Today, I have watched the Da Vinci Code, the movie. I have read the book before. I am not brainwashed to believe EVERYTHING what I read or see is true. In fact, it even spurs me, a non-Christians to take interest and research in related areas. A goal Dan Brown has achieved, and what the Pope and the Bishops and the Pastors will have been glad of.
There are many points to be discussed, of course even up to the point of religious, the topic of all sensitivity. I have however taken some of the points that what Dan Brown claims is true are unfortunately not bona fide. An example will be the Priory of Sion in which I will have never believe the great Sir Issac Newton is actually a gandmaster. Anyway the Priory of Sion has been proven to be a hoax created by Pierre Placard. Priory of Sion in fact exists until 1956, but its aims and members are quite unexpected from the Priory as described in the Da Vinci Code and the texts by Placard. There are of course some truth like Mary Magdalene is not a prostitute. But as of the Sangreal and Holy Grail's theory, and the conspiracies in the movie, it is still too nebulous to be a fact.
I have also liked the comparison of different symbols in the beginning as done by the main character, Robert Langdon, in the movie. What we percieved the meaning of, events or symbols, might not be what we really discern as, or simply the facts. This is why narrow-mindedness and close-mindedness is a negative aspect (obviously). But still, people do not realise they are like this when they hold so strongly to their faith that they ignore the importance of open-mindedness. Having strong faith is in fact plaudits to many, but when it is a blind and extreme one that even mistakes are acknowldeged as truth; or dismissing others as heretics, outcasts, saturnic, infidels indiscriminately, just because of different opinions and ideology, then it is dissenting, nasty, minacious and unconstructive.
My friends and I have discussed a lot of Christianity and the early civilisations like the Sumerians, Eygptian and the Greek. We even argued over the point as to which Discriminations or Politics or Selfishness is the root cause of all conflicts and wars.
We have also explored the facts and the fictions in the Bible up to the point of Roman periods and how it affected the faith and the religion. We also lament how many Christians and Catholics in the world today, friends around us who only have the "reckless" faith and sadly a blind one. They have become so obsessed in the faith and sayings that they refuse to keep an open mind and take fictions as total facts and take Bible as a history text. I do not want to criticise faith, but neither do I want to see people becoming so faithful that discriminations and accusations soon occur, resulting in straining of human relationships. This is in fact dangerous, for meaningless conflicts and wars have arises because of narrow-mindedness. Discussing the Bible and the faith is not wrong. Pin-pointing is okay. But many of my Christians friends have become so inundated that they will become excessively angry and emotional when certains questions are raised. I will have asked them how can they convince others if they will to show unwilling attitude. Only by explaining amiably do them and their faith gain better respect from the others.
To me and many others, other than many Protestants or Catholics, all of the people who believed in Bible, God and Christ should in fact be Christians (A lot of Protestants will have insisted calling themselves Christians). Imagine my shock when I realise that even Christian itself will have disagreements and conflicts. Catholics and Protestants have in fact showed displeasure when discussing about each of their religious issues even up to today. And History will have shown that the conflicts between the Bishops and the Pastor as disastrous. So what is wrong? Have God been split into two? Either way, each sides will have claimed that the outsourcing of their faith comes from their own sides [I do not know which side's version is true]. I think a religion should be homogenous. Even if there are some diversity, the discrepancy must not be too great to cause a quarrel and unhappiness or even tension. Do you see Buddhist monks in Shao Lin China arguing among basic beliefs with the Thailand Buddhist monks or Tibetian Buddhists today? (I do not want to hear people saying that I am being very bias by always depicting Buddhism as a better edge to Christians. This is not my point, for there are conflicts of interest too when Buddhism becomes politics, and desires become greed, from history to present. Even for other religions, same conflicts also occur even today.)
Having a slightly different opinions, does not necessary mean that you are a devil, a Lucifer or Satanic. In fact Saturn in pagan Romans (Latin: Saturnus) was a major Roman deity of agriculture. He was identified in classical antiquity with the Greek deity Cronus, and the mythologies of the two gods are commonly mixed. But to the Christians, Saturn is evil and a devil, anti-thesis to God. In fact, our day, "Saturday" comes from the word Roman pagan "Saturn". So if Saturn is so evil, then Saturday must be an unholy day. Is this true? All of us will have to ask ourselves, for a day we spent on leisure; For some, half a day on work; And a day just before the renewed week day "Sabbath" (Sunday, and the day which is percieved to be the rest day of monothelite God); Is Saturday dangerous?
