The Greek Orthodox bishop of Thessaloniki has jumped on the bandwagon with many other higher ups of various Christian religions in urging Greek Orthodoxites not to go see
The Da Vinci Code.
The bishop of Thessaloniki, Anthimos, advised all Greeks yesterday not to watch the “Da Vinci Code,” the film based on a best-selling Dan Brown novel exploring the idea that Jesus Christ has living descendants. Anthimos said the film and book were based on “arbitrary fictional constructions” and bore no relation to scientific and historical information. Still, I wonder why when it comes to religion, religious leaders can't just let there be fiction (unless, of course, it seems to be in favor of their religious ideals). It is a movie, a work of fiction. If you really think a movie could break someone's faith, then you might need to step up your religion a little bit.
We'll just have to see how many Greeks are at the theater in a couple of weeks.
8 comments:
I don't get it either. And you know that telling folks not to do something is a sure way to make them do it.
That's one sure-fire way of packing the cinema! I have to laugh sometimes at their "lack of faith" in people. LOL
There are two kinds of fiction: about invented characters, in which case anything goes, and about real historical people, in which case one should try to be faithful to their real historical lives. Of course, one can always write an "alternative history" or "what if" kind of novel, but Dan Brown's novel is not marketed as a "what if Jesus had a wife and a child" but as fact. Since the "fact" of Dan Brown is heresy, the Bishop is right in urging Orthodox Christians to avoid seeing the film.
Exactly Dixie! That is one of the reasons it is so funny. Nothing is better than what is forbidden, or at any rate, people have to go see why there would be an objection.
Deviousdiva, I laugh at more than that. But that is another story, lol.
Anonymous, using "real" and "historical" in connection with Jesus Christ is making a whole host of assumptions I am not willing to make. Nevertheless, how many movies are really faithful to any "real" historical lives? How much do we really know about anyone's "real" historical lives, aside from what would have been written about them? What people write is not always credible. Look at how whole histories in China are rewritten to suit the powers that be. I never saw this novel as being marketed as fact, nor do I believe anyone would be stupid enough to think it was fact. The spine of the novel does say "Fiction", after all.
As long as the book calls itself a novel and it's sold as fiction I don't have any problem with it taking historical figures and doing a 'what if?' with them.
Honestly, I never understood the uproar over the idea of Jesus being married if that were the case. So what if he was? Does he suddenly stop being the Son of God when he says "I do"?
Honestly, I never understood the uproar over the idea of Jesus being married if that were the case. So what if he was? Does he suddenly stop being the Son of God when he says "I do"?
Either he was married or he was not. The two cases are not equally probable, since his unmarried status is supported by all the original sources written about him (both orthodox and heretical), whereas his married status is not supported by any sources at all.
I don't understand the uproar about the revelations Lincoln owned slaves either.
What difference does it make? Everything ew learn about heros is bogus. Look at Martin Luther King's hypocracies.
The Catholic church near me alsoexplains in detail why the movie is wrong instead of saying "Just don't see it.' I like that approach.
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