I still haven't seen The Da Vinci code, and since no one has invited mo to watch the movie with them so far, I don't intend to. hehe. I've mentioned in a previous post that the movie has no appeal to me, no other particular reason. I'm not a member of the Opus Dei, nor am I a devout catholic. I'm aware of the controversies surrounding the movie, but no amount of controversies can make a seemingly dull movie appealing to me.
So maybe I'm not in a position to comment on the movie--- and i won't. (although critics have called both the book and the movie below average to average. They accused the fans as just people who have been caught up in all the hype) Instead, I'll comment on the people's behavior, particularly catholics. I'm not talking about those nuns, priests, bishops, and other die hard catholics who seek to ban the movie because they say it is an insult to their beliefs. I'm talking about ordinary catholics who surround me everyday, and a lot of them are fans of the book... and were first in line to see the movie.
First of all, I'm a catholic, but only because I was baptised before I was a year old. And yeah, I was a practicing catholic during my childhood and teen years--- i was enrolled in a catholic school after all. I prayed a lot, joined religious activities, completed the sacraments (at least those suited for my age), sang hymns, preached the good word to others--- all that. But then in college, I transferred to a state university, where there was no "official" religion. With no school authorities to "impose" catholic activities, with no religion classes to reinforce catholic values, and being exposed to Philosophy and to other people with different faith--- I guess the whole college experience was an eye opener, as least in terms of religion. After 4 years in college, I experienced a shift in my beliefs. I've witnessed several people argue that their religion is the right one. In each religion, there are different teachings, about who's the savior, with each religion having different prophets. It became tiring hearing all those people argue. On one hand, a group of people are saying their religion is the right one. On the other hand, another group with a different religion are saying the same things! Can't we all just get along?
I realized that with such arguments, no one can really win, because for as long as each person can remember, he or she has been taught certain beliefs that eventually become the foundation of their lives. This includes religion. No wonder the most brutal wars in history are fought over religion--- each one believes he is right, and he's willing to fight for that belief.
To make a long story short, I became an agnostic. Not an atheist! Those are two different things! I still believe that there is a God, that there is a superior being. How else can you explain the many mysteries in life? How else can you explain such order? Everything cannot be explained by chance alone. I've realized that with all different religions, there is a single superior being--- call him Allah, Yahweh, or by any other name. The common point in all faith is the belief in one God. And it is that common point which i believe in. For religions with multiple Gods, I think they are a collective, Gods with different traits united into a single superior power. The common point, therefore, is the belief in an entity superior to all men. The differences may be the work of men, conforming religion to suite their own wants and needs. I'm not saying that Christ and Mohammad are just myths. I believe they did exist, messengers of one God, but with different tools and approaches that resulted to the varied religions we have today. That's just my personal opinion, I'm not trying to pull in some converts. :)
Being an agnostic, I wonder why I seem to understand why the priests and nuns are so against the showing of The Da Vinci code, as opposed to the practicing catholics around me. I haven't read the book, but I know the central story, I know what it is all about. Granted, it is a work of fiction, and as adults, we should know how to differentiate reality from fantasy. That's the argument most fans of the book have--- they know it is just a work of fiction. But if that's really the case, how come a lot of those catholic readers admit that after reading the book, they became open to the possibility that the events told in the novel could probably be true? Many of them say they wondered about their faith after reading the book, even though they keep saying they know it is a work of fiction. But why entertain such thoughts at all? And in the first place, even if it is a work of fiction, Why read the book at all? why watch the movie? For curiosity? because of the controversy? It's not only a work of fiction, it is a mockery of Christianity. Doesn't reading the book mean support for the author? Isn't it like telling him "hey, it's okay for you to mock and bastardize my religious beliefs, as long as you say it's a work of fiction"? It can even be a precedent for other authors to capitalize on the issue. Controversy translates to money after all, and there are few things that are more controversial than attacking a religion.
Mockery is mockery. Slander is slander. Blasphemy is blasphemy. You can't sugar coat it in the pretense of a work of fiction. You can't just say you'd wish someone was dead, or write you'd murder someone then say it's okay since it's only in your imagination, or it's just something you wrote, it's just a part of an imaginary story in you mind, not something you'd really carry out. Brutal analogy, but exponentiate the former--- it's an analogy that makes sense nevertheless.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm only an agnostic on the outside, and deep down inside, I'm still the devout catholic from a few years back. And I wonder how can an agnostic understand why the religious leaders in the world are making such a fuss. I wonder why self professed catholics mock their own leaders, calling them overacting, paranoid, making mountains out of molehills, etc. etc. etc. Maybe I'm a better catholic than those practicing catholics after all.
Maybe.
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