Da Vinci Da Schminci
April 24th, 2006
i attended this talk today at KL Wesley Church. not the everyday church talk though, this one was aimed towards the purpose of clearing confusion over the ‘facts’ and allegations made in the infamous literary work of Dan Brown - The Da Vinci Code.
i totally loved the novel, and i cannot wait for the release of the movie in 3 weeks’ time. many in the book-reading community are inclined towards the opinion that the novel was highly overrated, but i humbly disagree. utilization of christian controversies aside, i think not many authors can keep readers riveted in their seats the way Dan Brown has. and if you’ve read the book, you’ll know that it is one surprising revelation and one shocking turn of events after another. every page yields a new twist or a new development. his entendres are more multi-layered than a mere double. and as you follow through the plot, after a while you cant help but sit back and think, damn, this guy is so bloody SMART!
on more than one occasion, a christian has asked me why i read the Da Vinci Code with prior knowledge that it contradicts stuff written in the Bible. i get asked this appalling question so much i’m almost bored of it now, but my polite answer is always, ‘cos my faith wont be shaken by mere fiction’.
“oh but he claims it is fact! he claims it is fact!”
“no ma’am.. he doesnt. if you’ve actually read the book, you’d know.”
“I havent read it because it is a sacrilege to Christ!” and this is part where they stalk off.
i understand if christians are concerned about the contents of the DVC, seeing as the whole plot is based upon something very close to their hearts, but why is there a need to adopt such a hostile and oversensitive outlook towards it? i think it is a good thing if a contemporary novel can raise questions about God. it helps believers strengthen faith, and for non-believers to actively seek out the truth. isnt the latter what all christian evangelists want?!
i find it so strange that christians worldwide are pushing DVC away and branding it as heresy. why dont they embrace it and turn it around into something that works for everyone? and if their faith is as strong as they claim it to be, why should something as pathetic as a work of fiction have the potential to shake it? cmon, we all know it’s bible > DVC anyday. what’s the problem? why so scared? just because pastor says you shouldnt read the book, you dont? who is the pastor supposed to be in your relationship between you and God anyway? mediator ah? no such thing.
personally, after i finished the book, i wrote down on paper all the controversies and nonfacts-potentially-taken-as-facts addressed in the novel. then i sat down for a long long time to think about plausible answers to those questions, occasionally scouring the net or asking the opinions of learned people. cos in most of my circles (well obviously except for the church bunch and youth camp circles), i’m like the only christian. so i’d darn well better do my job right and be able to field the questions when they start to pour in!
and true enough ..
“wei su ann, Jesus really got married and had kids ah?!”
“mary magdalene ISNT a prostitute?!”
“is it true that sabbath sunday and christmas have pagan roots?!”
“did Constantine really wipe out books he did not want in the final compilation of the bible?!”
“Jesus’ divinity was a result of a MEETING?!”
see the thing is. if i had listened to my elders and not picked up the book, and had instead shut my friends out with “my goodness me, you shouldnt read DVC!! it’s heresy!! you’re going to hell!!”, what kind of impression would i be giving people about Christianity? oh i dont know, maybe that we’re an oversensitive bunch of people who dont know enough about our religion to defend it? or how about, that we’re cowards with brittle faith? or maybe that our mindsets should have died out with the 16th century? whichever way, we’re still not answering people’s questions, and we’re still leaving them in the dark. so perhaps the problem here isnt that Dan Brown chose to write about christian controversies, but rather that we as christians have failed monumentally to prove to the world our status as children of God, as evangelists, and as people of strong spirituality.
anyway the talk was just okay. it left out a lot of things which i felt warranted more attention than the issues addressed by the speaker, but all in all still okay. i got very annoyed when one lady went up to the mic during Q&A not with a question, but with a comment - rebuking the church for holding such a talk and giving a sacrilegous book so much publicity. she quoted bible verses and likened the talk to gossip that would ‘poison ears’, and if such talks were not held, it would call less attention to the likes of the DVC.
i’m like. hello. perhaps this whole disciplinary christian thing would have worked back in the renaissance when people pretty much ate up whatever was taught to them, but come on. things have changed since then, we’re so much more intelligent and curious and skeptical now. i wouldnt have minded at all if the lady made a personal choice to abstain from faith-shaking elements herself, but for her to believe that everyone else should make the same choice and continue living in an uneducated shadow AND not bothering to teaching nonchristians right from wrong is something that i find so incredibly selfish.
people like her are exactly the reason why sometimes i feel so uncomfortable in church. i honestly feel that you can attend church every sunday, sit down and listen to the sermons attentively, and walk out of there feeling like you’ve ‘accomplished’ something .. but at the end of the day still not be getting the whole picture. so much effort is put into upholding godly values and being strictly pious - so much so that i just feel they are completely missing out on the real message. the real awareness. the joy. i dont really know what i’m getting at.
today i saw a woman chastise her husband rather loudly for falling sleeping in church. the man looked disgruntled, as if he wished he was anywhere but there, in the church. i felt quite sad for him, and for God. if i ever started a church, i’d be more than happy to know that my churchgoers were comfortable enough in God’s presence to fall asleep without feeling like they’re violating some rule or law.
i dont really get the whole fear of God thing. never have. it’s all love. love. love. and a whole lot of gratitude and thankfulness.
