The book “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown is a very interesting book. It has more twists than a Snyder’s pretzel and it is very suspenseful. I enjoyed reading the book and though there are people who oppose it, I have enough sense to realize that it is fiction. Now the movie is coming out and the Catholic Church is up in arms. They too, would do well to remember that the book and the movie are fiction. Besides, the book does not make fun of the Catholics, it loosely uses items of the Catholic faith to tell a story. There are those who are upset by the way certain people of the cloth are portrayed but given the problems the Catholic Church has had with priests and sexual scandals, this should come as a welcomed relief.
Several months ago I talked about the Muslims who were rioting and killing because Mohammad had been drawn and published which is some sort of violation of their religious beliefs. At the time, and I still contend, the rules of Islam do not apply to those who do not follow that religion. If they want to publish the pictures they should be free to do so without worrying about getting killed. The same holds true for “The Da Vinci Code”. The Catholic Church is discussing legal action and asking its followers to boycott the film. What are they afraid of? You would almost think, by the way they are acting, that the story is true!
The church needs to calm down and take a deep breath. They are now being as intolerant as those they deride. They are acting much like the Muslims did, albeit without the violence, when they got upset about the Prophet’s pictures. Authors and movie makers are not bound by any code to refrain from writing about any religion they want. Dan Brown and the maker of the film have every right to produce what they want.
I am not offended by the book and I might actually see the movie (the book was good). I urge anyone interested in suspenseful thrillers to read the book and maybe even see the movie. I am sure that most of you out there are bright enough to recognize fiction when you see it. Perhaps the Catholic Church would do well to practice what it expects of others; have faith.
Source: Reuters