Cardinal's plea: Don't read 'Da Vinci Code'

[UM-Bot]

Image credit: Philip Scalia

The cardinal leading the Vatican’s charge against The Da Vinci Code urged Catholics on Wednesday to shun it like rotten food and branded the bestseller “a sack full of lies” insulting the Christian faith. In an interview with Reuters inside the Vatican, Cardinal Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone also said Catholic bookstores should take the thriller off their shelves and accused U.S. author Dan Brown of “deplorable” behavior.

View: Full Article | Source: MSNBC

[Nxt2Hvn]

I have been really interested in this ... of course as a good "Fiction" read.

I have been watching the special programs on Discovery Channel about it... and I can see where people would take it as truth.

As long as people understand that it is not written as truth .. I don't see anything wrong with reading it.

[Yona]

But it may have been truth! we will never know, unless we get both sides of the story.

[Hoagy]

Yeah, you don't see the ministers having a dig at The Omen or something. I thought an interesting comment was the one about the central mystery of the religion.

Mystery, an interesting word...

I would be interested to hear the guy share his comments on Holy Blood, Holy Grail, The Messianic Legacy or The Dead Sea Scrolls. I am assuming he actually read the book, and did'nt just go by reviews, a synopsis or by what someone who had read it told him?

It's historical fact that secret societies have formed in the past, all relative to certain subjects covered in the book. I think that the church should put their time into something a little more resourceful than going on about this book, after all, this will only help sales, not hinder them.

I will also stand by the age old reply to, if you don't like it, don't read it!

Hoagy

[Walken]

He cleverly mixed a group of truths with many half truths to make the book sound convinceing. It's not trustworthy.

[Yona]

But what are the truths? What are the "Half-truths"?

[Hoagy]

this is it, the fact is, the guy is getting at worked up about a FICTIONAL book. Sure, there are things in there that are based on findings, but hey, that's what makes it an interesting read. Totally ludicrous. I suppose they have to look like they are actually doing something tho.

Hoagy

[oni1983]

I think that the church is giving a lot of importance to a fiction book...which is suspicious in it alone. I mean there are so many books which are published that attack the church and claim to be 'professional' and that 'they are showing facts' and yet the church seems to not notice them. so why notice this book? is it because of its popularity? or because it touched a painful spot that the church want not be touched?

[Hoagy]

my thoughts exactly. Anyone smell a cover up here?????

Hoagy

[STIX]

yes I agree with oni 1983.

The way I see it, christ enlightened the people and was leading a revolution against the government (religion) at that time so a conspiracy had to be created otherwise it would mean disaster for the people in power.

if no one was against christ then he wouldntve been crucified correct?

[Walken]

The catholoics church view on not letting woman as preists, ect, is driven from jesus' disciples all being men.

I guess if it were true they'd have to stop that.

[SilverCougar]

Ofcourse by saying "Don't read it!" People are going to.

After I finished.. I felt a kind of calm... a stregnthen relationship with the Goddess...

But to read this book, you need an open mind, not a gullible one. Nor one that's ready to dismiss everything because it's completely against your religious beliefs.

And to top that off.. the charicters are fictional mind you. I somehow doubt the bones of Mary Magdelin is under the lourve... or however you spell it ;P Or whatever anyone thinks the holy grail is.

Though, after some consideration and a bit of looking around and research... I am more inclined to believe that Mary and Jesus was married... and had a child... And that she is called The Holy Grail. Alot of the symbolism is correct... It's just a matter of how much you're willing to believe.

[Mad Manfred]

It must really p*** em off that they can no longer control the masses as they did in century's past

"don't read it", be obedient little sheep and do as we say or GO TO HELL!!! Thats hilarious

[Aeon]

Now I think there is some truth in this so called fiction book.There must be otherwise why would the church get their knickers in a twist over it?

There was an articel in one of the garman magazines(Der Spiegel) last year,claiming that Jesus mind have been one of the first people to deal drugs.And thanks to that people belived he could work miracles,aparantly a lot of these miracles were people hallucinating??Who knows its not like we can ask him anymore is it? But then again we should not belive everything we read.

And to me that includes the Bibel.Who is to say this is not the biggest fictional novel ever written?

[Seraphina]

Proven fact = every single time a religious group get up in arms about something, then all they do is cause an increased number of people to become interested in whatever they're trying to boycott, simply to see what all the fuss is about

The church seems utterly incapable of learning from the past

[Super Pancake]

The church seems utterly incapable of learning from the past

530577[/snapback]

So not true when the church used to be the biggest lobbyist in the U.S. govt back in the 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's, whatever they said to boycott it was boycotted, censored and destroyed. It's only in todays time people are actually wising up to the rhetoric of the church.

