A high schooler asks about the Coded Craziness. Will the USCCB be next?

From a young lady:

Hi im a high school student researching novels with controversies. The Da Vinci Code is one at the top of my list. I was wondering if you could provide your opinion on the matter.
Like,

Is everything Dan Brown wrote about in his novel false?
Are you a very religious person?
Do you not accept his novel just because he goes against some things in religion?
Or does anything he wrote strike true?
How did his book affect religious beliefs?
Or the community as a whole?
What made you decide to speak out against his writing?
How did it personally affect you?

My response:

Thanks for your note. Due to a very busy schedule, my responses will be necessarily short. However, I'm also providing some links (see below) to articles I've written and interviews I've given that will help flesh out my remarks.

Is everything Dan Brown wrote about in his novel false?

No. Granted, he is correct in saying that Paris is in France, London is in England, and Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian painter. All true! But after that, it's hard to find much that is completely accurate or factual. Seriously. It really is that bad.

Are you a very religious person?

Yes. And, overall, I've found it to be far more interesting, challenging, positive, and wonderful than most non-religious people make it out to be. But I've also found that people who claim to be non-religious are surprisingly religious in their obsessive dislike for things religious.

Do you not accept his novel just because he goes against some things in religion?

No. Sure, I have concerns about the many bigoted and anti-Catholic remarks made throughout The Da Vinci Code. But I have serious problems with Brown's novel because it is filled with errors and falsehoods that are insulting to both atheists and theists, not to mention polytheists and pantheists — to anyone with any sense of fairness, really. As my co-author, Sandra Miesel (a medieval historian, by the way) has rightly noted, even if she weren't insulted as a Christian by the novel, she'd be insulted as a historian.

Or does anything he wrote strike true?

No, not really. It's quite amazing, frankly, how little he gets right about nearly every topic, subject, idea, and notion addressed or depicted in the novel. You would think he wrote it as a joke.

How did his book affect religious beliefs?

I suppose that depends on each reader. Some readers seem to think the novel exposes the "truth" about Catholicism. Some are angered by it. Some are amused by it. Many are not sure what to think about it. I can say, however, that The Da Vinci Code will probably not affect official Catholic doctrine in any way, shape, or form. After all, it's not clear that Dan Brown speaks Latin.

Or the community as a whole?

What community are you referring to? Catholic? Humanity in general? The question is too broad and vague for me to answer.

What made you decide to speak out against his writing?

I decided to critique the claims made in Brown's novel because it was obvious that many readers believed those claims were accurate, factual, and well-researched. Since they aren't any of those things, I thought it might be good to set the record straight for readers who were looking for answers but might not have the time or energy to wade through stacks of books and piles of papers.

How did it personally affect you?

It sometimes seems that I spend every waking hour talking about The Da Vinci Code. On the plus side, I also get to talk often of the truth about early Christianity, the Catholic Church, and related topics. And I got to be on "Geraldo" for 52 seconds. You can't put a price on those sort of nearly mystical experiences.

Finally, here are some links:

• Excerpts from our book, The Da Vinci Hoax:
• "The "It's Just Fiction!" Doctrine: Reading Too Little Into The Da Vinci Code"
• "Dismantling The Da Vinci Code" by Sandra Miesel
• Interview with me
• Interview with my co-author, Sandra Miesel
• Many other articles and interviews

Thanks again for your e-mail and best wishes with your project.

Sincerely,

Carl E. Olson

Comments

[Ed Peters]

She wrote: "Hi im a high school student researching novels with controversies. The Da Vinci Code is one at the top of my list. I was wondering if you could provide your opinion on the matter."

She meant: "Hello Mr. Olson. I am a high school student researching controversial novels. 'The Da Vinci Code' is at the top of my list. I was wondering if you could please write my paper for me. I do not feel like looking anything up myself. Thank you for considering this request."

[Carl Olson]

Ed: You taught high school at one time, didn't you? ;-)

[Jackson]

Way to go, Carl. I think this will be good for her.