Sophie Neveu’s grandfather, Jacques Suaniere, was the leader of the goddess worship cult which was part of his work as the grand master of the Priory of Scion. As the grand master he participated in a religious ceremony which included having sexual intercourse with one of the female leaders of the cult. Sophie became alienated from her grandfather when she witnessed this strange and terrifying ceremony as a child.
Though the movie does not make this a major issue, the book has many references to the religion of this feminine goddess. Unfortunately, Dan Brown gives a more favorable depiction of these ancient fertility religions than he does of Christianity. For example, he claimed that the “church launched a smear campaign against the pagan gods and goddesses, recasting their divine symbols as evil.” (p.37)
What were these religions like and is Brown’s depiction of them accurate? These pagan fertility cults were found in nearly all ancient cultures. This female goddess of fertility had various names (Asherah, Ishtar, Astarte, Ba’alat, etc.) and was thought to be responsible for the fertility of the land. The idea in these religions was that sex was the means of connecting with and receiving blessing from the goddess. The sex ritual that Sophie’s grandfather participated in was like the ancient practice of “Hieros Gamos” (i.e., “holy marriage”) in which the head priestess had sexual intercourse with the head priest or king. Brown claims that this “holy marriage” was a spiritual act. Historically, intercourse was the act through which male and female experienced God. Physical union with the female remained the sole means through which man could become spiritually complete and ultimately achieve gnosis -- knowledge of the divine. Since the days of Isis, sex rites had been considered man’s only bridge from earth to heaven. (p.308)
Wow! Brown (through the voice of Harvard professor Robert Langdon) apparently believes that these “joyous rites to celebrate fertility and the Goddess” (p.453) are a means of experiencing God. This is sex as salvation. Sex as a god to be worshipped. Sex as the means of escape from this painful world. Lest anyone think this is mere fiction, Brown assured his fans in the Parade Magazine article that the “sacred feminine” ideas were maintained in the movie script.
But were these pagan rites truly joyous? Did those who worshiped the goddess truly experience God? See the next post.
2006/06/21
The Da Vinci Code: An Open-minded Pursuit of Truth?
A recent issue of Parade Magazine reported that Dan Brown hoped the movie about his book, The Da Vinci Code, would be a “quiet invitation to think about faith, religion and history with a fresh, open-minded perspective.” Should we be opened-minded to the possibility that Jesus was married and produced offspring? that Jesus was simply a “mortal prophet”? that nearly everything we have been taught about Jesus is wrong? Certainly! These questions about who Jesus was/is are paramount because of the audacious claims Jesus made about himself. He asserted that he is “the way, the truth and the life” and that “no one comes to the Father except through” him. An open-minded pursuit of the truth about Jesus may be critical in determining where a person spends eternity.
But Dan Brown may not view open-mindedness in the same way that I do. I wonder if his approach isn’t more like G.K. Chesterton’s description of H.G. Wells: “I think he thought the object of opening the mind is simply opening the mind. Whereas, I am incurably convinced we open our minds to shut them on something solid.” Some people are perennial doubters. Their goal seems to be to disbelieve, deride, disparage anything and everything. As a result, they remain lifelong cynics.
In the next few weeks my posts will attempt to unravel some of the claims of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Are Brown’s theories valid? What evidence is there to support his claims? Though the truth of Christianity can never be completely proved, there is a wealth of evidence that should enable us to close our minds on something substantial.
But Dan Brown may not view open-mindedness in the same way that I do. I wonder if his approach isn’t more like G.K. Chesterton’s description of H.G. Wells: “I think he thought the object of opening the mind is simply opening the mind. Whereas, I am incurably convinced we open our minds to shut them on something solid.” Some people are perennial doubters. Their goal seems to be to disbelieve, deride, disparage anything and everything. As a result, they remain lifelong cynics.
In the next few weeks my posts will attempt to unravel some of the claims of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Are Brown’s theories valid? What evidence is there to support his claims? Though the truth of Christianity can never be completely proved, there is a wealth of evidence that should enable us to close our minds on something substantial.
