Evidence for God from Science

vvart wrote:I have never read the da vinci code and I think all christians should avoid that book all together. When the book was first released and there was much buzz about it, I just thought it was merely adding on to christianity through Da vinci. I was definitely not prepared when i found out the true nature of the book through a friend. The whole book is made up of lies and i was horrified to find out that a movie based on the book will be released in the next year or two. Movies are a powerful tool and this movie could have a profound impact on young christians and those who are considering christianity.

The book depicts a false christ and in some ways fulfills what Jesus said about the coming of false christs before the day of Judgment. We christians truely have hard times ahead and as we near Christ's second coming much of the world will try and strike us in our hearts, as they defile the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Hello ! This is a work of FICTION ! Don't get so serious over a work of fiction !

Yes of course it is! But the problem is that very many people don't understand that, and the author himself claims that it is based on facts(and so do many of the reviewers). In my country(Norway) a research showed that approxemately 13% of the population believed in Jesus having children with Mary Magdalene!!!

Therefore it is very important to telling people what it is, namely a piece of fiction.

The DaVinci Code was merely a good book, however, an admitted work of fiction, right? If one's faith is founded on one's personal experiences and personal walk with Christ, then a book shouldn't have the ability to alter that faith. If it does, then it might be the perfect time to go back and reexplore your Christian heart. Every Christian has had doubts at one time or another, but having doubts is not a bad thing. In fact, it's doubt that is the catalyst for rediscovering where we stand within our spiritual journey with our Savior.

WendyWoman wrote:The DaVinci Code was merely a good book, however, an admitted work of fiction, right? If one's faith is founded on one's personal experiences and personal walk with Christ, then a book shouldn't have the ability to alter that faith.

Yes, Christians who have done some research will not lose their faith because of such a book, but people who are weaker in the faith might. And those who already think Christians are stupid fools, will drift even further away from God. Several people I know claim that the DaVinci Code is the best book ever, or at least one of them. Now I wonder why they think that... (READ: because it tries to disprove Christianity!)

WendyWoman wrote:If it does, then it might be the perfect time to go back and reexplore your Christian heart. Every Christian has had doubts at one time or another, but having doubts is not a bad thing. In fact, it's doubt that is the catalyst for rediscovering where we stand within our spiritual journey with our Savior.

Exactly. I agree entirely with you here. But the point is, what if they don't reexplore their faith? There's far too many people who almost knows nothing about their faith and why the believe it. They've just "inherited" it from their parents, and then suddenly something makes them doubt, and then it's easy to just leave the whole thing behind. It's sad, but true.

Yes, it is a work of fiction and it will always be. But why then do lots of people think it tells the truth? Of course it's fiction, but then we are at least obliged to tell everyone what it really is!

"There's far too many people who almost knows nothing about their faith and why the believe it. They've just "inherited" it from their parents, and then suddenly something makes them doubt, and then it's easy to just leave the whole thing behind. It's sad, but true. "

You make wonderful points. Really! I guess what I would question here is this...while one might be able to inherit a lifestyle from a parent that includes religious habits (attending church), isn't faith a reflection of one's personal relationship with Jesus? If one's faith can be left behind due to such a book, then wouldn't that have made his or her faith a bit disingenuous in the first place?

You see, I think the sincerity of one's faith is the critical issue here. I see a book like this creating conversation that will actually strengthen one's faith...in the end. Sure we must tell people that read such a book that it's a work of fiction. I totally agree with you there. But then...perhaps people will think back to that moment in time when they were awed by the presence of Jesus in their lives. That reawakening is precious and will provide an even closer relationship to Jesus. And if some slip through the cracks due to this book? Well, then they weren't ready in faith to accept Jesus as their Savior...yet. But as the eternal optimist...I believe that they will return. And when they do return to Christianity, they will become true believers and walk with the faithful. And to me, this is a step they probably needed to take to get from there (bendable) to here (unwavering). Jesus is patient and will allow them plenty of opportunities to return to His flock. I have faith in that!

However, that's not to say that you don't bring up interesting and plausible scenarios. You do. I guess I have faith that those that are faithful will reach out to help those that are confused in their faith. We all have a responsibility to each other, yes? How better to spread the Good News...

I dont get what is so bad about Jesus having a girlfriend and kids?

Darwin_Rocks wrote:I dont get what is so bad about Jesus having a girlfriend and kids?

