On the Da Vinci Code Movie, part II

My (online) friend Joe, the Ford Guy, makes so much sense in comments that I wanted to republish his common-sense take:

So many people get their panties in a twist without really thinking these things out. If Jesus married and fathered children, it wouldn't make him any less divine... If you have faith, no book or movie will destroy it. It's much ado about nothing.

I was born and raised Catholic, I've read the book and plan on seeing the movie. I don't know what all the bullshit is about. Nothing in the book is really new, there have been stories for years that Jesus and Mary Magdalane had been married and had children. Dan Brown takes a lot of far flung theories and pastes them together as the back drop for a fair mystery novel. It's Fiction and it's no worst than a lot of mystery novels I've read. I've read books that put the Catholic church in far worse light than this. And Opus Dei is just the latest in a series of Catholic splinter groups that has been portrayed in less than flattering light. But if any of these people had actually read the book, it's really just one bishop and his albino servant that are the bad guys, not all of Opus Dei. And as a Catholic, ok a "fallen" Catholic, I don't see any harm in the theory that Jesus had a family. It wouldn't make him any less devine. It would be one more human aspect of the man that was Jesus. He didn't start preaching until he was at least 30 years old and died at the age of 33. Why would anyone believe that he wouldn't have married and fathered children? Jesus was a practicing Jew, and the Jewish faith/tradition doesn't forbid Rabbis from fathering children.

So many people get their panties in a twist without really thinking these things out. If Jesus married and fathered children, it wouldn't make him any less divine. It would actually make some sense from for his times. It's my understanding, that at that time in history, it would not be unusual for a devout Jew to leave his family to further his spiritual life, many of Jesus' desciples left their homes and families. Or maybe they didn't, maybe their wives and families traveled with them?

It's just a book, a decent book, and a movie, one that I haven't seen. But what's so earth shattering? 

There can be no idea that is so scary that it can't be discussed. I remember that fuss when The Last Temptation of Christ came out too. And that was a good movie.

If you have faith, no book or movie will destroy it. It's much ado about nothing. I'd be more insulted by the fact that Brown throws out a lot of historically incorect nonsense about the Knights Templar and DaVinci himself. But I'm not, cause it's fiction.

Comments

[Shawn]

Physicists didn't get all upset about Star Wars, and the church probably should take just a chill pill. Although asking religions to be rational is like asking catholic school girls not to roll up their skirts.

[Joe BigFordFan]

Now a bit off topic, but Shawn mentioned Catholic School girls, and it made me think. How many times have you been in a strip club and all of a sudden some blonde bombshell comes out in a plaid skirt uniform? Now be honest, I'm not the only one that has been there. I went to Catholic School, and it was amazing to watch these little girls get out of mom or dad's car and transform with a few pins and roll of fabric into pole dancers. Hormones were raging. I'm older now and settled down, just a rush of nostalgia there.