The Flipcritic

THE DA VINCI CODE film is upon us, and from the Southern United States to South Korea, from Manila to Malta, from Italy to India, calls abound to ban or boycott it. Many Christians of all denominations have denounced it as blasphemy; lies purporting Jesus as a family man, with his descendants living amongst us today.

Some view these reactions as signs of the church’s deep insecurity over losing its flock. Others see it as a virtuous defense of slighted beliefs. I for one feel the Church is entitled to its arguments, but so is the film, whether its points are serious or not. Demanding prohibition is narrow-minded, as no one segment of society should have say over what the entirety is entitled to.

Regardless of how one feels about this backlash, no one can deny that THE DA VINCI CODE is a hit. Long before the current brouhaha over its film release sparked protests, the novel steamrolled through countless bestseller lists. But why has it done so well? Can we simply chalk it up to its controversial claims? Of course not. Does anyone recall the controversy caused by the book HOLY BLOOD, HOLY GRAIL in 1982? Hardly any attention was paid to it then, until this year’s failed plagiarism case against Dan Brown, despite its non-fictional claims.

Part of the book’s success can be attributed to its approach. If Dan Brown really wanted to rock the boat, he would have produced a non-fiction book with the same ground-shaking claims with references to his research. Instead, he took the commercial route, integrating his contentions within a whodunit, while taking advantage of audiences’ longing for escapism after 9/11, as evidenced by the resurgence of fantasy tales such as THE LORD OF THE RINGS and HARRY POTTER series.

The rising negative perception of religion in the public’s consciousness has also fanned the book’s flames. Coinciding with the priest sex-abuse scandals, creationism versus evolution court battles, and the increasing Islamist extremism of recent years, religion has become increasingly viewed as a divisive force as opposed to a unifying one. The book only gains from this disillusionment.

Another reason why THE DA VINCI CODE thrives is that it strikes a nerve in choosing to deal with subjects that seem impenetrable or unreasonable to the casual reader or Christian. Jon Stewart’s THE DAILY SHOW made a hilarious point on this in a THIS WEEK IN GOD segment by Rob Cordry:

Cordry: The book’s about a professor who discovers that the Church has covered up Jesus’s marriage to Mary Magdalene and his descendants who walk among us to this day. (Laughing) Come on! Who’s going to believe that? Jesus was born by Immaculate Conception and later rose from the dead! USE YOUR HEADS PEOPLE!

As you can see, a prophet (Jesus) as human as the rest of us who becomes a family man sounds more levelheaded than one who would die and then rise from the dead. Another such topic that becomes palatable to secular readers is the subject of gender inequality within the Church, which must be comforting particularly to the book’s female audience.

But the central aspect which implants interest in the book is the subject of Jesus’s humanity. As Roger Ebert perfectly states in his review of THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST, “Christianity teaches that Jesus was both God and man. That he could be both at once is the central mystery of the Christian faith.” Of course, the very thought of Jesus having sexual intercourse and having children provokes the ire of believers who have very strong ideas of Christ’s divinity. But Christians can’t deny that Jesus was fully human as he was divine. To be so would mean that Jesus would have the burden of free will, meaning he could fall in love and raise a family. Is this not what God had intended of man and woman? If Jesus could not make this choice, was he less than human? These are the kinds of questions that are asked by people who honestly value their faith. And by moving in this direction, Dan Brown at the very least discusses what we have always wondered, yet were afraid to ask.

This is not to say, that the book is factual, but it is convincing in its detail, which worries the Church. With its clergy rates dropping, its credibility eroding, its mores being challenged, and its most charismatic and unifying figure in Pope John Paul II now gone, its presence is fading. But with these problems as with any come opportunities. Perhaps the Church feels that it is making the most of them, but it cannot afford to turn away potential followers by appearing inflexible. On this front against THE DA VINCI CODE, it should now embark on a battle cry of clarification and information, not censorship. The only thing it’s succeeding at now is giving Dan Brown a bigger paycheck.

Posted by FLIPCRITIC at May 16, 2006 08:23 PM