And yet still the church has some power, My homie in South Carolina said his mom loved the Da Vinci Code, but when his pastor said to not read she started to tell people the book is evil and not read it.

Please this is only a view point from America not international, I really can't feel what affect the church have over seas.

[Grandpa Greenman]

Ofcourse by saying "Don't read it!" People are going to.   

   

After I finished.. I felt a kind of calm... a stregnthen relationship with the Goddess...

I wasn't going to bother taking the time to read it (so many Pagan books so little time), but it looks like it is a must read.

Demanding a book be taken off the shelves is the same as book burning. After what happen in Boston the church shouldn't be pointing fingers at anybody. The church has knocked down the role of women from the beginning. Mary M. did write a gospel, but it was dumped out of the bible and burned. She was obviously one of the disciples just by what was left of her role in the bible. The church didn't want women to have any power, they wanted them to remain the property of men. Just sick to make our Mothers, Sisters, and Wives to be subservient.

Well the church can do or say what it wants, just makes more Pagans.

[SilverCougar]

Ofcourse by saying "Don't read it!" People are going to.    

    

After I finished.. I felt a kind of calm... a stregnthen relationship with the Goddess...

I wasn't going to bother taking the time to read it (so many Pagan books so little time), but it looks like it is a must read.

Demanding a book be taken off the shelves is the same as book burning. After what happen in Boston the church shouldn't be pointing fingers at anybody. The church has knocked down the role of women from the beginning. Mary M. did write a gospel, but it was dumped out of the bible and burned. She was obviously one of the disciples just by what was left of her role in the bible. The church didn't want women to have any power, they wanted them to remain the property of men. Just sick to make our Mothers, Sisters, and Wives to be subservient.

Well the church can do or say what it wants, just makes more Pagans.

530772[/snapback]

I *HIGHLY* recommend you read it, Dark... so much will make sence afterwards...

[Blankman12]

Im humored at how people activily rationalize a fictional book as meaningless when it is disputing the fictional content (show me how it's proveable or believeable when books about ghosts are unbelieved yet it retains authenticity.)of another book very much like it in nature. I think some people are asking the wrong questions...what matters really?

[AztecInca]

Why did they wait until after it was an International bestseller with millions of copies being sold around the world. its now a household name, everyone knows of it and most have read at least a bit of it. They are trying to create bad publicity for it but in this case any publicity is good publicity. More people will just be encouraged to go and read it.

[xpatrrt]

the book must have hit a raw nerve

[bluelight]

It's like Harry Potter. A fuss over nothing.

[dmgspycat]

It must really p*** em off that they can no longer control the masses as they did in century's past 

"don't read it", be obedient little sheep and do as we say or GO TO HELL!!! Thats hilarious 

530526[/snapback]

Ha ha ha...yeah really.

For those interested in expanding thier personal knowledge about the factual history behind this fictional work, read about the history of the Merovingians. It could be very possible that what we know of christianity today is the biggest lie ever pulled on the human race. Control, control, and control. What if Jesus was like Martin Luther King or Che Guevara and nothing at all like the Catholics say. What if he was just a very spiritual and insightful man who spoke out against the corruption of the church of his time?

[GjAbaigar]

It's a nice, marvalous book. And a very creative and clever author. And it's also very plagiarism and very blasphemous. A very stupid and hippocrit guy can be easily fooled and toxicated.

The novel is in a twisted historical fact trying to decapited the christianity faith. It's not only targeting the Catholics in the Vatican but also all who believes the devine wisdom of Jesus Christ.

Actually, those issues that tackled in that novel are so very classique romours for centuries that was passed for generations by group of people they tought that was truth but rather full of lies and full of hatred.

So, those who are reading it now or who wants to read remembered you already warned. And remember, your soul is precious don't waste it to somebody else.

Peace Brother and Sister God is Great.

[VLADIMIR]

[/color

Give me a break! Sure publicly denounce a book, but no cardinal or the pope has ever actually publicly denounced child molestation, which to my knowledge the pope, past or present has never said one word on the subject! The law suits against the catholic church brought by the victims I believe now has surpassed a billion dollars, with no end in sight! Sorry, am I yelling? It just makes me sick!

As to "THE DA VINCI CODE" being fiction, yes, it's a great fictional story! However, read any history of the catholic church (and please absolutely no offense to well meaning faithful catholics, is intented here) but the inhumanities of the catholic church "leaders" down through the centuries... OMG! The information in the early part of the book-THE DA VINCI CODE- can be found in any encyclopedia, ANY!! Not a pretty picture! From untold numbers of tortured, burned alive... just for attempting to translate "GOD'S WORD" the Bible, into an understandable language (other than LATIN) that the common man could understand. To the inquisition which last around 600 years! Am I yelling again? Sorry! It's just so...sad, pathedically SAD!