Reading "Da Vinci Code" does alter beliefs: survey
LONDON (Reuters) - "The Da Vinci Code" has undermined faith in the Roman Catholic Church and badly damaged its credibility, a survey of British readers of Dan Brown's bestseller showed on Tuesday.
People are now twice as likely to believe Jesus Christ fathered children after reading the Dan Brown blockbuster and four times as likely to think the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei is a murderous sect.
"An alarming number of people take its spurious claims very seriously indeed," said Austin Ivereigh, press secretary to Britain's top Catholic prelate Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.
"Our poll shows that for many, many people the Da Vinci Code is not just entertainment," Ivereigh added.
He heads a prominent group of English Roman Catholic monks, theologians, nuns and members of Opus Dei, who commissioned the survey from leading pollster Opinion Research Business (ORB) and have sought to promote Catholic beliefs at a time when the film's release has provoked a storm of controversy.
ORB interviewed more than 1,000 adults last weekend, finding that 60 percent believed Jesus had children by Mary Magdalene -- a possibility raised by the book -- compared with just 30 percent of those who had not read the book.
The English group demanded that the "Da Vinci Code" movie, being given its world premiere at the Cannes Film festival on Wednesday, should carry a "health warning".
This is not the fault of the book or the movie. It is a damning indictment of the Church and 40+ years of failed catechesis. The faithful are so poorly schooled in their own religion that they are gullible when it comes to this rubbish.
posted by Pat Campbell @ 4:12 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Or they are intelligent enough to see through the Catholic Church's failed creed.
The Catholic Church espouses as much crap as Dan Brown. How about the "infallibility of the Pope." What a load especially after you study some of the characters in bygone centuries.
What part of The Creed failed?
Bottomline, if you are Catholic then know your faith. If you aren't, then worry about yourself and your own salvation.
John 6:54
I am Catholic. First of all the book is FICTION, as much as Jurasic Park. We only have some info on 3 years of the life of Jesus. Then again, lets just say for argument sake that Jesus did marry Mary Magdalene. So what! Does that mean I am no longer supposed to believe in God. Am I supposed to be an aethist? If Jesus lived longer he would have done what every other Jewish man of his time did. He would have married, most likely a young virgin probably about 12 years old. It would have landed him in the slammer today, but all the ancient patriachs like Moses and Abraham had multiple young wives. Why is eveyone getting their underwear in a knot over this movie. I read the book and I plan to see the movie. Questioning authority is good, it brought about the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation.
Have a look at the bestseller "Misquoting Jesus" by Bart Ehrman.
The more the Catholic Church tries to ban the movie, the more money it will make. Perhaps the Church has something going on with the producers of this movie.
Post a Comment
<< Home