Number 6 and anything regarding to 6 is holy to the Sumerians, who are widely accepted to be the first civilisation in the world to fit the characteristics of civilisation. This is why we have 60 minutes as 1 hour, 60 seconds as 1 minute. Sumerians are the one who break up our time, and this framing and application of time principles has been used even today. 6,60 and 360 are holy numbers to Sumerians and Eygptians (This is why Eygptians break their annual year to be 360 days plus 5 days of celebration of Eygptian Gods). Anything with a 6. In fact, the SUmerians respect "6" so much that it eventually become part of the symbols of their important gods.
There is some logic behind this. idolisation of "6" If you prefer to look into Mathematical concept, 60 is the smallest integer that can divided by 1,2,3,4,5 and 6. However this is not a proof but a theory as to why any 6 is significant to the Sumerians. (Read more on Sumerians and their civilisations)
So even if there is 6 6 6, to the ancient Sumerians, they will not shout "Devils!" but instead "Holy!".
Many of my Christian friends will never have known the true history of Jeus Christ. (I will like to stress MANY and not all. However the situation has become so lousy that I can only say 10% of the Christians I met are amiable and comfortable enough not to be narrow-minded.)
Or that they simply refuse to believe history and facts even when there are evidences proven in texts and literature of not one but many cultures. They never look back to history in which their faiths are based. They will resolutely close their eyes when even evidences are presented, shut their ears when some narrative texts are being given. Without using their senses and a open and proper mentality, they then conclude that the others are wrong and heretic. This will indeed make me shake my head even more and walk away sighing. I will have asked, since I always choose to listen to them, but why do I not get the equal treatment.
I will cringe when everythings seems to be only answered as "God wants it this way". This is a lazy explanation to me. It seems that "God" to those friends of mine, is the absolute key that can open any puzzles in the world. This may be true, philosophically speaking, but is very flimsy, and a weak answer. Technically, who wants "God wants it to be this way ..." in every aspects of our lives. When we used Science to explain, then those friends of mine will have said, "Ah! It is God who want the Science to be this way ..." (Or the meaning will go to God who create Science and not humans). But those friends of mine almost forgot that during the early periods, especially from the 15th century, every Scientists or the people who believed in Science have been condemned and persecuted by the Christians until the recent centuries, when Science is widely accepted and recognised. It seems that it is the "In-Charge"s who want it this way, and not truly the God in the recent centuries. At this point of time, those friends of mine will feel so offended that I become their "enemy" and worst, "Devils", right away. They will accuse me of being blasphemous, sacrilegious and irreverence to God. They refuse to talk to me and open up further conversations, just because I think I have pointed out some issues. This is why I learnt my lessons well, and plainly do not talk anything about religions or even History and Philosophy in front of them. To me, they are still not open-minded and mature enough to listen to points. I believe a TRUE God will not punish a person who just want to clarify issues. Instead, indiscriminate refusals and denial are just pure glibberish and a big insult to God.
Taking only a narrow view that the Bible is ALWAYS real and DEFINITELY a true answer to all is dangerous. To me, I have always feared that my friends will be easily manipulated and be abused by people especially from the "above" who are waiting to fulfill their own dark selfish desires.
(A word of advise to the preachers ...)
A good preacher must in fact be responsible, to practise what they preached. To know the content of his/her religion well. Do not discriminate information and conclusions. Do not dismiss others readily. Get the facts right before insisting on further issues. Do not choose to ignore certain facts and issues. Do not deselect others readily, and most importantly do not be aggressive and forceful. It is not a competition but a matter of conviction. Open-mindness will help a lot, respecting others and making your point gently, firmly and cohesively will be the best way. Arguments are inevitable, but never be hostile. Momentously, Always listen and hear what others got to talk about.