2006/06/08
Surviving Our Troubles: Expecting Hardships
How would you like to sign up with two million other travelers for a several-month camping trip through a blistering desert? Oh, and by the way, you will do this without the benefit of modern camping equipment or known food and water sources. Ouch!
God’s people embarked on such a trip after being rescued from the oppressive Egyptians. But a journey that God designed to last about half of a year, became a nightmare that lasted nearly half of a century. During this time, the Israelites were crushed by challenges that were designed to strengthen them.
Why were they staggered by each new hardship? I believe they failed because they believed their hardships were all behind them. They had survived the plagues that devastated Egypt. They had been released from their bondage. They had miraculously crossed the Red Sea. They had seen the dreaded Egyptian army drown in that same sea. And now they were experiencing God’s visible leading in the pillar of fire and the cloud. “Promised land, here we come!”
But their prior troubles were only the birth pangs of trouble. In the desert they predictably ran short of food and water (there were no catering services in the Sinai!). But they also had unexpected problems with their leader (Moses disappeared for 40 days) and with new enemies (e.g., the Amalekites). But whether their adversities could have been anticipated or not, they responded to all of them with robust grumbling and whining. At one point they became so irate and irrational that they contemplated a return to Egypt. (What were they going to do -- re-enlist as slaves?!)
Trouble is as much a part of this life as breathing. Life is filled with financial, relational, emotional, physical, and familial troubles. We think problems are momentary interruptions which will soon pass -- when this conflict at work is resolved or my child’s health improves or I get out of debt then normal, trouble-free living will return. But trouble will dog us throughout this life. Jesus warned us: “In this world you will have trouble.” That’s a promise. Serious conflict in your marriage will be followed by a nagging health problem which will be followed by a layoff from your job which will be followed by a broken relationship with your brother which will be followed by your teen’s poor report card which will be followed by the loss of a best friend ... and on and on.
The Apostle Peter warned his friends: “Do not be surprised at the painful trial your are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.” Problems shouldn’t shock us. They are opportunities to trust God for wisdom and strength to deal with these daily battles.
How would you like to sign up with two million other travelers for a several-month camping trip through a blistering desert? Oh, and by the way, you will do this without the benefit of modern camping equipment or known food and water sources. Ouch!
God’s people embarked on such a trip after being rescued from the oppressive Egyptians. But a journey that God designed to last about half of a year, became a nightmare that lasted nearly half of a century. During this time, the Israelites were crushed by challenges that were designed to strengthen them.
Why were they staggered by each new hardship? I believe they failed because they believed their hardships were all behind them. They had survived the plagues that devastated Egypt. They had been released from their bondage. They had miraculously crossed the Red Sea. They had seen the dreaded Egyptian army drown in that same sea. And now they were experiencing God’s visible leading in the pillar of fire and the cloud. “Promised land, here we come!”
But their prior troubles were only the birth pangs of trouble. In the desert they predictably ran short of food and water (there were no catering services in the Sinai!). But they also had unexpected problems with their leader (Moses disappeared for 40 days) and with new enemies (e.g., the Amalekites). But whether their adversities could have been anticipated or not, they responded to all of them with robust grumbling and whining. At one point they became so irate and irrational that they contemplated a return to Egypt. (What were they going to do -- re-enlist as slaves?!)
Trouble is as much a part of this life as breathing. Life is filled with financial, relational, emotional, physical, and familial troubles. We think problems are momentary interruptions which will soon pass -- when this conflict at work is resolved or my child’s health improves or I get out of debt then normal, trouble-free living will return. But trouble will dog us throughout this life. Jesus warned us: “In this world you will have trouble.” That’s a promise. Serious conflict in your marriage will be followed by a nagging health problem which will be followed by a layoff from your job which will be followed by a broken relationship with your brother which will be followed by your teen’s poor report card which will be followed by the loss of a best friend ... and on and on.
The Apostle Peter warned his friends: “Do not be surprised at the painful trial your are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.” Problems shouldn’t shock us. They are opportunities to trust God for wisdom and strength to deal with these daily battles.
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