The movie is as bad as the book

The Da Vinci Code movie grossed $77 million domestically and $200 million internationally, second only to one other film for an opening weekend. It is definitely in the "blockbuster" category with a start like that! But what was of most interest to me as a Christian was whether or not the movie with follow the heretical assertions of the book on which it was based. Well, we know the answer now. It definitely does.

Leigh Teabing is the historian figure in the movie and who make several assertions such as "Constantine might have been a lifelong pagan, but he was also a pragmatist and he tried to unify Rome under a single religion, Christianity. "

Teabing teaches, "Until that moment Jesus was viewed by many of his followers as a mighty prophet, a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless, a great and powerful man."

Teabing continues, "Remember in those days gods were everywhere. By infusing Jesus the man with divine magic, making him capable of earthly miracles and his own resurrection, Constantine turned him into a god within the human world. He basically knocked the more distant gods out of the game."

The historian Teabing confidently mentions, "Fact: for many Christians Jesus was mortal one day and divine the next. . . .There was even a formal announcement of his promotion."

The Da Vinci Code movie is taking on a new doctrine as well that the book really didn't develop: the church. It suggests that church of Jesus Christ has been guilty of murder continually through its history. "How many have been murdered over this question? As long as there has been belief in the one true God, there has been killing in his name." So now you have an attack not only on the deity of Jesus Christ but on the church itself.

At the end of the movie, Teabing postulates, "For two thousand years, the church has reigned oppression and atrocity upon mankind, crushed passion and idea alike with their stranglehold on society, all in the name of their walking God. Proof of Jesus' mortality can bring an end to all that suffering, drive this church of lies to its knees. The living error must be revealed. Jesus must be shown what he was--not miraculous, simply man."

Many are of course crying, "Lighten up. This is just a novel, just a movie. It is fiction for goodness sake." However, this movie is shaping the opinions of its audience. One exit poll in Britain discovered that 60% of the viewers thought that it was possible that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and that they had children from their marriage.

So, we will have to continue to deal with many falsehoods that people may buy into after watching this movie but orthodoxy is always more compelling than heresy and truth is always more beautiful than error.