This is from the “I wish I’d said that” file. James Randi in his column yesterday reports that the Archbishop of Genoa is advising people not to read “The Da Vinci Code” because (and I’m not making this up):
There is a very real risk that many people who read it will believe that the fables it contains are true.
Hahaha. Of course, I do agree that The Da Vinci Code and its precursor Holy Blood Holy Grail have been conclusively debunked. However, as Randi points out, the Archbishop:
…sees no conflict in the fact that a very much more popular book — also written with a background of actual historical characters and places — has similarly attracted a huge number of persons who have chosen to accept and embrace the conviction that its contents are not fables, but factual.
Randi is, of course, referring to this book, that he suggests should also be examined for truth. Ha, reminds me of when Harry Potter fans were warned about the dangers of reading it:
Critics … warn that without appropriate parental guidance, reading the Bible may make children unable to enjoy quality children’s literature. “Enjoying books such as Harry Potter or the Narnia series requires the ability to suspend disbelief... When children are taught that the Bible is absolutely literally true, and that a story like Noah’s Ark actually happened, the imagination is completely stifled – it’s very detrimental.”
(More at the link.)
Here’s an idea. Lets all email Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone (source, translate it with Babelfish), and recommend that he get some of these stickers:
With his obvious passion for the truth, the Archbishop will want to stick them on any Da Vinci Codes or Bibles he happens to see lying around.
I believe at one time,in my lifetime at least, that RCs were not allowed to read the bible, due to the inconsistences, and there is a quote from Browning, "there,s a great text in galatians, which, once stumbled on, entails twenty nine distinct damnations, one sure if another fails".
Posted by: big al | March 20, 2005 at 06:23 AM