I am not saying Bible is wrong, but it is important to understand the Bible, instead of closing both eyes and throwing the other books away. I have even harboured the thought that if there are lesser hostility form the pioneer and our ancestors of Christianity, then perhaps, there will be more followers and true followers today. Some lies, cover-up and conspiracy no doubt will have casted the negative light on this GREAT religion. If Christianity is built on total pureness and truthness, I believe that even skeptics will be won over. But alas, sometimes, it is the humans, and that humans will always be selfish and leads to politics, and this affects the pureness of a religion. Eventually it is the humans who interpret and write the Bible. Even if it is from God's or Christ's original sayings, other humans can still be wrong (Either by motives or error) while compiling the information.
It is important to take note that Christian is not the ONLY source of faith. Its faith arises from merging and acquiring of the earlier civilisations' faiths such as from the pagan. And over the year, Christianity has evolved and processed and make itself up to date to become today. Example will be the Emperor Constantine and his bishops actually allowed only 4 Gospels (John,Mark,Luke and Matthew) to be the basis of the Bible today. (Christians must remember that it is the Romans who persecute them, but ironically Romans are also the one that help their Religion to grow and become today.) [However, Constantine who is a life-long pagans might have a darker political motive for his conversion of faith.]
The other Gospels including the controversial Gospel of Judas have actually existed but was purposefully ignored because of the clashing beliefs of the 4 basic Gospels and other various reasons. Other famous Gospels will be Gospel of Peter (St.Peter who is an important apostle, yet his Gospel is not accepted by Constantine and Bishops), Thomas and even Mary Magdalene. However, the "Heads" particularly the Vaticans have labelled the writers and believers of the other Gospels as Gnostics (Which is not really a compliment). Worst, some Gnostics who simply have a different but reasonable opinions are even condemned as Heretics and Devils by the people in power.
Christ's birthday,Good Friday and Easter; the REAL last supper; John the Baptist; the story of Simon (The rival of Christianity at Roman time); Eucharist (also called Holy Communion, or the Lord's Supper)—a ritual in which small amounts of bread and wine are consecrated and then consumed; Mary and Jeus resemblance to Isis and Horus. All of the above should be checked with the Bible and historical contexts so as to gain a further understanding. And that Christians, no matter Protestants, Catholics or even Jenovah's Witness should gain that further insights and apprehension of their own faith. In fact, many words conceived may not be from Jeus Himself but "St.Paul", an avid follower and also apostle of Jeus Christ and the father of Churches. (His teachings are quite wide-spread, and is found in modern context today such as the Holy Trinity for Catholics)
Not only the Christians, but in fact all the other religions in the world should have this type of healthy mentality. Scholars and the Historians should have the utmost responsibility in providing good and proper religious interpretations and facts. While the "In-Charge"s of the religions should be accountable in what they preached to their followers. Certainly, politics, selfishness, dominance, greed and discrimination will surface
once certain powers are derived. Nonetheless, if everyone will to have open-mindedness, to be receptive and impartial, to be unbiased and amenable, then the world will be a better and peaceful place.
(Note: I am not anti-Christians. Neither do I want to offend all. But that I hope that Bible may be a key to the answer, but it is not the "ONLY" key to answer. I respect this religion, but still facts and fiction must always have a line, the invisible line of "Limits".)
The Jews(or Israelites) which descended from Hebrews and the Arabians should know that they descent from one. They are Semitics, and from the same source. They should in fact look at their history, as to how their ancestors successfully co-exist, and to work towards a better future.
I believe they will respect and appreciate each other more, and lesser conflicts and no wars(Example will be the modern Israel and the Middle-East ongoing wars) will have occured, if they are more open-minded and the remembrance that they in fact share the same ancestors. Even their religions are of the same source, Islam and Christians; The Qurans and the Holy Bible. There is Old testaments including the ten commandents, then the New testaments. The source and the beginning from the book, Genesis. At first, Judaism, follow by a more compiled Christianity, then Islam, Catholics and then the movement Protestants, follow by many. People simply has overlooked the importance of History ...
Which fathers and mothers will want to see their sons and daughters fighting against each other over mudane affairs?
Such is the Close-mindedness and selfishness of the Humans ... Hai~~ ... Indeed, "So Dark the Cons of Man ..." [From the Da Vinci's code] ...
(Edited on 31/5/2006, 0040 hrs, Wednesday)
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