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The da Vinci code
49 replies
Kattunge said on June 25, 2004 08:19:
Have you read the book?
What do you think about it?
MiracleMan said on June 25, 2004 22:53:
It’s certainly got a lot of religious types wound up to refute this work of FICTION. There’s been books published here to do just that. But it’s FICTION people.
Kachina: Years ago, my mother read a book called “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” about the Knights Templars—if I’m remembering correctly—the descendents of Christ and Mary Magdelene who guarded the Grail. (Rather like the guys in the 3rd Indiana Jones film).
I myself haven’t read DaVinci Code, but I may. But that may take years. I just recently got around to reading The Satanic Verses.
Ferdan said on June 26, 2004 06:12:
“It’s certainly got a lot of religious types wound up to refute this work of FICTION.”
yeh, well. Generally, religious people have trouble distinguishing fiction from reality.
kachina008 said on June 26, 2004 08:47:
MM: have heard of that book yes. it is on my list of books to read.
I also feel that this might be another take on christianity, so not necesarily ALL fiction. What’s wrong with opening your mind to possibilities???
MiracleMan said on June 26, 2004 15:36:
Nothing at all. Although some feel if you question their belief system you are criticising or ridiculing them and their spitiruality. They feel the need to correct your misinterpretations or misconceptions. In this case I think people don’t want anyone saying “Gee, maybe this little book could have some basis in truth.” so they go out of their way to Biblically disprove the fallacies in something that was made up in the first place.
I see that a lot, especially in the US: Christians can be piously defensive of their “religion” because they feel that they are under attack by the culture of immorality and godlessness. If you are not a believer, you are somehow deluded and beguiled by Satanic forces.
And that’s the reason, in my estimations, of why they take this book too seriously.
It may well be correlated to the way scientists felt they had to refute Jurrasic Park.
Roxlander said on July 1, 2004 22:28:
Just as a matter of curiosity I might read this book, but what people must understand it that this is all fiction. There are many ways to confuse people, and the nice ones like interesting books are more effective. If you believe in Jesus, look inside yourself and there’s no need of confussion, so you can read a book like this and nothing will change the thruth.
ally77 said on January 4, 2005 08:48:
I am half way through this book now, it really is good! it’s one of those I can’t seem to put down!
purplemedusa said on January 4, 2005 09:08:
How did i miss this topic? Mmm... was a really entertaining read... interesting twists and turns but I found his other books rather dull!!
Majdy said on January 4, 2005 09:09:
I heard that Tom Hanks gonna play in the movie called The Da Vinci Code. does anyone knows if that based on the book?
Mari said on January 4, 2005 13:13:
Majdy, yes, it’s same. And the director is Ron Howard.
Btw, somebody here said the book is just fiction. Well, of course is fiction. How it can be “true”, when whole Jesus thing is fiction.
moin said on January 18, 2005 08:19:
Loved it! Am reading Dan Browns other book at the moment, which I am even enjoying more than the Davinci Code. :-)
moin said on January 18, 2005 11:14:
I have jut finished deception point by Dan Brown and soooo loved it! It was more exciting and thrilling than davinci code!!!
Jud (moderator) said on January 18, 2005 15:09:
so now I have read The Da Vinci code and while I liked it and enjoyed the reading (read it in 1 day, started Wed. afternoon and finished it the next day). I could see at 3 of the things coming:
****SPOILER****
That the Teacher was actually Teabing and that Sophie would meet some member of her “lost” family AND that she would really be carrying Jesus + Mary blood.
****END OF SPOILER****
I think I am so spoiled with Michael Connelly and trained by Harry Bosch that my mind is thinking as an investigator already ;)
I liked the whole story about Mary and Jesus and all, if you know how to filter the stuff in the book and think of our culture and all.. and realise how much we have been and are manipulated... it’s scary. The fact that Opus Dei exist is scary enough :O
Btw, there is an exhibition with Da Vinci going through Europe in the next months/years, it will be in Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Madrid.. and surely more cities, just in case you are interested in the guy :)
purplemedusa said on January 18, 2005 15:33:
Agrees with Judes... there were certain parts that was soooo predictable; yet I truly admire Dan’s effort in his research!!
moin said on January 20, 2005 09:23:
But isnt that the same with a lot of books, that things are predictable? But you must admit, there were lots of twists and turns in the book that were not predictable at all.
