The Smarmy Carny

As any rational person should realize, The Da Vinci Code is fiction, and not much else. It's just ::amazon("1400079179", "a novel")::, just ::imdb("tt0382625", "a movie")::. Why, then, are many Christians up in arms over the story, if that's all it is? The answer is simple, as Massimo Introvigne points out:

People who ask this question usually have not read the page of The Da Vinci Code titled Fact, where the author, Dan Brown, asserts that "all descriptions of [..]documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate" and are based specifically on the fact that "in 1975 Paris’ Bibliothèque Nationale discovered parchments, known as Les Dossiers Secrets" which reveal the story of the Priory of Sion.

Some Christians are arguing that The Da Vinci Code is a positive because it is getting people to think more about early Christianity. In reality, I think that the only thing people will really think about early Christianity is, "Is that true?" This surface-level response to mainstream entertainment will not provoke further discovery of Christ and the actual events of early followers. In addition, many non-Christians will likely believe the fictional "facts" and incorporate them into their already wavering view of Christianity, religion, and God.

So, all things being equal, feel free to believe everything you read/see in The Da Vinci Code if you also readily believed all the "facts" given in movies such as National Treasure, too.

I will not attempt to list the problems in The Da Vinci Code. It is, after all, just a movie. For more information on The Da Vinci Code and its fallacies, check out these informative pages:

• Da Vinci Answers — Josh McDowell's podcast discussing The Da Vinci Code
• "The Da Vinci Code FAQ, or Will the Real Priory of Sion Please Stand Up?" — Massimo Introvigne
• "The DaVinci Scam" — Terry Paige, Houghton College professor
• "The Da Vinci Scam • Decoding Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code"
• The Da Vinci Code Discussed — The Life

One interesting fact regarding the filming of the movie: Westminster Abbey refused to allow filming on location, stating "theologically unsound" premises in the book. Filming was moved to Lincoln Cathedral, whose bell "Great Tom" was silent for the first time since World War II during filming on August 15 - 19, 2005.

Google, Sony Pictures, and others are sponsoring the Da Vinci Code Quest, which kicks off today.

I'm no proponent of the Da Vinci Code. (Check back here after May 17 for some detailed comments about that!) Still, I enjoy riddles and games, and that's what the Da Vinci Code Quest is about.

Each day for the next 24 days, the site will release a new puzzle or riddle. Today's puzzle is basically an altered form of a ::wikipedia("Sudoku"):: puzzle. For those that solve all 24 puzzles, there are prizes. One grand prize winner in the US will win a buttload of prizes, including a trip for four to NYC, Paris, Rome, and London. 10,000 others will win a lousy Cryptex replica, valued at $30.

You can read more on the game over at the Official Google Blog.