i just finished reading it and the book was amazing… mind boggling and a great thriller. Its perfect for the history buff, conspiracy nuts, puzzle lovers etc…
hmm… its about hidden codes in Leonardo Da Vinci’s paintings, how the church came into power… the Opus Dei (a deeply devout catholic sect)… and The Priory of Sion- a european secret society founded in 1099 of which famous ppl like Sir Isaac Newton, botticeli, Victor Hugo and Da Vinci were members of…
It offers the other side of the story of the search for the Holy Grail.. its existence… and what the Church has led us to believe instead etc…
The best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code has sparked a vigorous debate by raising a number of provocative questions — most notably, was the historical Jesus really a married man? Could he have even been a father? Do his direct descendants still survive today
There are only accusations but no solid proof that in the 4th Century, around the time Constantine converted to Christianity, church patriarchs began trying to suppress women’s leadership roles in the Christian movement. Some liberal scholars even argue that Mary was an apostle! Her crucial role as Jesus's companion could have been played down in an organized attempt.
Dan Brown does an amazing job of researchign facts and incorporating them into his fictional story. I thought the story about the family that are considered descendents of Jesus and Mary magadalin was so stunning!
I read this after reading Angels and Demons another book by Dan brown where you really learn alot about how the vatican is set up and the politics/history behind it.
That’s a coincidence. I just picked up a book by Mario Puzo called The Family - he wrote the Godfather books (those are brilliant btw).
haven’t got round to reading it yet but apparently that’s also about the Vatican but more to do with their involvement in the Italian mafiosi. Catholicism sounds like a blast
im too high on Da Vinci Code's amazing-ness and wont let anyone compare it with something like godfather... taht is what i meant by that phrase :p
p.s) for the sleuths out there who wanna try their hand at breaking codes etc... the book has a website where u are asked to crack certain codes... open gates... it takes you all over the internet to various different sites, lookin for answers... pm me for more details as i dont think we are allowed to provide links
that was a lot of fun too
**I saw the ABC special by
Elizabeth Vargas. It did draw fast criticism
from the Catholic League and the Greek
Archdiocese of America.
Maybe there's more to it, but
personally from the broadcast last night,
I think the book is another one of those
controversial ways of having people be
a little more interested in Christianity
one way or the other, otherwise, why
does it matter whether Jesus had a wife
or not. His teachings should be more
important than his personal life. There
is lot more to religion than the minute
un necessary details which may not even
exist that people try conjuring up
which don't effect the follower one way or the
other.
I don't know what's more disturbing. The
fact that the book implies that (according to one reader>>) "Mary Magdalene is the Holy Grail (the book explains it all), and Christians are a bunch of fools. And not only are they fools, they're evil people who have made goddess worship and temple sex rites out to be wicked--when really these are the true forms of worship Jesus and Mary Magdalene would have wanted us to follow," which therefore
very straightforwardly makes the reader question the
credibility of the whole religion, or the fact that anyone
and everyone can take a prophet like Jesus and make
such blasphemous claims about him.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by khawateen: *
im too high on Da Vinci Code's amazing-ness and wont let anyone compare it with something like godfather... taht is what i meant by that phrase :p
p.s) for the sleuths out there who wanna try their hand at breaking codes etc... the book has a website where u are asked to crack certain codes... open gates... it takes you all over the internet to various different sites, lookin for answers... pm me for more details as i dont think we are allowed to provide links
that was a lot of fun too
[/QUOTE]
Wow, sounds fun. I am all for such stuff.. breaking codes and all. Not much into reading, so I don't think I would read the book, but I'll check out the website for sure.
I actually liked the book better in how it described and made you believe that mary magadelene was the holy grail. Otherwise I thought the special was good at showing various theories and how little factual evidence there is.
One note..i don't thinke the goal was to "make chrisitianity more interesting"
As a muslim, It made me very thankful for the foresite of the comapnions and early caliphas to organize the Quran and write things down and then our Ummah for protecting the orginial Arabic and so we did not lose things due to translation or the poltical winds of that time.
[QUOTE] Originally posted by Aalhan: *
* why
does it matter whether Jesus had a wife
or not. His teachings should be more
important than his personal life. There
is lot more to religion than the minute
un necessary details which may not even
exist that people try conjuring up
which don't effect the follower one way or the
other.
**
[/QUOTE]
The catholic faith has a strong belief in the importance of viriginity and that sex is only for procreatiion...hence the shift for father's and nuns to not be marrid. Their entire church leadership from local priests/nuns to the pope are not married....I think a huge lie about Jesus' life and how normal a man he was would/could show that he was not so godlike rather manlike...dangerous ground.
Finished it last week. It is one of the best novels I have read. I m not into suspense and thriller books that much but Man this book was so addictive. The more I read, more I wanted to read. The way Dan Brown presents his research alongwith the story is simily great. The stir it already has created in christain world speaks for itself.
Bye Bye Tom clancy and Robert Ludlum.
They are making a movie based on this one and it was obviuos the way he wrote that novel. It should be a good movie indeed.
