Da Vinci Code: Opus Dei

With all the buzz about the Da Vinci Code, I thought I'd do some research into Opus Dei. It's actually a pretty interesting subject.

It was founded in 1928 by Josemaría Escrivá and basically he was interested in helping Christians understand that their life was about holiness and to spread the gospel. Opus Dei means “God’s work”.

If you're a Da Vinci Code reader, I'm sure you're wondering: Do they really use that spiked chain thingy on their legs? Or do they really beat themselves bloody with that rope thingy?

Well, the answer appears to be: yes, sort of. They don't beat themselves bloody, but that's always a personal option. The purpose of these implements is to help the user to "mortify" their body.

Da Vinci Code Movie – Reviews!

The DVC movie comes out this weekend and from the reviews: it's horrible.

Well, it's nice to feel justified in my not liking the plot. Oh, I know, people will say I didn't like it because it mocks Christianity, but it's not even that, it's just that the story wasn't any good.

As a mystery novel it was rather predicable at times and apparently that is really coming out on screen.

Now, Harry Potter has all sorts of theological issues but I at least find that an entertaining read (note: this is not to endorse the HP books, because my advice would be that they're dangerous).

Most of the critics are just horrified at how boring the DVC movie actually is. Here are some review sites:

Howard says Da Vinci reviews "frustrating"

Rotten Tomatoes

IGN

Rotten Tomatoes has links to a ton of reviews. Check them out to decide if you want to drop your 50 bucks (by the time you add popcorn and a small coke to the package) to see a movie that is dull (review the book if you've read it and try and imagine it on the big screen: review the dialog and chase scenes to decide if this will be a "thriller" or not)

CNN Debunks The Da Vinci Code!

Yesterday CNN did an article on the Da Vinci Code. And once again, I was absolutely astonished that the media would actually tell the truth. First 60 Minutes, now CNN? That's it, the world is going to end!

The battle of 'The Da Vinci Code'
With movie release imminent, debate heightens

What follows is my critique of their article. I think it was a very good article!

CNN Article: Why didn't Brown get his facts straight?

I think this is because that straight fact never seems to impress anyone, it certainly doesn't make for a New York Times best seller. Otherwise, Philip Schaff would have sold a million copies of his 34 volume set of Church History.

CNN Article: The Da Vinci Code is looked at as more than mere fiction because it starts with the word "FACT".

I think this is the main problem, people will object to the Christian protest with "Well, it's just fiction after all" but when Dan Brown says that his book is based on fact, and that the "descriptions of documents" are accurate. This implies that it's not merely a fictional book.

I think this is a very clever thing that Brown has done, he can claim that it's based on fact when the book is popular, but if he was taken to court or threatened with his life, he could say "Hey, it's just fiction!"

Da Vinci Code: Priory of Sion

In a shocking turn of events, the media actually published something of actual truth! I find this absolutely fascinating.

60 Minutes did a show on the Priory of Sion and discovered a shocking secret (a secret that a lot of people knew about, but nobody bothered to ask them) – that the Priory of Sion, the mysterious and ancient religion touted in the Da Vinci Code is actually something created in the 1950's.

But it makes for a more interesting story when there are cover-ups and intrigue and of course the church is The Corrupt Profiteering Glutton That Suppresses Truth.

There is actually one cover-up, the guy who founded the Priory forged some "ancient" documents to make it look like his club was older than it was.

Of course Dan Brown fell for it, and now millions of people who have bought the Da Vinci Code have also fell for it. Brown continues to claim that the Priory is protecting a mysterious secret:

The Secret Life of Leonardo da Vinci
A prankster and genius, Leonardo da Vinci is widely believed to have hidden secret messages within much of his artwork. Most scholars agree that even Da Vinci's most famous pieces—works like The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and Madonna of the Rocks—contain startling anomalies that all seem to be whispering the same cryptic message…a message that hints at a shocking historical secret which allegedly has been guarded since 1099 by a European secret society known as the Priory of Sion. In 1975, Paris's Bibliothèque Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Dossiers Secrets, identifying numerous members of the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, Botticelli, and Leonardo da Vinci. French President, Francois Mitterrand, is rumored to have been a member, although there exists no proof of this.

People always claim that the book is based on truth, the only truth there is in the book is that yes the documents and groups talked about are real, but the content of what Brown says is in those documents or those groups is almost completely false.

Read the story for yourself: 60 Minutes: The Priory Of Sion

Gospel of Judas: Gnosticism

My last post on the Gospel of Judas was meant to be a joke that only comes apparent when you read the gospel of Judas. It's missing a LOT of lines and is for the most part completely incoherent to the average reader. So my response was meant to convey how silly it was.

I decided to write up a brief introduction to what the Gnostics believe.

A lot of the critical scholars who push the Gnostic gospels will argue how Christianity has oppressed women. Well, their favorite Gnostic gospel is the Gospel of Thomas. Next time you're in Barnes and Noble or Walden's, grab one of these and open it to the very last verse.

Simon Peter said to them, "Make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life." Jesus said, "Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the domain of Heaven."

So according to their favorite gospel, women can't enter heaven.

The Bible – it’s like the game of telephone!

Translation vs. Transmission

Objection: You can't trust the bible because it's been translated so many times.

There are those that will argue that you can’t trust the Bible because it’s been translated so many times. The idea is like the game of telephone you played in grade school – someone whispers something in your ear, you whisper it to the next person, and so on. By the time it gets around the room the last person gets up and says something that is totally incomprehensible to what was originally said and everyone laughs. So the conclusion is that we can’t trust the Bible because of the same problems.

What happened at the council of Nicea?

In response to the Da Vinci Code coming out in May, I figured I'd throw down a little info about what Nicea was.

Once upon a time, oh on July 19 325 AD about 10:30 in the morning, the first church council was called (second if you count Acts 15). For 300 years the christian church had been persecuted, christians were dipped in pitch and set on fire as living candles for Nero, people were sewn into animal carcasses and ravaged by lions, people were tortured and persecuted and it was not good times.

Then Constantine fights and wins control over the whole roman empire. Since he attributed his win to the Christian God, he issues the edict of toleration which basically says it's okay to be a Christian.

Well, dang, this was a new turn for the early church. They were so used to hiding in cellars and being tortured that it was weird to be able to openly and actively proclaim the name of Jesus.