Da Vinci Code, Christians, Conspiracies, And You

For what it's worth, I haven't read The Da Vinci Code book. Let's get that out of the way first and foremost. I have been known to read my fair share of conspiracy theory works, as you've probably seen from a few of my other blogs, but I in no way would consider myself an expert or theologian or anything like that. Let's get this out of the way also: believeing in one conspiracy theory doesn't mean you believe in all of them. You can believe the JFK conspiracy without necessarily having to believe that the government is behind 9/11. You can believe in UFO's without having to believe that Dick Cheney is a Reptilian.

Although I do enjoy reading the opinions and theories on cause and effect of Nation and Policy, and even would say I might agree with a certain amount of what I've read and seen, I always walk into every new article, book, or video clip with trepidation and skepticism. I won't take the time to go into what I think is real and what is flat-out absurd, but I will tell you that there is a healthy amount that falls on both sides. I would say that overall, I'm far from being a kook, but far from taking everything at face-value also. I am a firm believer that there are forces at work that are interested in the general public thinking a certain way, when the truth is not necessarily what they think or have been told to think. I also think that those same forces put a good amount of effort into doing what is necessary to make those that seek out the truth or discover it, look foolish or crazy.

So, why all this when the title of this blog refers to The Da Vinci Code? Well, there is a lot of heat right now, especially in the Catholic and Christian communities about this movie. The book it is based off of supposedly takes shots at the Catholic Church, Opus Dei, and the traditional faith and belief-systems of Christianity. The book itself is based on the book, Holy Blood, Holy Grail which assumes that Jesus had a child. This concept would shake the bedrock of Christianity and would likely turn a lot of Christians faith on its ear if it were true.

Because of all of this, many Christian groups are encouraging people to boycott the movie and are denouncing the concepts involved, which include the aforementioned "Jesus is a 'baby-Daddy,'" that the Mother was Mary Magdalene, that the same Mary is in Da Vinci's Last Supper painting and that Da Vinci knew this because he was a member of a secret order called the Priory of Scion (know that is not a fan club for the Toyota spin-off brand,) a protective order that is supposedly very knowledgable of all things dealing with the Merovingian blood-line, which is the bloodline of Jesus, according to the work.

Many critics are also panning the movie, but since Christianity is the predominant religion in this Country, it would seem safe to say that many critics are Christians. In as such, I'm guessing some of these critics know they have to go into Church and face their peers in religious fellowship on Sunday and my thinking is that many of them aren't strong enough to just give an honest review.

Here's my take on it: It's a movie. It's just a movie that is based on a book. A movie that is based on a book that is based on another book. A movie, based on a book, based on a book, based on theory and conjecture. Look, I saw Spider-Man in the theaters THREE times. That does not mean that I somehow believe that being bitten by a radioactive spider will allow you to don red and blue tights and fight goblins. It also doesn't mean that I think Kirsten Dunst is hot just because she plays a model (there's no chance of me ever thinking Kirsten Dunst is hot.)

While I understand and believe that your associations, and what you read/watch/listen to can shape your thoughts, I also believe that if you are sound in mind, you can separate entertainment from reality. If you can't walk into a movie understanding that it was made to be entertaining and even if it was made to make you try and think a certain way, you can watch it for it's entertainment value, then you definitely should not watch movies.

I know you may be tempted to believe in the realism of The Da Vinci Code because Tom Hanks is in it. I mean, the guy played Forest Gump and met JFK, as well as sparking the phrase "Have A Nice Day," and all of those Bubba Gump restaurants, so we know that if Tom is playing the character, there's fact to it. (*wink-wink*) So I do understand how you may be tempted to believe that this movie is based on real fact. Of course, if you believe that and live in San Francisco, you may want to leave because I'm pretty sure the Golden Gate bridge gets blown up in the new X-Men movie opening next weekend.

Strong Medicine

Came across a page with some great quotes from some people that you'll probably recognize. I found the JFK quote I'm leading off with to be quite interesting considering it's timing. Kennedy was not of the same make-up as most of the other Presidents and definitely came from a different line. Anyway, here you go:

-"The high office of President has been used to foment a plot to destroy the American's freedom, and before I leave office I must inform the citizen of his plight." - John F. Kennedy at Columbia University, 10 days before his assassination

-"We have in this country one of the most corrupt institutions the world has ever known. I refer to the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks...They are, not government institutions. They are private monopolies which prey upon the people of these United States for the benefit of themselves and their foreign customers..." - Senator Louis T. McFadden (for 22 years Chairman of the U.S. Banking & Currency Commission)

-"Think what you do when you run into debt; you give to another power over your liberty." - Benjamin Franklin

-"This will be the best security for maintaining our liberties. A nation of well-informed men, who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them, cannot be enslaved." - Benjamin Franklin

-"A government that is large enough to supply everything you need is large enough to take everything you have." - Thomas Jefferson

-"The government turns every contingency into an excuse for enhancing power in itself." - John Adams

-"If men, through fear, fraud, or mistake, should in terms renounce or give up any natural right, the eternal law of reason and the grand end of society would absolutely vacate such renunciation. The right to freedom being the gift of god, it is not in the power of man to alienate this gift and voluntarily become a slave." - Samuel Adams was the Father of the American Revolution

-"Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the Peoples' Liberty's Teeth." - George Washington

-"I have now disposed of all my property to my family; there is one thing more I wish I could give them, and that is the Christian religion. If they have that, and I had not given them one shilling, they would be rich; and if they have not this, and I had given them all this world, they would be poor." - Patrick Henry in his will

-"Still one thing more, fellow citizens, a wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government." - Thomas Jefferson, 1st Inaugural Address

-"One of the main purposes for the control and power of the Establishment media is to keep the masses deceived and ignorant about their rights and oppressions of their rights." - Charles Weisman

-"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.... The issuing powers should be taken from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs." - Thomas Jefferson

-"All socialism involves slavery." - Herbert Spencer

-"Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos." - Chief Justice John Marshall

-"I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid." - Benjamin Franklin

-"The highest level of prosperity occurs when there is a free-market economy and a minimum of government regulations." - Adam Smith, "The Wealth of Nations"

-"Those who give up essential liberties for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin

-"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquillity of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home and leave us in peace. We seek not your council, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our country men." - Samuel Adams

-"The price of liberty is, always has been, and always will be blood: The person who is not willing to die for his liberty has already lost it to the first scoundrel who is willing to risk dying to violate that person's liberty! Are you free?" - Andrew Ford

-"You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in their struggle for independence." - C. A. Beard

-"Fear can only prevail when victims are ignorant of the facts ". - Thomas Jefferson

-"If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams