Local church leaders believe truth will override theories of
controversial movie, which opens May 19
Murder, ancient secret societies and perhaps even the secret to the Holy Grail are coming to the South Valley, all wrapped up in the controversial package of the movie “The Da Vinci Code.”
The film, based on the novel of the same name by Dan Brown, is taking theaters by storm May 19. Though the book and film have caused national debates, local churches seem to be taking the projected blockbuster in stride.
“We’re not telling people to see it or not to go see it; we didn’t even do that with ‘The Passion of the Christ,'” said Michael Burchfield, a pastor at West Hills Community Church in Morgan Hill. “We’re going to have an opportunity to have our congregation ask questions about the book and address some of the things in there that aren’t accurate historically or aren’t accurate. My view on it is that Dan Brown wrote the book as a work of fiction, and it is a work of fiction, and many of our congregants have read the book and I think they’ve taken it as a work of fiction.”
Leaders of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, a national organization, have pressed the film’s director, Ron Howard, to put a disclaimer at the beginning of the movie telling audiences the movie is fiction. Howard has refused. The book and movie have also been called anti-Catholic and anti-Christian by other religious organizations.
“I think the Catholic League may be over reacting a little bit here,” said Father Dan Derry of St. Mary’s Catholic Parish in Gilroy. “It’s a very interesting read, and (Brown) has some facts in it, but they’re all distorted. People who have read the book have some questions about the history and some of the groups in the book, but I think most people understand that this is a novel.”
Other religious leaders in the South Valley also take a different view from the Catholic League, saying it’s so easy to disprove theories offered in “The Da Vinci Code” that they aren’t concerned about the popularity of the book and projected success of the movie.
“I just got back from Israel, and we got to see these archeological sites that are each a testimony to the truth of the Bible,” said Matt Valencia, a pastor at Calvary Chapel in Gilroy. “The Bible contains 66 different books, over 40 different authors, it was in three languages on four continents and written over a span of 1,500 years, but it was all done in harmony. Thousands of years later, some person comes and writes another book that says, ‘That book you hold is full of holes, there are all kinds of problems with it,’ but that book is fiction. Our book has withstood the test of time.”
A “fact” page prefaces the novel, claiming that the documents, rituals, organization, artwork and architecture in the novel all exist. On his Web site, Brown emphasizes the book is a work of fiction and the theories he presents are not fact.
“While it is my belief that some of the theories discussed by these characters may have merit, each individual reader must explore these characters’ viewpoints and come to his or her own interpretations,” Brown writes on the site. “My hope in writing this novel was that the story would serve as a catalyst and a springboard for people to discuss the important topics of faith, religion, and history.”
Burchfield, Valencia and Derry all said they eventually plan to see the movie to better answer congregant’s questions about the highly controversial theories presented. To read about the theories, see the sidebar attached to this story. But be warned, reading it will give away major plot elements within the movie and will likely spoil the experience if you haven’t yet read the book.
