The movie version of The DaVinci Code is coming out soon, and I must admit that I'm conflicted. I read the book and found it amusing, despite the many times that it was completely off-base. It was fiction. It was entertaining. After all, I could afford to laugh. It didn't attack the basis of my religion.
In the big wide world out there, Christians are starting to get up in arms about the movie. And sho can really blame them? The movie is aimed at attacking the very foundations of their religion and one can hardly blame them for being annoyed. (I remember my own response to one off-hand misrepresentation of Judaism) Although I have little sympathy for anyone who calls for bans or boycotts, I would not blame any Christian who refused to watch the movie.
Which raises the question- will I go to see it? On one hand, it promises to entertaining and fast-paced, with witty dialogue and so forth. (Actually, once you know the ending, it may not even be so good. But let's put that to the side.) On the other hand, maybe, just this once, it might behoove me to take offense at something aimed at someone else.
Remember the Passion furor? Forget whether or not you agreed that the movie was offense- I remember how everyone seemed to feel that for anyone to watch it was offensive to our community. I don't feel that way about this, but maybe there's something to be said for coming to somebody else's aid, for refusing to give money to something aimed at another group.
And maybe the whole issue seems silly to me. The book is, after all, fiction. But if it were fiction that was so virulently offensive to me, I don't think that I would face the issue with the same equanimity. Everyone takes offense at different things, and this is not my battle. But maybe it's a battle that I should respect?
I don't know what I'm going to do. Or rather, I doubt that I will see the movie, but this is more a product of the rarity with which I watch movies than a moral stance. But then again, I wasn't particularly shocked by the Passion either. (I was slightly tempted to see it for the Aramaic- how many times will that skill have any practical applications?) But all those of you out there who may have been shocked that anyone would have gone to see a movie that affronted them- how can we justify not having the same sensitivity towards others?
7 comments:
I begin to sense a theme in your blogging, woman. You want to watch that tendency, maybe. As to the issue it raises, however...I don't disagree with you in theory. practically speaking, however, I feel that the issue stems less from the fact that it attacks certain basic fundamental beliefs than from the ridiculously widespread popularity of the book. The Passion raised a lot of noise BECAUSE it was controversial. Ppl were reading the Da Vinci code before they knew any of that stuff was in it, bc it was on all the bestseller lists and all their friends were reading it. I think that'll have something to do with the popularity of the movie as well - the fact that ppl like a well-paced, well-structured, original story, not the fact that it's taking Christianity down. Wheras the Passion was created to be a controversy and so everyone who went to it was automatically feeding into that side of it . I'm just saying, I'm not sure it's two entirely comparable situations.
A theme? Like the fact I do it only once a week and then can't formulate my random thoughts?
no, it was just the last two that were all abt "let's think abt other ppl's social causes..." it was a silly comment, bc I agree with you, more or less though not completely, on most of these issues, but it was just funny bc it was one after the other...hey ever notice how the comments on our blogs tend to be conversations betwn you and me?
i beleive christianity is based on lies so why should i not watch it in solidarity with people who want others to believe in those lies? eventhough the book is fictional, and offers fictional reasons to doubt the church, isnt it better if people do end up doubting it, regardless of the reasons?
sorry for budding into your private conversation, tobie and miri :)
The more the merrier. ;)
Anyway- I also do not believe in Christianity, but nor do I believe the allegations of this book. I think that Christianity is a great moral step forward from atheism, or the paganism that the book really advocates. So I would prefer that a major, moral, monotheistic religion is not attacked by paganistic forces, and my sympathies lie on the side of the people being attacked rather than the attackers.
First of all, the comment abt the private conversation was meant sarcastically. we're more than happy to have anyone else join in. second, the fact that one does not believe in Christianity isn't a good reasonm to encourage others to attack it, especially if they have their own belief system they'd rather others not attack. but it's probably more dangerous than anything else to encourage ppl to believe in lies, even if they discourage a belief we don't agree with, bc it renders ppl incapable or at least unwilling, to research, reason, and discover truth for themselves. that's really the most harmful thing of all; not that I want to get political here or anything, but Israel today is threatened by a Hamas-led nation bc of it's widespread encouragement of belief in lies. as the song goes, potatoe, potahtoe. it's really the same thing with a slightly different accent. :)
Post a Comment