So has anyone of you read any other books by dan Brown?
tevensso (moderator) said on January 21, 2005 16:07:
I liked it, but I thought some of the passages were really inspired by Indiana Jones, no less!
Jud (moderator) said on January 22, 2005 09:51:
you read The poet by Michael Connelly and you will see some books are NOT predictable ;)
Kattunge said on January 24, 2005 20:35:
I don´t understand how could they choose Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou for the leading roles.
They are great actors, but doesn´t fit for the roles at all.
StillFar said on January 24, 2005 21:05:
Audrey...at least someone who knows what acting is about, damn she’s gifted!
Kattunge said on January 24, 2005 21:13:
Yes, she is great, I like her a lot, but Sophie Neveu doesn´t fit her.
Aaso said on January 25, 2005 18:16:
I read the book in summer and I think that was the only book that in every exciting scene I was shouting and talking loud along with the characters!! I loved the book. I specialy liked the idea of Juses blood and the whole gay things ... I saw a special interview on tv about Dan Brown. They seemed not to believe in his facts and they said that most of them are pretty wrong and self made! But I read on a magazine about some realy shocking facts being found which will realy change the idea of jesus life till now!
so ho knows maybe they were realy married...
Jud (moderator) said on January 25, 2005 20:12:
well, that the bible and whatever other book were written afterwards (MANY years afterwards) and “adapted” is for sure. Religion and power go hand in hand. It was power for the romans and greek with all their gods and also for the religious or magician head of small tribes, it was and it is a way of controlling the others “do this or god will get angry and u will go to hell”.
The stories in the bible.. you have to put yourself in that time, the stories about the roman gods are/were also fantastic, things were like that before, those “religious heads” in small tribes LONG LONG time ago used the nature events to frighten and use people. One of the prefered was the sun “disappearing” (=eclipse). These magicians were simply clever men. And the others were simply stupid. Same applies to christianity/catholicism. Why do you think education was reserved only to a few? Why do you think the catholic church burned so many books and all kind of people who had a higher IQ? They knew that as soon as the books would spread, more and more people would learn and wake up, the less followers and people to control they would have. Fantastic example on the bible: Jesus walking on water or Mary giving birth being a virgin, I mean, hello, either the artificial fecundation was discovered 2000 years ago or.. ;) All these gods and people had to have something special, different, wonderful in order to be adored.
About Constantin becoming Christian.. well, clearly it was for interest, the roman empire was falling, what to blame? The roman life-style, all those parties, all that fun, see catholic church forbids everything that by that time was considered normal. The roman empire falls because of that life style, let’s change it to the opposite, it will sure work. See it was done so fast that Jesus was born in September and still the celebration is in December, which is the date romans used to have a big party themselves.
I really have a hard time trying to understand how an educated person can nowadays *still* believe in such stories. I mean, it doesn’t even make sense, as far as I know, ok, we have Adam and Eve and then Cain and Abel and their 3rd son (forgot name) and then? Did they practise incest?
Regarding Jesus and Magdalena, that’s hard to prove but I really doubt Jesus was single, even if only for sex. Whatever priests try to prove, we are animals and have instincts (some use them with the one they love, some use them against poor children because a book and a guy dressed in white tells them they can’t marry). Some (most) even have feelings :)
Anyway, what I enjoyed the most about this book is all the story about the catholic church - man, are the opus dei frightening! :O
kachina008 said on January 27, 2005 12:56:
it’s a long, verbose but informative treatise on the same ideas that Dan Brown has in his book, without the corny (frankly annoying) “adventure”.
:)
MiracleMan said on March 8, 2005 23:02:
Finally read it—I thought it a a rousingly quick read, myself. Nothing overly intellectually demanding, and certainly—aside from the goddess stuff—nothing I’d not heard about in my History of Christanity course from college.