Entry Filed under: Musings
36 Comments Add your own
1. george | April 24th, 2006 at 12:58 am
do you think dan brown could be the devil himself? the way they speak about the book its as if dan brown was the devil himself! hrm..could he be?! lol
2. pinkpau | April 24th, 2006 at 1:02 am
i know, right? *rolls eyes* what, really, is so wrong about what he wrote? is it really so bad if Jesus was married? how does that contradict christian teachings?
3. jimmy | April 24th, 2006 at 1:04 am
excellent post.
was thinking of my relationship with god too some time before,
and i believe that i fear god more than i love Him.
gaa.
4. reallybites | April 24th, 2006 at 1:11 am
i’ll be very very very very free.VERY.
bout the book,i like it lo.end of story.
5. Lalita | April 24th, 2006 at 1:14 am
Faith should be a personal thing like you say. Personally, I’ve never gone in for blindly believing everything you’re taught. And that aunty going up and criticising the talk sounds like she has issues. At least they had the talk to address any questions etc. right? Some people are so small minded. And that first person who said what’s written in the book is all true - haiya. Where was her eyes when they did the Dan Brown interview and he said it was all fiction! Like you said, if your faith is unwavering, then nothing - book or otherwise should be able to shake it.
6. cK | April 24th, 2006 at 1:34 am
loved the book…but ending a bit….cacat ler….already predicted the ending…
i had bad experiences with some churches/pastors few years ago… my view towards christianity totally changed after that…
7. Jay | April 24th, 2006 at 1:39 am
Have you ever seen the Last Temptation of Christ with William Dafoe? That movie was attacked just like the DVC. The movie claim that right before he died, the devil offered him a deal and he took it. The deal changed history and be married Mary and had many kids. But, I think the kicker for the film was the sex scene with mary and christ. The movie ended with christ disliking the future and asking the devil to change back time and withdraw the deal. And then, the story continue just like in the bible.
8. yixing | April 24th, 2006 at 10:50 am
I agree. (if i got the right gist of what you’re saying, that is.) I feel like so many faithful church-going christians live in a very small world, and miss out on a much bigger picture. striving to live a righteous and holy life (not that one shouldn’t) often feels sterile. Where is the passion and risk and love?
If Jesus were here today, would he be sitting in church being spoonfed the same old theology again and again every Sunday? Probably not.
9. karl | April 24th, 2006 at 11:58 am
hey su ann..ure rite u noe..everything u said,although i oni read a few pages of it..haha..
there was this sunday i went to charis youth service,u remember pastor victor wong? used to be from agape church..anyway..he was giving a talk on DVC book..he listed everything tat was contradict to the bible..wat was made up n so..then at the end he was like “i strongly agree all of u to read this book! n tat we noe wats going on and also for us to build our faith..defending ourself in a way tat when ppl ask us question like how ur fren asked u..making us aware wats going on wit our world today..so yeah..think im gona try reading it again..hee
10. apples | April 24th, 2006 at 4:21 pm
i guess what the churches’ intentions are to try to stop the DVC for the sake of those who are NOT strong in their faith.
but yeah, i agree that the whole vendetta thing they have going on is kinda pathetic. the way they’re going around it is pretty sad. after all, the book is JUST FICTION. my church’s pastor is advocating against it, but i’m still gonna watch the movie anyways :D
11. Jee | April 24th, 2006 at 4:51 pm
It’s always a matter of choice, if those who embrace jesus are weak enough to question their believe just becoz of a simple book.. let it be.
Religious matter aside, DVC is an entertaining fiction.. love it.
12. meanoldman | April 24th, 2006 at 5:04 pm
dvc was lifted off another book called bloodline of the holy grail whose authors purported their findings as historical facts. (the authors recently lost a copyright lawsuit against dan brown on the basis you CAN base a creative story on historical facts) so while dvc is fiction, the underlying dan brown historical plot is supposedly, the bloodline authors claim, fact, not fiction.
it is a correct act that the christian institutions defend their faith and rebuts the dvc points. but it is wrong to discourage, even omit to encourage, ppl to hv a balanced view.
