The DaVinci Code movie: Much ado about nothing

By Steve Boggess

I was raised in a Pentecostal "hell fire and brimstone" Bible-thumping church. The school I went to was also associated with the school, thus insuring the Christian based education that I got.

Now along comes the movie "The DaVinci Code" — author Dan Brown's phenomenal bestseller that, among other subjects besides secret societies and the Knights Templar, talks about the so-called "fact" that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdelene were married and Jesus fathered children, and that His bloodline has survived the ages.

The movie opens here in Wiesbaden, where I live and work on June 2 and I do indeed plan to be in line to see this movie that suggests that my religion and faith are wrong, and that the Catholic Church condemned the "other" gospels, also known as the Gnostic gospels.

There is also much controversy surrounding this movie due to its subject matter. Here in the European military community, several chaplains of different faiths and religions are prepared to hand out literature condemning the movie, and to tell those whose faith's might be upset to not pay any attention to it.

Most people have a problem with the fact that at the beginning of his book, Dan Brown offers the story line as "fact based" and having been thoroughly researched.

Makes for a good conversation starter don't you think? But what those who plan on protesting this movie have forgotten is that the more you protest something, the more interest you're generating in the very same subject you're protesting.

My faith, since childhood, is thoroughly entrenched. I do not believe that Jesus came to earth to marry Mary Magdelene and father children, and then die on the cross for our sins. What I do believe is that He came to earth, was born of a virgin, and knew from an early age what his earthly mission was, to die on the cross for mankind's sins.

I read this book when it first came out and thought it was a nail biter. It was most definitely a page turner and I did not want to go to bed at night because I wanted to see what mystery Robert Langdon was trying to solve while the French police were on his tail.

My hope is that the movie follows the plot of the book line by line, and that director Ron Howard doesn't take "liberties" with both. Another part of the problem, for some people, is that Mr. Howard does not offer any sort of disclaimer at the beginning of the movie.

My only displeasure with the movie is the casting of the main character, Tom Hanks as Robert Landon. Dan Brown describes him as being tall, muscular or athletic, and with a deep voice. In my untrained opinion, that role should have gone to Russell Crowe of "Gladiator" fame. But I am sure that Tom Hanks will own the role and do Robert Langdon justice. He is a professional actor, I am a fledgling writer

I have read all of Dan Brown's book thus far and also enjoyed "Angels and Demons," I read this book while being deployed to Iraq in 2004. I also read his book "Digital Fortress" and since I am not a computer geek or technological expert, the details weren't all that clear but the story line was amazing.

It is also my hope that for those who have not read this book, they do not take the movie as seriously as some people are in taking it as a personal attack on their faith.

For me, the bottom line is simply this: I know who I believe in, I know why He came here, I know that He did not get married as that would have not been a part of the original plan to come and shed His precious blood on the cross. I also believe that he died on the cross and was raised from the dead three days later. The movie for me will be a fun two and a half hours and nothing more.

Without trying to sound like I am judging or criticizing anyone, if you think this movie is more "fact based" than your beliefs and will make you question your faith, the family Bible is right where it was when you put it down the last time.

© Steve Boggess