Because he Didn't... It is a make up story that has no Truth behind it. It is like calling a person a Malicious, lying, Deceitful, Morally ungrounded person when the opposite is the actual fact

Darwin_Rocks wrote:I dont get what is so bad about Jesus having a girlfriend and kids?

The way I see it is this, this book is a load of crud.

Jesus didn't have a girlfriend or kids because we ALL have a close relationship with Him. We are his half-brothers and sisters because God adopts us into His family and that makes us His children, and Jesus is his only begotten Son.

Jesus having a girlfriend and kids takes away from His divine nature, He didn't come down to be a sinning human, He came to die so we wouldn't have to. The book is terrible and I'd even dare say it is a cunning attempt to plant the seeds of hate for Jesus in the hearts of those who read it.

dan,

true that!

wendywoman,

you made some awesome points too.

vaj,

it's awesome that you're surrounded by people like that. whenever i speak to anyone around me about God, they just turn away.

Curious... I read the book without knowing what to expect. It doesn't impress me at all, just an easy going thriller. I cannot imagine what irritated Christians that much. I understand that the Catholic Church could be enraged by the uncovering of the Opus Dei maffia operations, but I don't see the big conflict in the rest. Maybe it was the unexpected success of the novel, some things are perceived as sharper than they are when everybody is aware of them.

People generally don't care as much for "truth" today as they did in the past. It's more what you feel... so the book despite its classification as fiction, should still be taken seriously in a culture that becomes more and more post-modern every day, within which anything is true if you want it to be.

Kurieuo.

Hmmm... I don't quite agree. Some people care a lot about the truth and feel that somewhat they were cheated by "established truths". Many feel very shy or disoriented about trying to find the truth by their own. An emergent phenomenon like this book is the opportunity to question openly those "truths".

I thought the book was a very good read. I was even involved in leading a small group within my Christian church. Although we were all intrigued by the book, we also had materials provided to us that gave a directed and thorough approach to understanding the truths versus the fictional areas. But let me reiterate the negative stance held by the Christian population...and in particular the Catholics. The book expresses that Mary and Jesus had an out-of-wedlock child, Sarah...right? That one piece of information would mean that Jesus was tempted, did sin...and therefore wasn't a Divine Being...but merely a sinning human just like the rest of us. It undermines the very foundation of what we, as Christians, have held as a truth for over 2000 years; that Jesus was the Son of God, a Devine Being, never experienced temptation, never sinned and died for our Salvation. Imagine the ultimate destructive spiritual and religious uprising that would occur if the foundation for all Christians was proven to be a hoax, a lie. It would mean that "faith," "belief," "hope" and "eternal life" with Him in Heaven...all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts...simply vanished. I can't imagine a more perfect scenario for hopelessness leading to helplessness for Christians.

And if you read my other posts, you'll see that I am for truth. That I believe such a book only encourages people to explore their faith. But I also believe that some people merely read and don't then take the time to discover the truths as described by religious historians. Therein lies the problem. But what I love about books such as these or movies such as The Passion? People share their thoughts and ideas. If we are ever to come together as a people, as a nation or brothers and sisters on a global scale...we need to communicate. It's the hot button issues we need to stop avoiding. It's not like they go away by ignoring them.


While links of any kind typically annoy me, I think it might help some. I apologize if it offends others. It's only to direct some who might want to listen to the story of one man's journey that enthusiastically tried to disprove the story of Jesus. Here's a link that decries that of a man, Lee Strobel, educated at Yale Law School, was the award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune and a spiritual skeptic until 1981. He was an atheist and went on a 2 year investigative journey interviewing acclaimed religious authorities (who he'll name openly) to disprove the truths of Jesus. He's now a minister. Go figure! It's audible...you don't have to read.

http://www.tmbc.org/Outreach%20to%20Uns ... Christ.htm


Anyway...there's my rant.

atheist wrote:Curious... I read the book without knowing what to expect. It doesn't impress me at all, just an easy going thriller. I cannot imagine what irritated Christians that much.

Well, no offense but as one who has rejected the Christian faith, I'm not suprised that you are blinded to the reasons why these concepts are obviously intended to undermine Christian faith and therefore why we take offense to them.

For what it's worth, Wendy made a pretty good summary. If there's anything about it that you may not understand fully, then please ask.