Why we oppose 'The Da Vinci Code'
As of this moment, there is a new icebreaker in town. The question everybody will be asking each other within the next few weeks is remarkably similar to another old icebreaker. This time, though, people will be asking, 'Have you seen The Da Vinci Code?', and one can honestly expect this in the watering holes of the elite to the most commonplace neighborhood. For the people who have seen the film but have not read the book, this is their time to revel in their ignorance.
Just why is there such a big fuss over this movie?
We know for a fact that the book claims that Jesus was never divine; that he was married to Mary Magdalen: that the Church knew all about this and committed murder to maintain its power and prestige. All very good material for a film, especially in godless Hollywood. Ask yourself a question, when was the last time you saw a movie wherein the priest was the good guy? Where the priest was not a drunkard, a pedophile, or a thief? Well, you might say there was 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose', but then again, films like these are almost NEVER shown.
I think 'The Da Vinci Code', more than anything, removes the sense of the sacred. Look at it like this: say that you find yourself before a cave, which legend says is the home of an ancient, evil dragon. Then you see a little kitten come out. This incindent is more than adequate to dispel any myth and legend surrounding the cave. The same is true, I gess, with the movie. Once we allow something that questions the most sacred doctrine of Christianity for public consumption, what's next? A film about the Blessed Virgin as a transsexual? A propaganda film about 'Adam and Steve?' A film which shows that Our Lord was gay, and that Peter was really the beloved disciple? Just recall the infamous 'Piss Christ' photograph, or the portrait of the Blessed Virgin made from elephant dung. Allowing these things is but the first step in 'desacralizing' the Faith.
Our Lord said in Mt. 10:34 'Think not that I am come to give you peace, I am come to give you the sword'. Christianity is not a pacifistic love-em-all religion. Often the Gospels would have more examples of 'tough love' scenarios than it does lovey-doveyness. When Our Lord saw the moneychangers at the Temple, He did the right thing to do: He drove them away. What then of a film which might potentially undermine the faith of so many millions who see it?
To put it another way, let us pretend that the Church is a real flock of sheep. You have your shepherds-- the pope, his bishops and priests-- and you have the mastiffs-- the government officials and the patricians. The rest are sheep, who are made up of the common folk. Now, pretend that several of these sheep drink or eat at a poisonous grove. They will naturally get sick, and their interaction with the other sheep will only cause the strange, new disease to pass to the other sheep. Eventually it will reach the mastiffs, and ultimately, the shepherds themselves.
The scenario above is similar to the effects that 'The Da Vinci Code' will have. While it is true that Christ promised His apostle 'that the gates of Hell will not prevail against it', the threat of apostasy is never diminished by Our Lord. In Lk 18:8, He warns us: 'But when the Son of Man comes, think you, will He find faith on earth'?
We have been warned. The evrlasting reward will not come without a fight. Let us draw inspiration from these words of Scripture: Vigilate, state in fide, viriliter agite, robusti estote -- 'Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong' [ 1 Cor 16:13 ]