Judith—have you read a book called “Jesus the Magician”? It’s a portrait of Jesus based on contemporary accounts and writing about the man himself and basically talks about how people saw him as a charlitan and a dangerous cult figure. It’s not a terribly flattering.
MiracleMan said on March 8, 2005 23:09:
I also figured out who the Teacher was long before it was revealed. All in all, though, it kept me going trying to figure out the little ciphers and the like. I thought the coda at the Louvre was a nice touch.
Not sure if Hanks was a good choice for the lead in the film, and I can’t imagine Tautou as a redhead. Anyone know who will play Teabing? Derek Jacobi would be a good choice.
on_a_mission said on March 9, 2005 11:30:
its a poorly written book that is overly long, cheesy, and as Tev says smacks of Indiana Jones. It reads like its been written by a fairly Intelligent high school kid.
Its, just a light crappy thriller with pompous marketing that made everyone read it. Imo it was written to be turned into a crappy movie.
oam
kachina008 said on March 9, 2005 15:49:
acutally i think that dan brown isn’t such a bad author, i read another of his books and it wasn’t half as bad as the Code....
Majdy said on September 20, 2005 09:26:
I have read da vinci code and very impressed. I even think that Brown was a very talented author, but then I started to read his other book, angel and demons. I still like it and couldnt take my eyes on it. But I was a bit disappointed because the way he tells the story was so similiar with the ’code’, so I can simply tell who was the “bad guy” in it. so no surprise at all.
ps : I dont believe what he wrote on da vinci code but it was still fun to read.
another ps : I heard that audrey tatou wont be in the movie, but sophie marceu will replace her. and I heard that Hanks has ’new look’. I read in movie forum that he looked more handsome now to fit the character, but I havent check that new pix yet.
ally77 said on October 20, 2005 18:15:
Does anyone know if there is a clip of this new movie anywhere on the Internet, I know it is not due for release till around next Spring but I really want to see a clip.... just wondering if anyone knew of any sites... I don’t think there is an official site just yet!
StillFar said on October 20, 2005 18:30:
haven’t read the da vinci code yet, but just finished angels & demons. loved the first 3/4...but then it just turned into a trashy hollywood movie: predictable, unbelievable and sensationalistic
however, the first 3/4 were well worth reading, so i guess i’ll start the da vinci code sometime soon!
ally77 said on October 20, 2005 18:32:
@ Stillfar, I’ve just bought A&D today on audio cassette as a xmas present for someone, I read the book a couple of months ago!
silverROSES said on October 23, 2005 12:16:
Id rather read the bible than waste my time into some fiction.
If the writer didn’t use a popular figure in the title it would not sell.
lonely_girl said on October 23, 2005 19:28:
I really liked this book, read it within a week. The plot itself might be not so strong, but I liked reading about the ’historical’ bits, about the crusaders and the order and the grail. Of course it’s fiction and therefore nothing is proven, but it was really well-done.
I once read a book about Mary Magdalena, not a pure biography but there were quite some interesting facts about the life-situation back in this time in it. And as far as I know it was looked as ’unnatural’ that a man back in this time didn’t have wife and children. I do believe that the bible as we know it today ’corrected’ some of these facts.
JUST MY HUMBLE OPINION!
coyboyusa said on October 23, 2005 20:24:
every religion is a cult no matter where it came from and its usually based on a whole lot of fiction. Jesus was nothing more than a man, a teacher prosecuted and murdered for his beliefes, he wasn’t a son of god, its just like where santa clause came from. St nickolas was basically a good doing clergeyman who became this bloated red cheeked symbol of commerialism but thats not who he was
ally77 said on October 24, 2005 19:13:
The ending of A&D really surprised me.... I wish this had been made into a film also!
kachina008 said on June 25, 2004 18:56:
Yeah I read it...
not impressed. The story line is definitely fascinating, but that is all that keeps this book bouyant. The story is weak, the characters laughable and it is just plain boring. I would rather have read some non-fiction book on the whole story of Mary Magdelene. really don’t know what the hype is all about, and why the church has its panties in a twist ;P