A piece written while in New Jersey this past Thursday, after traveling to Washington, D.C. and New York City and giving a bazillion radio and television interviews.
What Do Christians Know?
by Carl E. Olson
Posted May 19, 2006The way some pundits and journalists are telling it, you might think that many Christians are too narrow-minded and emotionally fragile to understand that "The Da Vinci Code" is just a novel (and a movie and an industry). The common theme of more than few recent articles and editorials has been, "Hey, Christians, lighten up and realize that it's only fiction!"
Such pieces miss two important facts.
BTW, the original version of my essay included another, final paragraph:
Howard, to be fair, is simply following in the footsteps of Dan Brown. The novelist has had it both ways for three years now, saying his story is based on truth and fact while hiding behind the skirts of fiction whenever criticism comes his way. As G.K. Chesterton noted a century ago, “A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author. It does much more than that, it tells us the truth about its readers; and, oddly enough, it tell us this all the more the more cynical and immoral be the motive of its manufacture.” But, of course, Chesterton was a Christian, so what did he know?
Nice essay, Carl.
It's sad to read about an excellent actor like Sir Ian McKellen mouthing the crap quoted in Carl's essay. It makes me think:
"TDVC to rule them all; TDVC to find them
TDVC to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them
In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie."
Posted by: Cristina A. Montes | Monday, May 22, 2006 at 04:56 AM
Cristina: Very clever. And very true, sadly.
Posted by: Carl Olson | Monday, May 22, 2006 at 08:06 AM
Was it a good trip Carl? You were in New Jersey and you didn't stop by Philly? Carl! It's been a long time! You should have called. But again, I understand you were busy.
As for your essay:
Kudos! (not the trademarked and tasty snack, the kind reserved for congratulations.)
Firstly, I would like to say that I'm tired of Pundits. Sick of them. All of them. Right, left... they're barely doing any work. "Mr. Right, good afternoon."
"I'm honored to be here."
"Mr. Left, good afternoon."
"I am delighted to be here, and excited to finally meet Mr. Right."
"You two know a great deal about the things you are about to disagree about, is this true, first to you Mr. Right?"
"I would preface my answer by saying that I am certain that Mr. Left is an idiot and has not done his research. My answer is that yes, indeed I am quite intelligent and have been to many schools and done things of great talkiness."
"And Mr. Left?"
"I would preface my answer by saying that not only is Mr. Right wrong, he's twisting the truth. My answer however is that I too am quite intelligent and, in fact, I went to many of the same schools that Mr. Right has. I would add however that should Carl Olson be reading this, that my private school days in New England do not invalidate the rest of my education. I grew up in New England, and my public schooling failed me just as much as the next guy. That's why my parents enrolled me in..."
"I'm going to have to cut you short, Mr. Left, you've gotten off topic. First question: This thing that is happening in the world, who is right? Mr. Right?"
"Yes."
"Pardon?"
"I mean I'm right."
"Mr. Left?"
"I'm Right."
"That's an outright lie! Mr. Left you are not Mr. Right!"
"Please Mr. Right calm down. Mr. Left, you cannot be suggesting that you are actually right."
"I am."
"That's it. This guy's going too far!"
"All I'm saying is that I believe I am right."
"Alright cut it out both of you."
"You believe you're right... so what you're really saying is you're crazy."
"I... no I'm saying that I'm right."
"Shut it."
"Stop trying to take my identity! You can't twist the truth, buddy. That's un-American!"
"Don't call me Un-American! I fought in that war a while ago."
"Then you should know better!"
"Shut it. Shut it!"
"You're a jerk."
"No. You're a jerk."
"That's it I've had enough of you. Cut their mics. No, really cut their mics. Get off my show. Next up: More things to leave unresolved and to yell at one another about."
But I'm sorry, I got off track there. I was going to mention that the assertion in your essay that people who've bought into Dan Brown's truthiness are not Christian is either an assertion where there is data of some sort to back it up or I'm misunderstanding the statement "...the readers who have accepted some or all of Dan Brown's assertions about historical figures and events are not Christian." are we saying this in the "have no other god before me" sort of false-idol-not-Christian or the sort of "they never were Christian" sort of way? I mention it because to say that you wouldn't be fooled by lies because you are Christian is a dangerous assumption, and would leave many Christians vulnerable to being fooled by lies.