13. pinkpau | April 24th, 2006 at 5:56 pm
jimmy : but why? should be the other way around :( there should be a little bit of fear (i need to learn this) but definitely a lot more love.
reallybites : haha that’s more than enough :)
lalita : actually, blindly believing (because we ultimately will never be able to provide empirical proof) is the basis of faith .. so i guess we all need a little bit of that :) but the more important question is WHY one blindly believes, is it because s/he was brought up as a christian, or because s/he truly feels God? and yes the aunty had some issues. i totally support the talk being held, though i think they could have handled some things better.
cK : haha really?? DVC was my first Dan Brown book, and i was so shocked when the ending was revealed. but come Angels and Demons, Digital Fortress i could predict the ending. his style is very one-track, but still, the crafty intelligence of his plot is astounding!
jay : again, fictitious .. but if i were to nitpick i can see why the church got angry over TLT. portraying Jesus as someone who would even begin to negotiate with the devil and ultimately seal a deal for a selfish reason is just something that doesnt really parallel with the bible. and also doesnt make sense that jesus was not able to see the future before he closed the deal (jesus isnt bounded by time). but it has a good message at the end - the fact that jesus cared more for the world than anything else.
yixing : haha that’s the thing. faith is so personal. to me and to you, they’re missing out on something. but to them, they think we’re not being serious enough in our relationship with God. *shrugs* to each their own :) it’s always between one person and God.
karl : no, i only know Ps Michael Lim :) hey i like that pastor of yours. so open minded! no wonder charis youth always growing wan.
apples : then they are going about it the wrong way. better to educate than to block them away from it completely. it’s like a whole abstinence vs education thing, haha. and their argument against the “it’s just fiction!” retort is that it’s offensive fiction. i guess i can see where they’re coming from, because potentially yes DVC can be rather offensive especially if you are a pedantic bible reader, but they need to know that like the bible, the DVC was also very open to intepretation, and the way they chose to interpret it fell short of other ways. other ways that could have worked in their favour, i believe.
jee : where can let it be! :D one has to know right from wrong.
meanoldman : hahaha you know the villian of DVC - Leigh Teabing? Dan Brown actually took the names of the coauthors of Holy Blood Holy Grail (the ones who lost the lawsuit to him) and used them for his villian’s name. Richard Leigh was given the honour of villian’s firstname, and Michael Baigent had his last name rearranged to form ‘Teabing’ :D lol, it’s like insult to injury. hey did HBHG authors really claim it was fact? i thought their book was just a bunch of unsupported theories. as for the church, i dont think they want a balanced view, ever .. haha. the reason the talk was held was to tilt beliefs back towards the christian side again. well. understandably so.
14. Fong | April 24th, 2006 at 6:34 pm
*hugs*
way to go girl!
;)
15. Waifon | April 24th, 2006 at 7:11 pm
I absolutely love DVC and I can’t wait for the movie either. I was practically obsessed with the story. I couldn’t put the book down fr one sec once i started reading. Every page holds a mystery that’s bloody intriguing and unfathomable. Christian friends cringed at me when they saw me holding that book and say stuff like..”Yer, why are you reading that? It’s evil okay. Ajaran sesat!”
DVC is fantastic. Dan Brown is not only smart..he’s VERY smart. The way he twists and turned the story around. The way he pop those secrets out just by elaborating on DV’s artwork. The way he meng-hiperbole kan Silas’ devotion to his own cult. Damn..it was SO good.
I totally agree on what you said. Hands down. I did exactly what you did after reading it. haha.Jotting down the entire list of contradictory facts and look for the answers to it via the Bible and LOTS of related books. The Da Vinci Deception, Holy Blood Holy Grail, Dechipering the Code and soooo many more. Can’t believe i spent so much on those. But oh well, curiosity killed the cat. I just HAD TO find the answers.
And that reminds me of the Harry Potter controversy. I remember my youth pastor drumming it into our brains to NOT read HArry Potter because it’s all about wizardy and witch crafts. Still, I read it all:D
16. tze | April 24th, 2006 at 7:15 pm
exactly. its astounding how a lot of people flock to church nowadays and come out supposedly ‘enlightened’ and start to preach to everyone within 1km radius of them. i’ve learned from someone that christianity is a relationship between you and God, and that’s the way it should be. no one questions it.
I LIKE U! hahaha
17. abby | April 24th, 2006 at 7:51 pm
very matured for your age. amen to looking at the book’s controversies in a different perspective. live your life well for Him, su ann, you will go far and high.
18. kennysia | April 24th, 2006 at 8:08 pm
Hi. I think you’re cute. Can I have your number?
