote all the prophesies of scripture were clearly written BY THE HOLY SPIRIT through men.
Much later, in the second and third centuries, some heretics were unsure of what they believed and began to manufacture writings that falsely claimed to be from the apostles, but since they had NOT been passed down in the churches from the beginning like the other writings, they were rejected. In response to these new, false writings the churches drew up lists of the authentic books that had been handed down from the apostles. A famous list of the sacred writings from the mid-second century is known as the Muratorian Canon.
The process by which the canon of Scripture was formed was largely complete by the time of Constantine (the early fourth century), and he made no contribution to it. There were a few Old Testament books (known today as the deuterocanonical books or "apocrypha") that continued to be discussed after Constantine's time, into the late fourth century-further illustrating that he did not collate the Bible. No Bible scholar holds that Constantine played such a role in the development of Scripture. Dan Brown is simply wrong and playing with ignorance.
Brown is asserting that the Bible was put together by Constantine in order to deny the evidence that exists against his position. He cannot back this claim up, for there is no evidence for it whatsoever. No Scripture scholar-Christian or non-Christian-supports this position. There is a number of reasons for this, some of which we will see below, but one reason is that the writings of the Church Fathers (and even non-Christian historians) before the time of Constantine show that Christians regarded Jesus as God.
LIE: The Gospels have been edited to support the claims of later Christians.
THE TRUTH
Many of the early manuscripts of Scripture that we now have were waiting, lost, in the desert until their discovery by modern archaeology. But when we look at these copies, they teach the same doctrines as later copies and show no evidence of having been censored or changed.
If Constantine or any one else had tried to change Scripture, Christians would have refused. The Christian Church had just come through an age of persecution in which Christians had been burned and tortured for refusing to deny their Lord and the Scriptures He gave them. To allow those writings to be mutilated would be unthinkable, and any attempt to change them would have resulted in an enormous controversy that would be mentioned in the writings of the period.
It would have been a practical impossibility to change Scripture, because thousands of copies were in existence all across the Mediterranean world, from Europe to North Africa. There was no central registry of who had copies of the Bible, so there was no way to track them down and edit them. There were simply too many copies floating in circulation.
Moreover, the writings of the early Church Fathers from before the time of Constantine show the same teachings and quote the Gospels as saying the same things as in the canonical Gospels.
LIE: Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.
THE TRUTH
There is no mention of ANY marriage of Mary Magdalene ANYWHERE. The gospels state that Mary Magdalene attended to Jesus, supported His ministry with the other Apostles, and was the first to see Jesus' Resurrection. She, like the other Apostles, loved Jesus as a friend, as a master, and as her God.
Even the unaccepted writing state that Mary Magdalene was a companion of Jesus. The other Apostles were also constant companions of Jesus. EVEN THE HERETICAL WRITINGS, NEVER do they state that she was his wife or that there was a wedding between them or anything like that.
People with sinful minds make that connection in the same way that they make the connection that Jesus was gay because he hung around with 12 disciples or because St. John was the disciple that Jesus loved, or because Jesus asked Peter after the resurrection, "Simon Son of Johan, do you love me?" or because St. John liened on the chest of Jesus. People who apply modern day's relativism and sinful nature to the Pure God the Christ and Logos of the Father and His Disciples are in deep error and their thinking gives evidence of the depth of their depravity. Love is PURE and God is Love and God is Holy.
Jesus lived a celibate life. He stated that celibacy is a gift of God to some people for the Kingdom of God. St. Paul states that it is better to remain unmarried as he is so that one can focus completely on God's Kingdom instead of also being distracted by married life. Virgins are given a special crown in heaven. Is it possible that St. Paul is BETTER than Jesus???
St. Paul states that he has a right to have a wife if he wanted, just like St. Peter had a wife. Think about this, would he not have said, I have a right to take a wife, just like Jesus had a wife and Peter had a wife? Surely if he noted that Jesus had a wife like this, that would have made his argument perfect and strong, but he did not because Jesus was NOT married.
