Lafayett Journal and Courier

'Da Vinci' leaves some uneasy
By Tim Brouk

May 19, 2006

Hollywood's take on The Da Vinci Code has some curious, some cautious in Greater Lafayette.

The film version of Dan Brown's best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code, opens today at theaters nationwide. The combination of the millions of copies of Brown's novel sold and the star power of the Ron Howard-directed, Tom Hanks-starring film has people talking.

"I've read the book, and I'm going to see movie," said Shirley Stitz in between hands at a bridge game at Borders Books in West Lafayette. "It raises a lot of questions. How do we know what happened?"

The Da Vinci Code centers around Harvard University scholar of symbology Robert Langdon (played by Hanks) and his quest through signs and clues found in ancient architecture and the artwork of master Leonardo Da Vinci.

There are several hot-button issues in The Da Vinci Code that has Christians uneasy. Some of the storylines include a Catholic church coverup of the human side of Jesus Christ and claims that He fathered a daughter with Mary Magdalene. A bloodline was created and still exists, Brown writes in his novel. In The Da Vinci Code, the real organization Opus Dei assassinates members of that bloodline.

"I'm going to see it even though some of the book goes against my Christian beliefs," said Renada Becker, one of Stitz's bridge partners.

Some Greater Lafayette churches have been holding meetings, seminars and classes regarding The Da Vinci Code. The Rev. David Henderson, pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in West Lafayette, held a program titled "Cracking the Da Vinci Code" on Wednesday evening.

Henderson said his goal with the program was to separate the fact from the fiction in Brown's book and to educate people before the Hollywood blockbuster is screened in Greater Lafayette.

"Not everything he (Brown) says is a fact," Henderson stated. "Where I begin in the program talks about Dan Brown the author -- why he wrote it and what are his convictions? An author's world view makes it into the fabric of what the storytelling is. ... He's really trying to press Americans to rethink Christian history."

A page at the beginning of The Da Vinci Code as well as parts of Brown's Web site (www.danbrown.com) may mislead people into thinking that questions and issues raised in The Da Vinci Code are based on facts, the Rev. Tim Alkire said. He believes the way the storylines are presented makes it look like issues in Brown's book that clash with the Bible and Christian beliefs are proven to be true.

"What really causes the uproar is that The Da Vinci Code is portrayed as historical and the fruit of a lot of research," Alkire added. "We want people to know that it's fantasy."
Alkire also organized a Da Vinci Code seminar, which drew about 75 people. He wanted to educate people, especially young people, about all of the Da Vinci Code hype. He also tried to calm parishioners who might be upset at the movie's release.

"I would ignore the movie completely," Alkire said. "The best defense of something written or on the screen is one's own faith. It's more fruitful than lashing out. Let's know the Bible, the sacraments, the divinity of Jesus Christ. The gospels, in fact, are historic records."

Randy Roberts, professor of history at Purdue University, has been a participant on Reel to Real, a History Channel program that assesses popular movies from a historical standpoint. Roberts believes it is "preposterous" to see any fact in The Da Vinci Code. He read the book and plans on seeing the movie version.

"It's a novel. You buy it in the fiction section," Roberts said. "It's not trying to push anything as fact. It's an invention."

While The Da Vinci Code is on millions of minds now, Roberts believes things will quickly settle down after he read mediocre-at-best reviews of the film.

"I was imagining how hard it would be to write the screenplay," Roberts said. "It's hard to imagine it as a movie with so much symbolism and word games in it."

Roberts believes movies such as The Last Temptation of Christ and Mel Gibson's recent box office hit The Passion of the Christ should draw more long-term controversy because the movies had actors portraying Jesus.

"This is a thriller, an adventure," Roberts said.

Anil Kumar admitted not having time to read the book, but the media attention and movie trailers have him intrigued. Originally from India and only living in the United States since 2003, Kumar said he knows little about the mysteries The Da Vinci Code examines, and Kumar wants to know more.

"I want to know about the philosophy behind this," he said. "I will definitely watch the movie."