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Where It Matters

As you probably noticed, there has been a resurgence of attacks against the Catholic religion, and in the Christian faith in general. These attacks take on several forms. The most overt are in the form violence towards Christian believers. Abhorrent as these are at least we see and know who are perpetrating them. What really bother me are those veiled attacks by the progressive sophists.

These people believe in incrementalism: Changes so subtle and so well-intentioned that at first glance you'd be a boor if you opposed. Think about it, in the 70's and 80's there had been a move from within the Catholic hierarchy to be more "inclusive" in admissions to the seminaries, and ergo, priesthood. Looking back, "inclusive" meant lowering the bar in admissions. Could this have been the seed of the Catholic clergy abuse scandal? Some thinkers believe so. You probably can think of other examples around you. The most recent attacks are in the popular culture. Now here's one.

With 7.2 million copies in print The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is a bestseller.

Ever since its publication, The Da Vinci Code has been a magnet for real world intrigue, suspense, and controversy that can only rival its plot. You haven’t read it yet? No worries. Here’s a short run down:

The Da Vinci Code is a historical thriller that claims Christianity was founded on a cover-up. The cover-up being that the Church has conspired to hide evidence that Jesus was a mere mortal, married Mary Magdalene and had children whose descendants now live in France. In the book an Opus Dei monk assassinates the guardians of the Holy Grail, which in this work of fiction, is not a chalice at all but a proof of Jesus' and Mary Magdalene's conjugal relationship. Throw in a gorgeous cryptographer and brilliant Harvard professor, Dan Brown got himself a lightning-pace thriller that races around London, Paris and beyond.

So, what could be wrong with reading a simple little thriller?

Well, a few lies and a heresy. Denying Jesus' divinity is Arianism, which arose in the fourth century. Scripture has totally debunked this and the Catholic Church declared Arianism a heresy.

Opus Dei is a conservative organization of Catholic priests and laity. From their website, "Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Catholic Church. It was founded in Madrid on October 2, 1928, by St. Josemaria Escriva. Its headquarters, together with its prelatic church, are in Rome."

If you think the story line is familiar, it is. The major premise of the book appears to have been taken very extensively from another book Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Dell Publishing, NY, NY 1983.

To counter this liberal infiltration into the religious culture, there are several books that you can read. For example Fact and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code and De-Coding Da Vinci: The Facts Behind the Fiction of the Da Vinci Code.

Now, after over a year why should this be important?

If you can see beyond the heresy and untruths in this book, sure, it can be a good read. Unfortunately, the book appears to be pandering to the public distrust of the Catholic Church in the aftermath of the clergy-sexual abuse scandal.

And now word has it that director Ron Howard is making a movie based on this book. Our faith will once again be attacked where it matters. Truth to a liar is like kryptonite to Superman. Information is good.