The reason that Brown and a handful of others (chiefly New Age authors) have tried to identify Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus is obvious: She is one of the few women disciplines of Christ who is prominent, whose name we know, and whom we don't know was married to someone else. Other female disciples of Jesus are known to be married to others (e.g., Joanna the wife of Chuza [Luke 8:3]) or are too insignificant ("the other Mary" [Matt. 28:1]) or we don't know their names (the Syro-Phoenecian woman [Matt. 15:28]). If one wants to force Jesus into the role of being married, Mary Magdalene is one of the few prominent and (seemingly) available women to be pushed into the role of being his wife.
Furthermore, there is nothing in the New Testament that states or implies that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. According to the New Testament, Mary of Magdala was a devout follower of Christ and one of the first witnesses of his Resurrection (cf. Matt. 28:1), but not his wife. There is no evidence in the New Testament or the writings of the Church Fathers that she was married to Jesus (or anyone else).
Jesus also said things that indicated that he wasn't married to anyone. He explained that some voluntarily refrain from marrying in order to be fully consecrated to God. He says that they "have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake" (Matt. 19:12). He portrays voluntary abstention from marriage as the highest form of consecration, and as the spiritual leader of the Christian movement, it would be strange for him to hold up such a standard if he himself did not meet it.
Moreover, the early Church was unanimous in regarding Jesus as unmarried. This is not a later doctrine of the Church Fathers but something found in the New Testament itself. The authors of the New Testament regularly depict the Church as "the bride of Christ" (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:21-33; cf. Rev. 21:9-10). This metaphor would never have developed if a flesh-and-blood "Mrs. Jesus" was living just down the street. Only if Christ was celibate would the Church have come to be depicted metaphorically as his bride. How can Christ tell us to be married to one wife while He Himself takes one Mary Magdaline and also has the Church as His betrothed bride, the Church, wouldn't that make him having two wives. If He's already married to someone else, how then can he also consumate his marriage to the Church.
PAGAN IMPLICATION · She (Mary Magdalene) is to be worshiped as a goddess.
THE TRUTH
The Da Vinci Code refers to Mary Magdaline with a capital "S" She in the middle of a sentence. I thought Jesus is NOT God, according to Dan Brown's story. If this is the case and He empregnated Mary Magdalene, then both she and her daughter are only human, why would we worship her. Where's the logic? Some have stated that Jesus' claim to the Throne of David would necesitate an heir to the throne, which is the child He supposedly had with Mary Magdaline. How can this be since He Himself said, "My Kingdom is not of this world. ... If My Kingdom were of this world, My followers would have fought to prevent my capture" He was not interested in an earthly throne. Furthermore, according to the analysis of some of these accusers, the descedants fled to France.... that's a far away and foreign place for the descedants and heirs of the throne of David, the King of ISRAEL!!?!!
The Da Vinci Code is an attack on the Roman Catholic Church AND the Christian faith itself.
The author, Dan Brown. is a former English teacher who has authored three previous books. The first two, Digital Fortress and Deception Point, were techno-thrillers. With his third novel, Angels & Demons, he turned to writing thrillers involving religion and the Vatican/ Church of Rome.
Opus Dei, a Roman Catholic group, responded to the publisher of The Da Vinci Code regarding its misrepresentation in the book. When contacted by Catholic Answers, Opus Dei's U.S. communications director, explained that the organization sent a letter of protest to the publisher: Shortly before the publication of The Da Vinci Code, we sent a letter pointing out some of the numerous misrepresentations in the novel and explaining that the "portrayal of Opus Dei in the book is false and inaccurate in almost every way."
The letter explained what the real Opus Dei is all about: "The basic activity of ... Opus Dei is giving spiritual guidance to help them live the Gospel in their daily lives. This past October [2002], Pope John Paul II canonized Opus Dei's founder, St. Josemaria Escriva, before several hundred thousand people, just a fraction of those who have benefited from Opus Dei's spiritual formation." Whether the organization will take legal action against the publisher remains to be seen.
The Author's First Book: ANGELS AND DEMONS
ALSO HAS SEVERAL ERRORS and FALSEHOODS
The book states that the practice of "god-eating", that is, the Sacrament of Holy Communion, was borrowed by the Christians from the Aztecs.