Other than that, I would say Kudos. Or Snickers. After all, sometimes you feel like a nut and caramel and sometimes you feel like a Kudos. And you Carl feel like a Kudos.
Posted by: Gaggle of DeerTM | Monday, May 22, 2006 at 12:44 PM
Gaggle: You cracketh me up! What I actually wrote was:
"First, that many (if not most) of the readers who have accepted some or all of Dan Brown's assertions about historical figures and events are not Christian. In fact, they appear to be decided non-Christian and quite happy that the mega-selling novel has finally "revealed" the truth about the allegedly nasty, violent, woman-hating Catholic Church."
The qualifiers "many" and "if not most" are, of course, quite important. My point is that while I am concerned that some Christians will be confused or misled by the Coded Craziness, I am even more concerned that non-Christians will be taken in by the Coded Craziness and will never consider a perspective different than that promoted by Dan Brown's novel.
Posted by: Carl Olson | Monday, May 22, 2006 at 02:28 PM
I think that Catholics are empowering The Davinci Code when they react so vehemently. Being a true Christian, I have to say I read the book and did find some value in it; however, it did nothing to lessen my faith in God and Jesus Christ. Having said that, I am not Catholic, so that could be a factor in my underwhelming reaction. Still, fellow Christians, it is a NOVEL (not the bible) so understnd that.
Posted by: Nancy Harlow | Monday, May 22, 2006 at 02:36 PM
Nancy: could the "value" you found in TDVC be the Catoholic-bashing aspect by any chance?
Posted by: MLC | Monday, May 22, 2006 at 03:39 PM
"1 John 2:22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. 23No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. "
Posted by: JUJU | Monday, May 22, 2006 at 04:42 PM
Carl I liked your comments on the fiction subject especially about The Davinci Code being taken serious. The bible you like it or not was written by man. Now if god himself told these people what to write or they just merely told their own version I dont know. I do know this, like when you play telephone when your younger by the time the message gets to you its usually totaly different. So stories are told different by different people, understood different by different people and like the siners we are changed to benefit our needs. So if the bible is fiction or not one thing is for sure that it has changed to benefit human being. Now humans are funny we think we need to know everything and be right about everything. The truth is that we as humans need values to keep a sociaty in control so we need a bible but we also need to question the rules because if we never did blacks would still be slaves, women would have no rights and so on. We are merely an ant in the universe that needs to understand that not everything is about us or surround us. We have to keep an open mind and understand that Reality is only what you allow yourself to see.
Posted by: DEIVYD AZEVEDO | Monday, May 22, 2006 at 05:14 PM
See, Deivyd, that's the nice thing about the written word. You needn't play the telephone game; simply check one copy of a text against earlier ones. The accounts of Jesus' life were preserved in writing, not vaguely mumbled from one generation to the next. There's a paper trail, not only of people copying those texts but also people writing about them and even people writing about people writing about them. We don't have to wonder whether (for example) the Gospel of John is more credible than the Gospel of Judas. That first paper trail goes all the way back -- the second doesn't. Never even mind that the designated successors of the Apostle John are with us today.
How do you suppose the dignity of women in Christianty compared to that permitted them by the pagan culture around them? What role do you suppose Christianity played in the Abolition movement? The record is there. Open your eyes.
Christianity's claims are comforting, but first they are challenging. I suppose it's tempting to regress to infancy and assume the belief that such things go away when you shut your eyes. However, reality isn't just "what you allow yourself to see." It's out there. It doesn't depend on you. It won't go away. As you say, we are all sinners. But we don't have to stop there. In Christ -- the Christ of the Bible -- we can find freedom and dignity.
Posted by: MenTaLguY | Tuesday, May 23, 2006 at 04:12 PM
Ofcourse the Da Vinci Code is fiction, because there is no documented proof that anyone by the name of jesus christ
was ever born to anyone named Mary. The jews could have cleared this JC nonsense up centures ago, they keep pretty good records of all jews from birth to death. Please, don't quote the bible as proof, the first four words of that book should begin with "Once upon a time". Any adult who believes
anything in that book will have to believe that we all are the product of incest, there were only two people ,one male.
one female in that fabled Garden of Eden ,remember!!! Oh, excuse me, and one TALKING snake.
Posted by: A Arruda | Friday, June 09, 2006 at 03:01 PM