Ok so I finally got around to reading the book. My main motivation was to read the book prior to seeing the movie as is my normal practice. I thought that it was a well crafted piece of fiction in a similar vain to National Treasure. Just like National Treasure the book uses the mythical accounts of the Holy Grail. Do I buy the conspiracy theories? No not exactly, but I would not be surprised that there are things over the year that have been altered through the internal workings of the Church hierarchy. Anyone that knows me knows that I respect authority, but that I'm not afraid to ask why.
While I was reading, I put an away message on gaim saying that I was reading the book. When I got done reading it and came back to online status, my cousin accosted me with a statement about how her Parish Priest had put a letter in the bulletin telling her congregation to not read the book or watch the movie as it was detrimental to the Catholic Church. I've not figured out why the Catholic Church always gets so bent out of shape by fictional works. Do they not trust us as intelligent human beings to determine truth from fiction? Or is it that they would prefer we not be critical thinkers in general because that leads to questioning the Church's supposed infalliability on doctrinal matters?
If anything the book was more an indictment on mindless following of religion and in particular misguided religion. Opus Dei is a good example of a part of the Catholic Church that I don't trust and it has nothing to do with this book. The fact that their money seems to buy influence is scary. Will the Holy Spirit be able to counter the monitary pressures?
I always kinda wonder about the "Legionnairies" (sp? and actual affiliation?), the folks who technically run the Catholic school my mom teaches at in St. Louis, Gateway Academy. But that's more on the fact that they seem a helluva lot more conservative than me (hell, more conservative than my *mom*, and she's a "good Catholic", so there's some bias there, I admit).
ReplyDeleteI had so many discussions along the lines of that book, good golly...from Opus Dei to Mary M. & women in the church, to conspiracies, etc...
ReplyDeleteWhat I thought was funny when it came out and when it got more popular was that my priest back home LOVED the book and mentioned it once or twice in Mass! I know a lot of people have their opinions about Dan Brown and all, but as a book and as a story, I felt it was very involving and enjoyable to read (that and Angels & Demons...which I read second and would almost venture to say I enjoyed better, in concord. w/ MaryHamera).
Thanks for the card, you rock! :-)