19. Lalita | April 24th, 2006 at 8:25 pm
You are right about blindly believing. Having faith does mean believing in a God that you cannot see after all. So in that respect, than yes, that God does exist and I do believe in Him is one of the things I blindly believe in. I guess it’s some other teachings that I question, but mostly I don’t question that.
I did go through a period of rebellion (as in WHY do I have to go to church every week sort of thing) and ultimately I think as I’ve grown, so has my relationship with God. Although I am only human, so this relationship does go through its ups and downs.
20. jimmy | April 24th, 2006 at 9:04 pm
i totally agree with lalita . well said btw hehe.
i for one hadn’t a clue what happened when i attended sunday school. seems like i just dream waltzed my whole way thru the classes. guilty as i was, christian upbringing tha was lacking somehow, also played a part. my dad’s a buddhist :) followed him to the cemetery every ching ming to “show respect”.
i know we like to say “as we are only human”, its really overrated. i’m confident that there are plenty of people who are like pinkpau.
so i hope :)
21. sam | April 24th, 2006 at 9:31 pm
great post =) which church do you attend anyway?
22. sarah | April 24th, 2006 at 10:20 pm
I’ve gone through the same questions.
“OMG you read Da Vinci Code? You loved it? Aren’t you like, Roman Catholic? How can you read something so blasphemous?”
And I tell them, ever so patiently, that a book is a book is a book, what more one that is placed under Fiction. The whole notion of “faith”, about believing without seeing, without truly knowing … like a suspense-thriller could change my mind!
23. alvin | April 24th, 2006 at 10:24 pm
Amen.
24. justakid | April 24th, 2006 at 10:55 pm
DVC was a fascinating book. i swear i sat down and didnt get up till i finished it. page by page.
hehe. cant wait 4 the movie!!!!
25. pinkpau | April 25th, 2006 at 1:54 am
fong : hugs!
waifon : haha aiyo all those books riding on the coattails of DVC’s fame only! and yeah .. the whole Harry Potter debacle. gathering copies of Order of the Phoenix and having a massive bonfire .. lol so unnecessary. but again, to each their own!
tze : some ppl are like that, they’ve tapped into this secret happiness and they just want to share it with the world :) cant blame them, i think u gotta feel it to understand. hehe this is where we should practice tolerance..!
abby : it gets tougher each day, but i will :)
kennysia : boldfaced audacity. you’re not even going to pretend you read what i wrote?!
lalita : i hope you find your niche in the relationship :) i’ve found mine.
jimmy : ahHA! so you’re one of those sunday school zoneouts .. :D
sam : i used to attend TMLC and Charis :)
sarah : exactly!!
alvin : *bites the puppy
justakid : haha whoa hardcore!
26. sam | April 25th, 2006 at 2:05 am
whoa i have a few friends in charis… charis in tmn billion right? you used to??? means??? you don’t go church anymore? why why why? =(
27. suki | April 25th, 2006 at 5:55 am
Surprisingly, I have quite a few Mormon friends who LOVE the book. They understand that it is fiction based on theories, and they are able to appreciate the book for what it is - a BOOK.
I’m excited to see the movie anyway…
28. pinkpau | April 25th, 2006 at 6:24 am
sam : yup tmn billion. haha i’ve had a few bad experiences with churches, so until i find a warm and pleasant one, i’m fine being churchless .. :) the only time i go to church now is during easter, christmas etc.
suki :as am i!!! so so so so so so so so excited!!!!!
29. argee | April 27th, 2006 at 1:49 am
heh, good post =) always seek the truth.
the next controversy on the horizon is the gospel of judas….hehe
St. Judas =P
30. pinkpau | April 27th, 2006 at 2:35 am
argee : haha my money is on the negative. i’m skeptical about it, though there’s a small part in me that believes in the authenticity of the gospel of judas .. haha it just .. fits, you know?
31. noob | April 28th, 2006 at 11:04 pm
Read whatever you want. Just be aware of what is fact and what is fiction.
32. meetski | April 30th, 2006 at 11:55 pm
the thing is dan brown has claimed before the da vinci code is true. he says its based on true facts anyway. although the whole basis of the story is a myth, dan brown has claimed that the sects and ‘fact’s he based his story on is true. but when you go to a bookstore to buy dvc, its listed under FICTION. plus all this crap this good book is based on roman catholisicm which is a dodgy institution itself. so….. oh well.
33. pinkpau | May 1st, 2006 at 4:43 am
noob : mm :)
meetski : he’s claimed it’s fact? where?
34. ianfluenza | May 15th, 2006 at 5:09 pm
I love the way you explore the reasons for why people should research sufficiently before taking sides…
Here’s a post semi-dedicated to your take on the novel…
http://ianliew.blogspot.com/2006/05/of-disclaimers-da-vinci-code.html
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