I am simply astounded by the negative press this movie is garnering. Really. It's fiction. It's a thriller. It just happens to test the waters of a subject area many people are simply terrified to question for fear of blasphemy. In my opinion, that's really what the hoopla is all about.
Regardless, I was extremely surprised to find a good review. And in a sea of very negative opinions, it was refreshing to read. Here is the link:
Movie Review: The Da Vinci Code
I'm going to continue on to express my view of this entire broohaha, feel free to continue reading, or hit the back button and move on to wire-tapping, Iran, Fitzmas, whatever, it's all good!
So, I grew up in a fundamentalist christian environment. I think it's fair to say I know the Bible and it's literal interpretations fairly well. Some of those interpretations I still find lodged in my throat on occasion! However, when I was around 20, my god-given brain kicked in and I started to question some of the tenets of "faith".
First off, I want to make clear that I do believe in an "Almighty Power", if you will. I don't have a name for it, call it what you want. As stated in Desiderata, "Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be." That's where I am at and it's more than likely that I will never know for certain, none of us will.
In a nutshell, I decided that if God was brilliant and powerful enough to create me (and my brain), then it would be a disservice to my creator not to use it. Therefore, being part of a religion that discouraged the use of the question "why" seemed illogical to me IF God was what I felt him/her to be. Upon discovering this simple theory, I came to see the difference between religion and spirituality. That was 16 years ago, and I hold to it to this day.
So, when I read the Da Vinci Code a little over a year ago, I enjoyed it tremendously! I felt the line between religion and spirituality was drawn neatly and cleanly in the book. To me, that was the point. All of the "facts" in the book that everyone is so upset about are irrelevant. As with religion, the book interprets facts in its own way. But to me, that was not the underlying thrust of the novel. It's the questions, not the answers that are important.
But alas, that is why so many actually have a problem with the book and I suspect they don't even realize it. Most organized religions rely on the fact that its followers do not ask the question "why", that they simply follow what is told to them and abide by the rules and procedures of the prescribed faith. This book, simple as it is, and the movie are bringing to the masses a means to question. And that, my friends, is the threat.
It should come as no surprise the negative publicity this movie is getting. It is to be expected. I for one am excited about it. If even one person around the world watching it decides to actually use their god-given brain to think for a moment and question, then society is better off. One person at a time.
To follow blindly is not what my God expects from such an extraordinary creation as the human mind.
If I've offended anyone with my thoughts and beliefs, that was not my intention. Everyone has a right to believe what they will to get by in this journey we call life. I do not begrudge anyone their faith. This is just my simple view and it's what helps ME get by day to day...