The Movie Designed to Destroy Your Faith
Mark Roberts
The Da Vinci Code (TDVC) is the movie based on Dan Brown’s best-selling novel of the same name. First published in March 2003, it rocketed to the top of best-seller lists everywhere. What exactly is the book and movie all about? TDVC begins with a Harvard professor of religious symbols, Robert Langdon (in the movie Tom Hanks), being awakened in the middle of the night in Paris to help police with a murder at the famous museum, the Louvre. Upon arriving at the crime scene, Langdon finds that the victim, the Louvre’s curator, has left a series of coded messages about an important secret. He also finds that he is the chief suspect in the murder. Joined by the curator’s grand-daughter, Sophie Neveu, who is also a cryptologist for the French police, they flee the museum and begin solving the clues to find out who and what is behind the murder.
TDVC then becomes a chase-thriller, as the authorities try to apprehend Langdon and Neveu. While on the run the pair meets up with an expert on the Holy Grail, Sir Leigh Teabing. Teabing tells them what the readers have been led to expect all along: the clues lead to the famous Holy Grail. What may not be expected is the revelation that the Grail is not the literal cup that Jesus used for the Last Supper but is instead several huge chests of documents that prove that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene! Not only was Jesus married but He also had a child with Mary Magdalene and intended to set up a ruling dynasty with Mary to be the first head of the church. Why doesn’t anyone know about this? Teabing tells Langdon and Neveu (and the audience) that the Catholic church has ruthlessly suppressed this information in its effort to oppress women and hold power. Teabing goes on to denounce the Bible as being the product of human compiling and announces how the Catholic church put it together. Emperor Constantine and the Catholic church even colluded to have Jesus voted in as deity. Thus, the New Testament is all a fabrication, and its view of Jesus is the greatest secret in human history. If the “Grail” is revealed it will destroy the Catholic Church and Christianity.
Ultimately, of course, Langdon and Neveu solve the clues and puzzles to figure out her grandfather’s involvement in the secret society that protects the Grail. The bad guys get caught, the Catholic Church is further revealed as a completely hypocritical organization, and Langdon realizes where the curator hid the Holy Grail and why it should remain hidden.
Some may dismiss TDVC as just a work of fiction (though on its very first page it claims to be presenting facts). However, Brown has launched a three-fold salvo at Christianity that when understood is seen for the pernicious and dangerous evil it is. First, Brown attacks the canonization of Scripture. This is something many Christians may not even properly understand. Second, TDVC lumps all Christians in with the Catholic church, thus forcing Christians to defend Catholicism or agree with TDVC! Thirdly, Brown pounds away at the theme that women are not treated fairly in Christianity. This is something more than just a few are ready to agree with.
Perhaps this is why TDVC has become so popular. The book really isn’t that well written, with wooden and stereotypical characters who are often rather dumb. So why are so many people flocking to the movie and buying the book? What has fueled its incredible success, I believe, is that TDVC reinforces and teaches what people really want to believe about Jesus and the Bible. The old bit about Jesus being just a good man, and a great teacher, is exactly what many are interested in. Who wants a divine Jesus who is nothing less than God and demands my obedience? Further, saying the Bible was put together by men to advance a certain ideology again plays right into what so many desire. That means the Bible is not authoritative. It does not need to be studied, understood, or obeyed. Adding a little bit of mysticism and secrecy, with secret societies and “unknown” gospels, just makes it all the more juicy and interesting. Finally, there is a clear bias against organized religion today and so an author that demonizes one of the largest organized religions in the world (Roman Catholicism), charging it with hypocrisy, greed, and suppressing women, is again going to find a ready audience. I will not and cannot defend Catholicism, but Brown’s unwillingness to distinguish Christianity from Catholicism just helps his readers apply his charges to whatever “version” of Christianity they wish to, unfortunately including even New Testament Christianity.
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 tells us that those who don’t want to believe the truth will be allowed to believe lies. TDVC confirms this as being absolutely so. Those who want to believe error have now found a best-selling book and blockbuster movie to prop up their preconceived notions and reasons for not believing. This issue of Abundant Life probably will not help folks who are determined not to believe the Bible. However, TDVC will cause many to talk about Jesus and to talk about the Scriptures. Christians need to be prepared and ready to speak intelligently in that conversation (1 Peter 3:15). Those who are truly seeking the truth (the movie’s ironic slogan) need to be pointed in the right direction and given the opportunity to find the truth about Jesus and the Bible. Thus, this issue of Abundant Life is for genuine truth seekers and for those who would defend real faith. May it help us to seek, find, know, and obey the truth – truth not hidden in old paintings or coded messages but plainly found in God’s Word.