cappuccina
Former Member
...has been resurrected (yah, my bad, I know....)...
The book is clearly a work of fiction, with some historical information woven into it. Dan Brown's style of fiction, i.e., weaving historical events into a story, is not uncommon. Robert Ludlum, for example, has a very similar style in his books where, e.g., there is intrigue surrounding the CIA, FBI, NSC, etc. You do not see governmental employees on a proverbial "nut" about Robert Ludlum's books. IMO, the ONLY reason that some Catholics have gone ballistic about this fictional work is that some of the premises of this novel make them uncomfortable, and probably cause them to actually question their faith in a way that they have been taught to suppress. Dark Knight, I know plenty of Catholics who have not only read this book, but are open to dicussions about it. One of the reaons that I respect Jesuit preists, for example, is that they are open to discussions of their faith and of books such as the DVC, and do not call for censorship. I have two friends who are Jesuits, and one of the ways that they really reach out to young people is by having open dialogues with them about their faith, rather than telling them to "shut up and not talk about it"...hoping that what they do not agree with will go away...
According to international media reports and what is going on around here, it seems to be the stricter, more "evangelical" , or fundamentalist Catholics and others who are going ballistic about this book, rather than more mainstream Catholics, and mainstream religious folks. Apparently, the numbers of people going nutz are actually quite small...It is a very dangerous thing, IMO, when any religious, political or other group calls for a ban on literature, or censorship of mainstream reading materials. To me, this says that the group in question is into absolute control. When a group is into this type of absolute control, it usually means that the beliefs being promoted are NOT mainstream, because if they were, the group would not have to result to this type of coercion to enforce group membership. If the factions of the Church calling for a ban of this book were proverbially "comfortable with themselves", they would, in fact, WELCOME their flock to read this book and would open a dialogue and discussion about it...
I really do not understand the nuttiness over this book, actually...
If you think about it, the chances that Jesus was either married, or possibly had a child with someone out of wedlock would be very high...in keeping with the cultural norms of the time...
To me, the Bible itself is very much like the DaVinci Code, allegorical writings tied in with historical fact. For example, did "God create the world in a week"? Of course not....This is an allegorical fairytale that was used by the people at the time the Bible was written to explain things they did not understand, and may even have been a way for ancient astronomers to explain the fact that they thought the universe was created rather quickly, like our "big bang" theory today.
Just as the Greeks and Romans used mythology to explain events and to teach a moral code of ethics, so does the Bible. The myth of Icarus and Daedalus, for example, taught the ancient Greeks about greed and impulse...Do I think that the Greek myth is LITERALLY true -- two dudes donning feathers and flying too close to the sun? Of course not...It is ALLEGORY...Just like the stories in the old Testament...
The MOST important part of the Bible is, of course, the "Golden Rule," a tenet echoed in EVERY major world religion, both past and present...Lately, the fundamentalists and consumerists seem to all but ignore this basic code of human ethics...
OK, the debate is open, go to it...However, you must back up your position with fact or state that it is in fact, only your opinion; please do not tell me that because you were taught something in Sunday school, for example, it is a universal truth...
Cypros, if you are reading here, you are very, very knowledgeable vis a vis comparitive relgions cultures and ethics in general....I would really welcome your input and guidance during this discussion...
The book is clearly a work of fiction, with some historical information woven into it. Dan Brown's style of fiction, i.e., weaving historical events into a story, is not uncommon. Robert Ludlum, for example, has a very similar style in his books where, e.g., there is intrigue surrounding the CIA, FBI, NSC, etc. You do not see governmental employees on a proverbial "nut" about Robert Ludlum's books. IMO, the ONLY reason that some Catholics have gone ballistic about this fictional work is that some of the premises of this novel make them uncomfortable, and probably cause them to actually question their faith in a way that they have been taught to suppress. Dark Knight, I know plenty of Catholics who have not only read this book, but are open to dicussions about it. One of the reaons that I respect Jesuit preists, for example, is that they are open to discussions of their faith and of books such as the DVC, and do not call for censorship. I have two friends who are Jesuits, and one of the ways that they really reach out to young people is by having open dialogues with them about their faith, rather than telling them to "shut up and not talk about it"...hoping that what they do not agree with will go away...
According to international media reports and what is going on around here, it seems to be the stricter, more "evangelical" , or fundamentalist Catholics and others who are going ballistic about this book, rather than more mainstream Catholics, and mainstream religious folks. Apparently, the numbers of people going nutz are actually quite small...It is a very dangerous thing, IMO, when any religious, political or other group calls for a ban on literature, or censorship of mainstream reading materials. To me, this says that the group in question is into absolute control. When a group is into this type of absolute control, it usually means that the beliefs being promoted are NOT mainstream, because if they were, the group would not have to result to this type of coercion to enforce group membership. If the factions of the Church calling for a ban of this book were proverbially "comfortable with themselves", they would, in fact, WELCOME their flock to read this book and would open a dialogue and discussion about it...
I really do not understand the nuttiness over this book, actually...
If you think about it, the chances that Jesus was either married, or possibly had a child with someone out of wedlock would be very high...in keeping with the cultural norms of the time...
To me, the Bible itself is very much like the DaVinci Code, allegorical writings tied in with historical fact. For example, did "God create the world in a week"? Of course not....This is an allegorical fairytale that was used by the people at the time the Bible was written to explain things they did not understand, and may even have been a way for ancient astronomers to explain the fact that they thought the universe was created rather quickly, like our "big bang" theory today.
Just as the Greeks and Romans used mythology to explain events and to teach a moral code of ethics, so does the Bible. The myth of Icarus and Daedalus, for example, taught the ancient Greeks about greed and impulse...Do I think that the Greek myth is LITERALLY true -- two dudes donning feathers and flying too close to the sun? Of course not...It is ALLEGORY...Just like the stories in the old Testament...
The MOST important part of the Bible is, of course, the "Golden Rule," a tenet echoed in EVERY major world religion, both past and present...Lately, the fundamentalists and consumerists seem to all but ignore this basic code of human ethics...
OK, the debate is open, go to it...However, you must back up your position with fact or state that it is in fact, only your opinion; please do not tell me that because you were taught something in Sunday school, for example, it is a universal truth...
Cypros, if you are reading here, you are very, very knowledgeable vis a vis comparitive relgions cultures and ethics in general....I would really welcome your input and guidance during this discussion...
