catholicsphere

I just read an email I received from Catholic Exchange about the upcoming “Da Vinci Code” movie, expected in theaters May 19th …

Dear Friend,

My co-worker Lisa sat with her husband, Tim, at the theatre. They were out on one of their “date nights” to see the new film, Firewall. As the spots for upcoming movie releases began to roll, they were about to be stunned. The preview for The Da Vinci Code came on, and moviegoers were treated to a fast-paced, heart-pumping two minutes of excitement and suspense. The preview, which included scenes of a murder and an Opus Dei “monk” whipping and cutting himself, ended with the phrase, “Seek the Truth.” But what came next was totally unexpected: A rousing applause from perhaps 200 people in the audience. A few people even stood up. I’m not sure about you, but I’ve never seen anyone stand up and applaud a movie preview. This is not good news. An estimated one in three adult Americans have read The Da Vinci Code, according to Outreach Magazine (March/April, 2006). More than 40 million copies have sold in 44 languages. It’s been on the New York Times Best Seller List for nearly three years. Untold damage has been done to the faith of millions.

Lindy Lowry, editor of Outreach, conducted “man on the street” interviews outside of a local Barnes & Noble store. Sarah, a 21-year-old college student, responded that she was now confirmed in her belief that Jesus was just a man and that Christians were “full of it.” Sarah is not alone. Not long ago, two family members spoke to me within a few weeks of each other about serious concerns and questions they had about the book’s claims.

These corrosive seeds have been planted in the minds of millions.

I read “The Da Vinci Code” last year, having checked it out from my local library (which reports to have 16 copies of the book, plus 2 CD and 1 cassette version. They do also carry Amy Welborn’s “De-coding DaVinci”, as well as “The Da Vinci Deception” … but I did not find Carl Olson’s and Sandra Meisel’s “The Da Vinci Hoax” — perhaps I’ll have to purchase a copy and donate it to the libary…) While it was a “page turner”, I never felt in touch with the characters, they were pretty one-dimensional. There were swipes made at the Catholic Church throughout, but the majority of the problems were contained in a dialogue at the home of eccentric “historian” Leigh Teabing.

Brown attempts to put credibility to the fictions by using the Teabing character to present the “history” of Jesus, Mary and Da Vinci. Only, it’s not just the Catholic Church that’s swiped at by the “revelation”, but the very foundations of Christianity. The premise: Jesus was a man, who married Mary Magdalene and had children, and their blood line still exists today. Jesus was/is not God.

You don’t have to read the book to answer the fictions of it. You don’t have to see the movie to address the errors of it. Others have written about the facts and fictions in the “Da Vinci Code”, and given the tools for explaining the truth. Those who accept what this work of fiction peddles, as though it were truth, actually amuse me in their gullability.

One of the tools (other than Amy’s and Carl’s books that I mention above) is The DaVinci Deception, a joint publication of Catholic Exchange, Ascension Press and Catholic Outreach.

As seen on the Today Show, Inside Edition, CNN, and MSNBC, The Da Vinci Deception features 100 questions and answers on all the major themes, issues, and errors in The Da Vinci Code. And, best of all, you can get them for as little as $2 each, a super-low price for this 130-page book.

The DaVinciOutreach.com website features FREE, ready-made resources, including:

• Parish Action Plan
• “Homily Helps”
• Parish Discussion Guides
• Youth Group Guide
• Posters, flyers, bulletin announcements
• Speakers Bureau
• A Da Vinci “Blog” where you can read comments from leading Catholic commentators.
• …and more!

Catholics (and Christians in general) need to be able to respond. Friends don’t let friends get duped! Get it, read it … get some for your friends. Their souls are depending on you.