The Da Vinci Code, both the book and the movie, have caused quite a stir . I have seen and read many opinions suggesting that they constitute an assault on Christianity. These opinions are mostly from Roman Catholics and Fundamentalist Christians of various assorted other denominations. To all of them I can only reply: is your faith really so fragile that alternative decodings of the events in Jesus' life as described in the New Testament, and other early documents, threaten it? Are these heretical interpretations really an assault on Christianity? Do you really think there is any possibility that your faith is going to be outlawed, or circumscribed in any way at all?Coming from the spiritual heirs of people who spent several hundred years actually killing heretics, often using extremely tortuous methods, these lamentations and expressions of concern ring somewhat hollow, to say the very least.
Lest anyone think I am hostile to Roman Catholics or Fundamentalist Christians, let me assure you that some of my own family members, and most of my closest personal friends, are Roman Catholics or Fundamentalist Christians. I love them all dearly. I would never suggest that their free observation of, and adherence to, their religions be compromised in any way whatsoever. But I am reminded by history that, when their predecessors were in a position to afford the same liberty to others, they usually did not. No, they usually killed any heretics they could get their hands on, often by burning them alive. Compared to that, having their faith disputed by books and movies seems to be a fairly mild form of torture; one they should be able to bear with equanimity.
The various heretical works, including The Da Vinci Code; Holy Blood, Holy Grail; The Secret Supper; Revolution in Judea; and many others, suggest alternative explanations of the events in the life of Jesus. These works are diverse. Some are quite esoteric, while others try to make sense of seemingly unfathomable occurrences by trying to fit them into some narrative consistent with both the text of the New Testament and the norms of Jewish life as they were at that time. A common thread is the idea that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married. This is usually supposed to have been the occasion of the wedding at Cana. Another is that Jesus, being the rightful heir to the kingship of the Jews, was attempting to lead a revolution aimed at overthrowing Roman rule and reinstating an independent Jewish kingdom. Still another is that the crucifixion was somehow faked, and that the reason Jesus reappeared alive was that he didn't die on the cross. There are other, equally heretical ideas involved, but these few are sufficient to illuminate the basic differences between the heretics and the Roman Catholics and Fundamentalist Christians.
Where do I come down regarding this 2000 year old disagreement? I don't. I find it interesting and entertaining, but I don't see any reason to publicly take sides one way or the other. I do find it unfortunate, and completely unnecessary, that Roman Catholics and Fundamentalist Christians feel somehow threatened by the fact that not everyone accepts the One Truth as revealed by their faiths - despite the minor fact that they don't completely agree with each other either. As for the various heretical works, well, they have fulfilled at least one valuable function: they have prompted Christians of various stripes to examine their faiths. I hope they have also thought about the histories of the leaders of those faiths: the witch hunts, the inquisitions, the torturing and burning of dissidents, and, worst of all, the war of extermination waged against the Cathars. Compared to all that, the popularity of a book and a movie, works of fiction, seems tame indeed.
Back to my home place.