Personally, when anything deals with religion, many people, I find, get their panties in a twist, and up their butts, and want to argue about who's right, and who's wrong.
Anyway... as far as the Catholic masses go, I have no idea what they think.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
(CBS) Millions of people already have read the best-selling novel, "The Da Vinci Code."
But now, a top leader of the Roman Catholic Church, who's been mentioned as a possible successor to Pope John Paul II, is urging Catholics not to buy the book, calling it a "sack full of lies."
CBS News Correspondent Allen Pizzey reports on The Early Show that, as worried as the Vatican might be "about losing theological ground" to the work of fiction, the worst may be yet to come.
It seems, Pizzey says, that the call of the bells of Rome are no match for "The Da Vinci Code" when it comes to getting people interested in religion.
So, the Vatican has appointed the Archbishop of Genoa, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, to rebut what the church says are lies, distortions and errors in the novel.
"I feel I have a duty as a pastor to warn people to be careful and vigilant about this book," Bertone says.
A major concern, Pizzey explains, is that readers will believe everything in the novel, such as the suggestion that a figure in Da Vinci's painting of "The Last Supper" is Mary Magdalene, and that she and Christ had a child.
A statement from the publishers expressed respect for Cardinal Bertone's and the cburch's desire to correct any factual errors they may find in the novel.
The problem with that, as anyone with even minimal knowledge of the church will tell you, is just figuring out where to start, Pizzey exclaims.
"It's a comedy of errors," complains Father John Wauck, a theologian. "It's a page-turner in the sense that you're wondering what he's going to get wrong next," he tells Pizzey.
But, Pizzey points out, the tourists following "The Da Vinci Code" tours may not be so well-versed in the medieval references used in the plot.
"You probably learn more watching 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' about history and theology than reading 'The Da Vinci Code,' " Wauck asserts.
A movie of the book, starring Tom Hanks, is in the works.
And, observes Pizzey, given that Hollywood's ability to blur fact and fiction may exceed even the charges leveled against Dan Brown's work, it's yet another reason for the church to worry that "The Da Vinci Code" version of religion will be a more popular call than the bells of Rome.
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If it goes against what some religion deems as "THE" truth, there will be controversy. Come on, there are people, whole groups, who say the same thing about the Harry Potter books.
Anyway.... they see this book as a threat, because they want things to be one way, and one way only.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
Meh, the Catholic Church has been pretty much insignificant for decades (after going down hill for centuries). Not many give a fig about what they think. Though I remember hearing Opus Dei were kind of ticked too... then I was simply thinking "why? Dan Brown didn't make the self mutilation scenes graphic enough?"
I think the book raised a few good points in that, though it's a complete work of fiction (despite what he tries to claim in the beginning)... nobody can prove it wrong, like they can't prove that what they read in the bible is true (despite what they "feel in their hearts"). And that's what's pissed a lot of people off, I think.
Love the new avatar NikiTa.
"I'm for it so we can put Nuclear power plants up there, and then beam the power back to earth on a laser beam." ~ Whidden
12-30-2005 12:16 AM
