Spirit and Story

The Power of The Da Vinci Code

By Irwin Kula 

The media furor surrounding The Da Vinci Code has, not surprisingly, deteriorated into the usual story line – Hollywood vs. the Church, freedom-of-expression fundamentalists vs. religious fundamentalists.  We all know the script. 

There are the Defenders-of-the-Faith, the conservative Christians and traditional Catholics protecting the sanctity of their religion against the heresy and blasphemous premises of the film (and book) – that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and they had a child creating a blood line that still exists.  Of course, the defenders-of-the-faith express outrage at the “cultural elites’” ongoing disrespect of Christianity and call for bans and boycotts. 

On the other side are the Freedom-of-Expression-Purists who are equally outraged that anyone might want to force their beliefs on others or want to curtail artistic rights. They are dumbfounded at the inability of people to see the difference between fact and fiction. 

In the end, isn’t this a tiresome and banal battle between these two outraged “victim” groups? 

It’s a shame, because embedded in this polarity there’s an enlightening conversation waiting to be had.  But maybe it’s not too late. Maybe there still time before the attendance numbers are counted to bring to the table the important questions; to invite the millions of people – religious and secular – who did or didn’t see or read The Da Vinci Code – to the same table. 

What does the popularity of The Da Vinci Code say about our desire for meaning and spiritual connection, our views about organized religion, our feelings about family, our understanding of divinity and our fears and even more important our hopes about religion?

Wouldn’t it be more religiously appropriate for outraged Christians to be a little more secure about their faith?  Is it really possible that a fictional crime thriller could undermine a 2000 year old religion and throw its followers into a crisis of faith?  Is there even something spiritually profound that The Da Vinci Code may be evoking?  Perhaps they ought to ask, “How would Jesus react” to millions of people engaged by the thought that Jesus was married and fathered a child?  Might we discover Jesus saying something like “Your deep desire and enjoyment in seeing me married and with a child reflects your ever deeper longing for me to be more real in your life and your yearning for the unconditional love of a father and a mother.  Let’s talk”.

Wouldn’t it be more intellectually sophisticated for our outraged freedom-zealots to be a little less self righteous about how a movie (even if it’s based on a novel) that accuses the Church of a misogynist conspiracy held together by a murderous group of conservative Roman Catholics might be a bit offensive to people of good will and deep faith?  Wouldn’t it be more productive to reflect on the more challenging emotional truth the popularity of The Da Vinci Code may be evoking?  Perhaps they ought to use their power of deconstruction to think about why we so enjoy and are entertained by challenging our inherited traditions and undermining our established institutions.  Perhaps we would discover that underlying all of our artistic efforts is an ever deeper desire to genuinely believe.

As the players in this predictable controversy continue perpetrating their culture war, perhaps we who simply enjoyed The Da Vinci Code and those of us who simply refused to see it can get together, admit that we’re tired of the same old polarities, and start a new conversation.   Maybe that would unlock an even more powerful code.

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