| Well, I was going to write a jubilant post about the horrific reviews DaVinci received at Cannes even though it won't affect box office receipts, however, new S.O.B. Alliance member Redhawk Review has some really good links to go along with the review link here. Welcome to the Alliance! |
posted by Chucko at 12:37 PM
Comments on "More DaVinci"
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Anonymous said ... (11:50 AM) :
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Chucko said ... (12:32 PM) :
post a commentOh my dear Chucko, this is a topic I can't wait to talk to you about. Here are some points that we can discuss sometime in the future, with the smell of pancakes lingering around us:
1. The popularity of the book is intriguing. I cannot believe that the hardcover version was still in the top ten of the NYT bestseller's list for three years up to March when the paperback came out (which is subsequently now #1 on that list). I can't believe how many books have been sold. This indicates to me that people have questions, moreso than just wanting to be entertained. And you would think that Christians would have boycotted the book for its blasphemy, but they have done the opposite.
2. We don't know much of what happened when Jesus was alive that can be substantiated by primary evidence (secondary evidence in terms of the Gospels sure). Whether he was married or not, is up in the air. And the church has fictionalized the story themselves, when Pope Gregory made Mary Magdalene a whore. So claiming that Brown is a master fiction writer brings him into the same realm as the Christian church.
3. And here is the biggest travesty of the entire religion of Christianity (as well as all of the other major world religions), the absence of the divine feminine. As a woman, I have no "role model" of the divine. This idea is what hammered the final nail in the coffin of my chances of ever being religious. Men have God/Jesus but women have no divinity to aspire to. Sure there are females like Mother Mary, but she in no way at the same level as Jesus or God. (And don't even get me started on the virgin birth as Mary was made to be unsexual - something we gals should be until marriage. We have a human whore to look up to or a chaste virgin, thanks boys! F-that!).
4. I don't know if I believe in the bloodline of Christ and the descendent theory, but what I think was brilliant about Brown's work was the ability to bring another hypothesis to many people, as the fiction made the theory accessible. And just the fact that Christians may be giving a thought that women are missing from divinity makes me profoundly happy. Maybe now we can achieve the equality we truly deserve.
5. I want to reinstate Greek, Egyptian, or maybe Pagan religions again, as at least then I had some kick-ass goddesses to emulate.
6. I hope you have read the book/seen the movie. It will make for a more titillating discussion.
I would love to hear your reply to some of these. :) Have a great weekend and you owe me an e-mail, I think! :)
"1. I cannot believe that the hardcover version was still in the top ten of the NYT bestseller's list for three years up to March when the paperback came out (which is subsequently now #1 on that list). I can't believe how many books have been sold. This indicates to me that people have questions, moreso than just wanting to be entertained."
-I doubt Christians are seeking answers in The DaVinci Code... at least not intelligent ones. Despite Brown's subtle "this isn't REALLY fiction" subtext, most of the story has been debunked. The parts that have been debunked, nay the major pillars of the story have caused the rest to fall into a pile of stinky debris.
"And you would think that Christians would have boycotted the book for its blasphemy, but they have done the opposite."
-I think that would depend heavily on your definition of "Christian." Some people would call Ted Kennedy Catholic. Simply because someone may label themselves does not mean they necessarily believe the central tenets of the faith. Of course, there are so many flavors of Protestantism now I am certain that if all are included, there is such a massive dilution that Christianity could be defined by outsiders as having no central moorings.
"2. We don't know much of what happened when Jesus was alive that can be substantiated by primary evidence (secondary evidence in terms of the Gospels sure). Whether he was married or not, is up in the air. And the church has fictionalized the story themselves, when Pope Gregory made Mary Magdalene a whore. So claiming that Brown is a master fiction writer brings him into the same realm as the Christian church."
-While I can appreciate your labeling of the Faith I hold so very close and dear as "fiction," and thusly your label of me as a fool, please visit these links. There's a bit more to the story than just that. Check this link out as well. Also, this link here. From the latter link:
'As a pastor and a man of holiness, the great Pope held up Mary Magdalene as an exemplar of repentance, humility and devotion. She was a symbol of hope for sinners.
Though his facts may not have been accurate, he was not attempting to destroy Mary Magdalene, but to praise her. In the meantime, we should note that however great the authority of Pope Gregory, his teaching about Mary Magdalene was not infallible, nor was it issued in an encyclical or a papal bull. It was never defined as Catholic dogma nor upheld as sacred doctrine by an ecumenical council.'
"3. And here is the biggest travesty of the entire religion of Christianity (as well as all of the other major world religions), the absence of the divine feminine. As a woman, I have no "role model" of the divine. This idea is what hammered the final nail in the coffin of my chances of ever being religious. Men have God/Jesus but women have no divinity to aspire to. Sure there are females like Mother Mary, but she in no way at the same level as Jesus or God. (And don't even get me started on the virgin birth as Mary was made to be unsexual - something we gals should be until marriage. We have a human whore to look up to or a chaste virgin, thanks boys! F-that!)."
-While Jesus was clearly male and the Son of God, the Father and Holy Spirit are asexual. Can you not have an asexual God as your necessary "role model" of the divine? Should your sexuality be more important than the deity you worship? For me, faith is not a matter of sexuality. Should God have chosen to send a daughter, I would feel the same way. The end of a Christian's life is not to become a God. I'm not sure why the virgin birth has so bothered you. Mary had found favor with and was chosen by God to birth his Son onto this Earth. So... it seems your premise is that Christianity is exclusively interested in oppressing women through portraying a historical women as a whore (false), and another as a chaste virgin(false), and God as a sexual male(false). Sheesh. I don't know where to go from here. Should I get the baptismal font ready?
"4. I don't know if I believe in the bloodline of Christ and the descendent theory, but what I think was brilliant about Brown's work was the ability to bring another hypothesis to many people, as the fiction made the theory accessible. And just the fact that Christians may be giving a thought that women are missing from divinity makes me profoundly happy."
-You shouldn't. It has been proven to be false by many sources, biased and neutral. Brown brought a new, easily disprovable theory to millions. Hitler, Stalin, and many historical tyrants have done the same. Women are women and men are men, only God is divine. I am certain you can find a Protestant denomination that has women priests, if that's what this statement is all about.
5. I want to reinstate Greek, Egyptian, or maybe Pagan religions again, as at least then I had some kick-ass goddesses to emulate.
-Ever been to a college campus? Plenty of pagans there. It's like a buffet of off-mainstream religions.
"6. I hope you have read the book/seen the movie. It will make for a more titillating discussion."
-I know what the book and movie are about, very specifically. I do not need to read or see them to understand. Many in-depth documentaries, news sources, and apologetics sites have informed me. I may watch it when I can get it for free, but for now, this scoundrel gets none of my hard earned cash.