THIS IS A LIE
THE TRUTH IS That communion has its roots in the Last Supper around 30 C.E. The Aztec civilization did not arise until the 14th Century- see any encycolpedia. EVEN if the Aztecs were around at the time of the Last Supper, there was no CONTACT between the Mid-east or Europe with central America or the Aztecs until the 14th Century A.D. around 1492.
The Novel also asserts the Hashshashin hired by the villians refers to Christians as bringing on the downfall of the Hashshasin sect.
This is historically false as any textboot encyclopedia will tell you that the Hashshashin was brought down by invading Mongol hoards who attached their Alamut Fortress in 1256 in what is today Iran.
The author of this website is a memeber of the One, Holy, Universal and Apostolic Orthodox Church, founding by Jesus Christ and His Apostles. It is hoped that the above information will turn away those seeking the Truth from the falsehood and doubts sown by the Da Vinci Code's irresponsible accusation against Christ and His Church. It seems that the author of the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons is using some of the past errors of the one of the original five Patriarchates, the Church of Rome (for which they have apologized) to attack all of Christianity. This seems to be an insult to God, who is worshipped through the only hope salvation He provided to humanity, His Logos, Jesus Christ, who is worshipped by nealy one quarter of the planet.
Comments or questions can be sent to [email protected]
how long did it take u to write that essay????
Galatians 6:1-10
"1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
2Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5for each one should carry his own load.
6Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.
7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
1 Corinthians 16:13-24
"13Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 14Do everything in love.
15You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, 16to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it.
17I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. 18For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.
Final Greetings
19The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.
20All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.
22 If anyone does not love the Lord a curse be on him. Come, O Lord!
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen."
DB wrote a very malicious book with the same poisonous tactics done before with Eve and Adam. Deceipt, twisted facts, doubting God's teaching and stuffing disguised false facts within more known ones. DB books and movie are another "give your back to God", some will sadly believe the author and not God, the book is anti-christian faith.
Since DB does not understand Christ he leaves out many errors, but these may not be noticed by all.
The most universally distributed book is the Holy Bible.
I think the DB movie comes miraculously later than they may have planned: they missed Our Lord Jesus Christ Resurrection Feast (Easter)!
In contrast, MG movie of "The Passion of the Christ" was a real hit (surprise!) and a terrible big blow in the devil's face. The Passion of the Christ movie should then be seen every year with other movies (like "Jesus of Nazareth"). It should be broadcast for all youth before and after the DB movie to remove its evil impressions.
Matthew 13:24-30
24Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
28" 'An enemy did this,' he replied. The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
29" 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' "
We shouldn't fight each other but unite in one faith. The DB books and movie do worse than paving a way against the RCC: it shakes many people faith in the Divinity of Christ. We need to pray the Lord a lot to save us and our brethren and sisters.
Lord, you know we love You, strengthen our faith and have mercy on all Your Church.
we had alittle nice convo. in out last preservants meeting and thats what we talked about and after hearing about it that was simply my opinion!
GBU
sandra
this is a really nice topic but i have a little thing to say..if you know that all that stuff is wrong why would u even bother to read it and waste ur time and money to go watch it..i don't see the point, just ignore it! :-\
GBU
sandra
I agree and nicely put sandrahanna!
Forever,
Coptic Servent
if you know that all that stuff is wrong why would u even bother to read it and waste ur time and money to go watch it..i don't see the point, just ignore it! :-\
Well I know that all that stuff is wrong, becuase it is a fictional book and a fictional movie. It's the same thing when we read any other fictional book or watch any other fictional movie.
For example, when I saw the previews to the movie Lord of the Ring, I didn't say to myself, "I know this stuff is wrong and this stuff never happened, so why would I bother wasting my time and money to go watch it?" I knew it was all wrong and I knew that it's a fictional movie. But I still watched it simply because it's a good movie.
Similarily, when I see the previews to the movie The Da Vinci Code, I know that it's all wrong, and I know that it's a fictional movie, and I know that none of what the movie implies is true, but I'm still going to watch it simply because it's a good movie, and I like watching movies that have a lot of suspense, twists, and that has to do with solving mysterious crimes.
