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The Da Vinci Code film

The Da Vinci Code film. Threat or opportunity?. How much is true?. How much of what DVC says about Opus Dei is true? Hardly anything How much of what DVC says about the Church is true? Hardly anything How much of what DVC says about art, architecture, geography, literature, is true?

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The Da Vinci Code film

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  1. The Da Vinci Code film Threat or opportunity?

  2. How much is true? • How much of what DVC says about Opus Dei is true? Hardly anything • How much of what DVC says about the Church is true? Hardly anything • How much of what DVC says about art, architecture, geography, literature, is true? Hardly anything THE DVC IS A WORK OF FICTION!

  3. If it’s only fiction, why worry? • Because it pretends to be factual and accurate, based on truth (page 3: “FACT”) • It changes basic facts about major historical figures • It uses real organisations to do evil acts Therefore it is not enough to say “it’s just fiction”

  4. What the DVC claims • Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalene: they had a child and their descendants are still around (in France) • The Catholic Church exists to keep this secret from people, and is ready to kill people to do this: the Church is a big lie • Opus Dei is the Catholic group that does the dirty work (like killing or stealing) • The Christian faith is false, a delusion

  5. Turn it around • It’s a book about Christ • It’s a unique opportunity to talk about Christ!

  6. Priory of Sion according to the DVC • A real organisation founded in 1099 to defend the bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene • Persecuted by the Catholic Church • Dedicated to the Sacred Feminine

  7. The Priory of Sion – in fact • Invented by Pierre Plantard in 1956 (a conman recently out of prison) • Planted documents in National Library of Paris • Admitted to be a hoax on TV by its founder

  8. Opus Dei according to the DVC • Brainwashed killer monks • Women second class • Involved in financial wrongdoing • Engaged in grotesque practices of corporal mortification

  9. Opus Dei – in fact • Ordinary Catholics seeking holiness in their daily lives • Women and men have the same status • Members are adults who are in Opus Dei freely • John Paul II was not for sale

  10. Corporal mortification • Context: prayer, fasting, good works • Traditional in the Church – and other religions • Most mortifications are very small • Examples of corporal mortifications: sackcloth and ashes, walking barefoot, hair-shirt, cilice, sleeping rough • Motivation: reminder, moral training, solidarity • Secular motivation: dieting, sports training

  11. Jesus Christ according to the DVC • The early Christians did not believe Jesus to be God: this was invented by Constantine in Nicea (325) • Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene • The Bible (New Testament) was edited to support new invention

  12. Did the early Christians believe Jesus to be God? • Jesus is called Theos in the New Testament • Jesus revealed his divinity by his actions (miracles, prophecies) • His disciples believed he was God: so much so that they all gave their lives for it • Early Christian writings • “Docetism”: 2nd Century heresy

  13. Were the Bible texts edited? • No evidence of any instruction to edit (e.g. written order) • No evidence of any editing process • Texts surviving from long before 325 AD • Canon of approved gospels • Gnostic “gospels”: 3rd-5th Centuries

  14. Was Jesus married? • No wife is mentioned anywhere – *at all* • He entrusts his mother to the care of John • Jesus extols celibacy • Being unmarried was unusual but not unheard of (St John Baptist, St Paul) • Even Gnostic “gospels” do not support this theory • For Gnostics physical matter is evil • “gospel” of Mary Magdalene does not mention any union • “gospel” of Philip is misquoted in DVC

  15. Jesus Christ – in fact • Jesus: a liar, a fool, or… God • He challenges each person today • Weigel: Christ is the answer to the question that is every human person • John Paul II: Christ is the one everyone is searching for even if they don’t realise it • Benedict XVI: let ourselves be astonished by Christ

  16. If you are a Christian… • YOU are the best answer to the film • Encourage people to read the Gospel: have copies to give away • CTS booklet and other booklets available • Longer books • Form study groups to study the matters brought up in the film • Encourage many friends to watch a different film in the cinema during weekend 19-21 May and to completely ignore the Da Vinci Code!

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