John Mallon, contributing editor of Inside the Vatican magazine, has written a fine essay about the Coded Craziness, the nature of faith, and our culture's obsession with conspiracy theories. He writes:
But what really got me thinking was the nice old-fashioned expression
the editor used about “those weak in faith.” It got me thinking about
the nature of faith. I could imagine readers of this book, including
Catholics, falling into an infinite loop of doubt, asking, “But how do
you know?” when someone tries to explain that the book is false
regarding Catholicism. For example, the novel asserts that Jesus was
not God, but fell in love and married Mary Magdalene and had a child
with her, and from the very beginning the Church has sought to cover
this up. Why? Critics of the Church would argue because it is a threat
to the “male hierarchy’s” “power base” and that the Church has a
“negative” view of women and sexuality.
No need to imagine that some readers (both Christian and otherwise) have fallen into doubt and confusion because of the novel. It has happened and is happening. In addition, millions of readers are having their understanding of the Catholic Church and Christianity tainted, even warped, by the claims made within TDVC. Here is just one of many possible example, an e-mail sent to me by a fan of the Coded Craziness:
Dan’s books are an excellent read. My wife loves him. Read Angels and Demons first.
Have I read the Gospels of Thomas and Mary... Yup! At least translations of the fragments found.
Joseph Campbell introduced Thomas to us PBS types some 20 years ago and referred to the Nag Hamadi [sic] library.
Drink from my lips and you will be as me....
Now that works for me. Epinoae: direct knowledge! That tracks with Jesus’ Buddhist training in India. And the Vedic teachings that I have read.
Then years of Elaine Pagels’ wonderful books.
Her “Beyond Belief” introduced me to the Gospel of Mary. Now this makes sense! Jesus true second... a balanced yin/yang...opposite, yet the same... the two again becoming the One.
But that little hoser, Peter, was having none of that. Equality with a women?? Not this narrow minded patriarch. Like most men of the House of David, he probably preferred goats. In a hissy fit, he declared that only what he knew was true. And, of course, he didn’t know anything because Jesus didn’t give him anything. OOOOOh, he was miffed!
But the followers of Mary grew happily until Iernaeus decided that one size must fit all and ( in memory of the toasted Polycrap) declared believers of views other than his as heretics = ‘able to choose’. Say what?? One little pinhead decides for us all? the killing in the name of Jesus begin!
Then, several years later, Constantine, ever the political realist, saw in this a simple way to control people. Divide them into the blessed and the cursed. Give the blessed, through the supervisor, a license to kill the cursed ( ohh, the sweetness of killing in the name of God!!). Works off much animus, that. Veeery clever. Then those who killed feel bad, as they should. The supervisor sez ‘ya done good! now bow down to God....and his rep here on Earth, me....and the emperor too who allows you to kill them free thinkers!’
Nicea froze this insanity for 1600 years with several, politically inspired tracts of quite dubious provinance.
Dan Brown is just a very happy coincidence. He said what many of us believe the orthodox church is all about power and nothing about God. Why would he debate with you? Your noise sells more of his books!
So we are exploring the true Jesus without the incumberance of parisite-priests trying to keep their bellies fed. Light and sweet! We’re just the meteor at the end of the age of ‘the church’. ...
Remember, Dan is a storeyteller capitalizing on a growing movement to bring Mary (the sacred feminine) back home again. He didn’t start it. Attacking him just shows your denial of what is really going on: ‘the Rock’ crumbling into sand as the Goddess commands. Evolution. I love it.