GBU
sandra
Would you still go see a “good” movie if it insulted you? Or if it insulted your mother or your father by their name and/or events that they went through?
Personally I wouldn’t support such trash even if it was the best movie ever made on the face of the earth.
In His Name
Esakla23,
Would you still go see a “good” movie if it insulted you? Or if it insulted your mother or your father by their name and/or events that they went through?
Personally I wouldn’t support such trash even if it was the best movie ever made on the face of the earth.
In His Name
Well, just like I said before, I know it's wrong. So why would it affect me if I know the things it implies is wrong? It's a fictional story, it's a fairy tale. Nothing in the story ever happend, and everything it implies isn't true and I know this, so why would it affect me?
I once heard an argument against people believing this story that said, "When did anyone over the age of 8 ever leave a Spiderman movie thinking they, too, could crawl up walls?" In other words, people shouldn't be affected by fairy tales, such as The Da Vinci Code or Spiderman. Unfortunately, uneducated people are affected by The Da Vinci Code and believe it, but what does that have to do with me not watching the movie? Me not watching the movie won't change people's opinions on this issue, right?
These impressions and thoughts stick in the mind, and can be reinforced or fought by similar or different means. What distorted image would kids have of Our Lord Jesus Christ if they had an uncontrolled occasion to view the movie, or if forced to see it in schools for studying or analysis - with the fear of losing their marks?
This requires kids (and everybody) to be seriously prepared before confrontations or situations of debates forced on us. I think we must be ready to defend our faith in a wise, loving and peaceful way.
If you are absolutely sure you don't want and won't ever view the movie or clips and trailers (or read the DB books) then it's still allright to read the good christian critics.
I am repeating myself here, but if you ever have to read or see DB things then I suggest that quickly afterwards you view a real good movie on Christ, read the Bible and then pray to God He helps you clear away bad thoughts or doubts in the mind.
This page explains why we must avoid viewing such a movie:
Orthodoxy: Boycott the Da Vinci Code Book and Film
http://www.coptic.org.au/modules/resources_literature/article.php?articleid=266
Please forgive me and pray for me,
Godhelpme3691
[quote author=doit4Jesus link=board=12;threadid=3752;start=30#msg54055 date=1146841293]
And lets all stop pretending that we need to read or watch it to be informed, there are at least 50 books and dvds explaining how the da vinci code is an attack on christianity, informing the reader on everything they need to know as well as how to use the popularity of this story to introduce people to the truth of Christianity.
Unfortunately, you can read ABOUT the DaVinci Code until you become some form of Leonardo DaVinci expert, but it will never make you as informed about it as just reading the actual book itself. Also, if you are arguing with somebody about it, and they say "Did you even read the book to begin with?" and you respond "No I haven't" you might as well throw in the towel, because then the person will just see you as an "uninformed bigot".
The problem with only reading about the book can be seen with one of the posts that said:
"For those who said that a large portion of the book is not even about Jesus, you are wrong. The ENTIRE BOOK is about Sophie and Langdon's struggle to prove that Jesus did actually have relations with Mary Magdelene, that the Priory of Sion does actually exist, and that it does actually guard the (false) secret of Jesus and Mary Magdelene"
From what I got, the author of the post has read about the DaVinci Code, but not the actual book itself. Because for the entire book, Sophie and Langdon are trying to find out who killed Sophie's grandfather so they can clear Langdon's name. It's as they try to find the killer, that they discover the whole Jesus plotline. If you were to say this to somebody who supports the DaVinci Code, they'll just say "Look, you don't even understand the basic plot of the book, so how can you claim to understand all the historical claims that Dan Brown makes?!"
I am the one who posted that. I did read the book. Although the author tries to cover up the real purpose of the book with them trying find Sophie's grandfather's murderer, that facade can be seen through if you really look.
It is a blasphemous attack on our saviour and is in no way to be used as entertainment. We may as well watch pornography as entertainment which is not even a direct attack on God, but an attack on God through attacking man. The Da Vince Code is a direct attack on God!
