quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker If I was a dictator I'd be scared of God as well.

ha! that's the point, it was the clergy not God himself they were scared of

___________________
Just surrender yourself to the rhythm,
With your hands up in the sky,
Feel the energy deep inside your system
And leave this world behind...

quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker If I was a dictator I'd be scared of God as well.

Thats why you become a christian dictator like Hitler! Then you cant go wrong for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by FunkyGroove someone once said - religion is opium for the masses many dictators in the past felt very threatened by the amount of power religion and clergy can have on people

thats why castro in cuba erradicated all religious congregations after the revolution of 59. i was basically educated as an atheist. i don't believe he is afraid of god at all.

about the book and god: god is dead. there is no god and the book is not good, there are way better detective stories out there.

___________________
"Are you-are you sad?"
-No.
"But your-your songs are sad."
-My songs are of time and distance. The sadness is in you. Watch my arms. There is only the dance. These things you treasure are shells.
"I-I knew that. Once."

i'm pretty far from the church too, but still...i do believe there are higher powers out there..

___________________
Just surrender yourself to the rhythm,
With your hands up in the sky,
Feel the energy deep inside your system
And leave this world behind...

I've come to the motto of "Dont hate the man, hate the fanclub." type of thought as well.

quote:

Originally posted by FunkyGroove someone once said - religion is opium for the masses

Yes, that would be Karl Marx; not exactly a great guy you want as support for your agruement. Which leads me to this director and his movie...

Actually, before I get into this, let me disclaimer myself now.
While I'm not a 'religious' person myself (if asked, I would classify myself as 'Christian'), I do have great respect for those that choose to align themselves with whatever religious denomination.
Now with that out of the way...

I'm getting the drift that the movie/book is very misleading and full of theoretical holes but for whatever reason, a good portion of the public is passing it off as fact and are therefore, 'astonished'.
Why would people do that if they don't know the whole truth?
Either the book/movie is that good or people are willing to be lead by the nose into a realm they really no nothing about. Because it's such a high profile religion, something must be wrong. Really?
A cloak and dagger senario within the Catholic Church isn't anything new. Why does the Catholic Church get picked on so much?
My theory is because it's one of the oldest yet most misunderstood even though we walk or work by people of Catholicism every day.
There's an area of mystery behind centeries old books and traditions which has caught the mind and imagination of millions, so the author has done his job in that, however does he disclaimer himself before leading people down this path?

The church should be upset. This guy is making millions of dollars on a lie. How much has he offered the church for his damages?
If this had been done in the Muslim realm you can bet there'd be a fatwa tagged on his ass, fiction or not...

You can argue that he may have just done his job as an author, I would argue that while he may have done that, he's hurt others in the process as well.
[/QUOTE]

___________________
"...End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path...one that we all must take.
The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass...and then you see it...
...white shores...and beyond...the far green country under a swift sunrise."

quote:

Originally posted by Fir3start3r The church should be upset. This guy is making millions of dollars on a lie. How much has he offered the church for his damages? If this had been done in the Muslim realm you can bet there'd be a fatwa tagged on his ass, fiction or not...

How much evil has been done in the name of The Church's lies?

How much has The Church offered to the people it led its inquisitions and crusades against?

Yes, well, the Muslims don't even allow images of Muhammad (see sig), but thankfully the Christians are a little more rational than THAT.

___________________
I'm the trouble starter, fuckin' instigator.
I'm the fear-addicted, danger illustrated.

i'm sorry but what "damages"? true Catholics will not turn away from their religion in the name of some Hollywood movie or a book

or should the author make some generous donations to go directly into oh so corrupted clergy's pocket to silence the angry?

___________________
Just surrender yourself to the rhythm,
With your hands up in the sky,
Feel the energy deep inside your system
And leave this world behind...

quote:

Originally posted by FunkyGroove i don't understand why clergy all around the globe is angered so much - the book is freaking fiction

The priests in India did not allow the movie to be released there!!

quote:

Originally posted by FunkyGroove i'm sorry but what "damages"? true Catholics will not turn away from their religion in the name of some Hollywood movie or a book or should the author make some generous donations to go directly into oh so corrupted clergy's pocket to silence the angry?

Well at least we know where you stand lol.

A straightforward disclaimer would have been a good idea...
Now we have nutjobs believing it's actually true, Da Vinci tours, yata, yata.

I don't understand how people figure the author isn't responsible for anything.
I'm not excusing the church, every religion has had it's problems but the fact is, billions of people follow this particular religion.
You just don't bad-mouth a religion for nothing without an agenda.
There's nothing with wanting to make a buck but I object to the ethics in this case.

___________________
"...End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path...one that we all must take.
The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass...and then you see it...
...white shores...and beyond...the far green country under a swift sunrise."

Personally I am angered by the little book called the bible. I think it is one big massive lie ! They are hipocrites being angered by Dan Brown, at least he admits his writing is fictional.

quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker Why has The Da Vinci Code sold tens of millions of copies worldwide? Is the book’s phenomenal success due to its compelling characters, thrilling plot points, or impeccable research? No. The Da Vinci Code has become an international hit because of its lurid prose and its sensationalistic—even blasphemous—claims regarding the "true" history of Christianity.

WRONG! its because of the hot chick on the cover