We are not supposed to watch it as a factious movie, we are supposed to 1) defend our faith through knowledge of scripture and church history. 2) show our disapproval and lack of support for the movie by not going to see it and influencing others to do the same. 3) Use any opportunity of discussing the movie to bring unbelievers to the truth of Christ (Only if 1 and 2 are true)
If anybody wants to argue that we should watch the movie in order to defend our faith properly and preach Christ then i have too much to say to disprove that so i wont write it now.
God bless
http://www.coptichymns.net/module-pagesetter-viewpub-tid-1-pid-318.html
it is clear that the fight against Our Lord Jesus Christ is raging. I decided to be on His winning side and try to avoid at all cost anything that would further weaken my faith and practice. Boycotting the Da Vinci Code book and film is for my own good.
Think about it: it's not a regular movie, it wouldn't have caused all that controversial noise. It is obviously dangerous for both kids and adults. The only interest for us is that we'll probably stick more to our faith (but I cannot be sure to do that if I see it).
If the Church says it's not preferable to see it then it's not to be seen. I will not rely on my own thoughts alone in this.
if you don't read it you won't have the knowledge about what it is about and you can't defend yourself
This is like trying a cigarette (as I have said before). "Try it first and if you don't like it don't do it." But the reality is that it is too late. You are already hooked. You have already tasted the fruit from the tree of knowledge the Lord forbade you to eat from. You have already tasted the bitter taste of sin. If people "read it first and then decide" it might already be too late because people might have the thought of the faith not being true planted in their hearts. The devil might have already gotten to them first and planted his evil seed, which grows into a tree of sin which bears no fruit. "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."- John 15:2
In many cases it is only required to rely on God's guidance to the Church, understand and trust the Orthodox Christian literature about such a subject and be distant.
This method is safer and wiser: Satan has mobilized a lot of his evil trickery to fight Christian faith and is surely planning even more serious campaigns to follow. Our mind is nowadays duller and somehow directed to be more and more conditioned not to adequately resist the attacks against Our Lord Jesus Christ that are everywhere.
Extreme caution and lots of wisdom are needed: not all people have these special gifts, but in these cases the Lord helps if you pray a lot and flee. At least we agree these are seriously difficult temptations.
If you read and finished the book, as an exercise I suggest you make a table with two columns, one for Our Lord Jesus Christ attributes and the other for the blasphemies in the so-called Da Vinci "code" to compare and clearly see what it is about, and never mind the indirect trickery facade of that "story".
If someone says to me: haven't you read the book yet?! I will not be shy to just tell him or her: it's ok I am not interested, I read many critics and maybe two pages: it's a time machine adventure rubbish disguised as academic book! I only have time to read good books and I prefer reading theology books or serious history books. Does this mean my knowledge lacks important facts? I would only read it and very reluctantly, if I am forced to do an essay for example. I would not be proud to keep such a bad book in my library. Slogans like "millions of readers can't be wrong!" do not prove it is a good book, but it provides an "easy" debating way out tool for people who refuse Christian religion.
The movie may have costed them a lot, this does not make it right, and they do not worry! they will have an unfortunate audience of many age groups and "gain many millions". It does not need advertising: it takes advantage in using famous characters and names known to most of the planet.
Lastly, would you find it easier to preach the word of God to members of an audience that has been previously poisonned by the book or movie? I am not concerned only for the faithful Christians, but all people. Because of the many stuffed details, I reasonably expect some will never have the chance to know the full truth.
Let us pray Our Lord Jesus Christ help us all. GBU.
Considering that the lead role is being played by a two-time Oscar winner (Tom Hanks, also my favourite actor, except for this film obviously) the script was written by an Oscar winner (Akiva Goldsman) and it was directed by the admittedly over-rated, but still Oscar winning Ron Howard, this is pretty suprising...unless God decided to bring down the old wrath ;D
Hope I cheered some of you up
GBU
sandra
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/05/17/da.vinci/index.html
watch it.
Don't watch it.
Read it.
Don't read it.
And for God's sake, just leave it as it is!