Why does church take some books so offensively if, sometimes, they are fiction?
150134
The Nation of Islam recently held a multi day conference which instructed all other religions on how they should act with respect to printed material. It's time to start The "Huck Finn" riots and hold Iran and Islam financially responsible for all the damage created. Oh wait, thats just assanine isn't it......
572925
It threatens the churches belief systems so they have to stress that it is a work of fiction.  Religious people don't like their religions threatened.  Just look how many wars have come about as a result of religion.
161454
Bible, because it's fiction.
693344
I'm really not sure what you're asking: are you saying that Harry Potter is a religion or that the Bible is a work of fiction? How are they even comparable? \n\nI actually think that the Bible should be used in schools, just not as a basis for fact. It is an excellent novel.
692849
The fact that the Church is forbidding people to see it must guarantee some box office for the movie!  So many people read the book too and I'd go see it just for the locations where it shot.\n\nBTW, what part of "fiction" do these protesters against the movie and religous types NOT understand?  Why are they getting their knickers in a twist over a freakin' STORY?  Cracks me up.
613361
Actually the shadow of truth is not about the holy grail, the church doesn't care about this part... but the truth from the novel is that Jesus is a mortal prophit and his divinity was invented by men long ago. This is what people should research for, and not quote the bible cause the bible has already been modified.
647061
Why would the catholic church bother to sue?\n\nThe church (and most people) know it is a work of fiction using the classic 'alternate history' approach. \n\nThat there is a religious theme means nothing. Brown is hardly the first to write books in this theme. In a few years there will be another. And another. And another.
626695
Harry Potter is fictional.  Some Christians wanted to ban that as well, due to sorcery.  Then Shouldn't they have wanted to ban The allegorical "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." as well?
1006814
Well at risk of igniting an unintended flamewar I think you're 100% correct about the "selective" nature of modern christian morals.  I think the justification is more along the lines of that magic and witches/wizards are portrayed or "glorified" as heros in the HP series while in Snow White, Narnia, etc.... they're always portrayed as evil villians.  Many of the conservative christian parents choose to shelter their children from any culture/lifestyle etc... that does not glorify God as they know God to be.  Not to mention that many of the christian movements now follow church leaders almost as if they were prophets themselves.  The very minute a man like Jerry Falwell speaks out about the evils of something like Harry Potter you can expect hundreds of thousands if not more of those in the Baptist Church to immediately shun Harry Potter when they perviously may not have had a problem with the books in their house.  I agree with you wholeheartedly when you state that it's "parenting" not "sheltering".  When a child is sheltered from the mainstream world (however evil or sinful it may or may not be) and brought up to view the world in the rose colored glasses of the church they have a very difficult time adjusting to life on their own and dealing with those who may have different beliefs and at least from my personal experience people raised in households like that tend to be quite intolerant of others because they view them as inherently different from themselves due to the lack of diversity in lifestyle and belief they experienced in their formative years.  \n\nGood Question!
783483
I guess so. Each individual author is free to write what he believes and shouldn't need permission from his religious headquarters.\nAre you referring to a particular book?\nIn a previous question of yours I referred to certain catholic books. I should have specified books used for worship.  I'm a little too lazy to go into heavy stuff by individual authors, lol.
618750
Well... I guess many people have hard feelings towards cristianity.. and the book gave them "arguments". Have you realized people who think it is a great book are not readers? I mean.., most of them have not read more than ten books in their life. but somehow they knew that there was a book "revealing" the truth about those things in the form of a novel.. and that caught their atention.\nA funny thing. I know some who don't believe in what church does... but didn't have any trouble to accept blindly right away what the book says.
673055
Christians are concerned about the movie because it doesn't present them in an entirely positive light. I agree with you when you say that they should get over it. Pick any random movie at the theatre and it'll have a bad guy - maybe he'll be a sabretooth tiger or an Iraqi terrorist, but it'll be taking SOMEONE down. But because The Da Vinci Code chooses Christians, it's suddenly an awful slander on the Church. I think they're taking a slightly daft book far too seriously. If they really want us to ignore The Da Vinci Code, they should too! Kicking up a fuss is just making us more interested in just what it is the film says about them.
583515
It's called entertainment.  It's not real - the author admits he made it up.  Like all other entertainment, it's crap.  If you're religious and pray, you should also listen to God - His Word speaks truth.  If you want truth, read the Bible.
890886
Most religious books are full of some hatred. Even the Bible is full of such hatred. It's not fair to single out one text.
1182940
Christians are upset because it raises questions about the authenticity of the church, bible, etc.   It brings up valid history, some valid theories, but puts in a little bit 'o fiction as well.\n\nChristians are upset for 2 reasons:\n\n1- They don't want to believe these theories are true.\n\n2- The book doesn't seperate what's fact from what's theory.  For example, the book says that there are several gospels left out of the bible.  FACT.  It says that some gospels imply that Mary and Jesus had a relationship.  FACT.  It says that Jesus and Mary were married...THEORY, not fact.  It says that Jesus kissed Mary on the mouth...FICTION.  There is a hole in the parchment here, we don't know where he kissed her.\n\nSo, take ideas they don't like and mix it in with theories the book's characters assume are true...and you've got some upset Christians.\n\nThe history explained in The Da Vinci Code is about 50% fact, 40% theory-assumption, and 10% false.
689107
If one's faith is so weak that it is undermined by a work of fiction, then there's something wrong with the person not the book.  Why does a fictional book and movie which by the accounts I've read was rushed and not well put together threaten some religious people so much?  Is it really that scary a prospect for people to examine their faith?   I don't understand it.  But hey, if people want to boycott, more power to them, it won't hurt the theaters.
450518
it's a good entertainment but it is filled with falacies, lies and evil.  \n\nthe book is a fiction but the author continued to claim that it is based on historical fact.  what's so funny is that the book can't produce solid evidence of its claims.  on the contrary, there are even more evidence that would show that the book and its basis is bogus.  \n\nCatholics should be concerned about the book because it not only misrepresents their Church as a murderous institution but also implies that the Christian faith itself is utterly false.\n\nOther Christians should also be concerned.  Only some of the offensive claims of The Da Vinci Code pertain directly to the Catholic Church. The remainder strike at the Christian faith itself. If the book's claims were true, then all forms of Christianity would be false (except perhaps for Gnostic/feminist versions focusing on Mary Magdalene instead of Jesus).\n\nIt isn't a defense to say that The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction. Fiction can't change the basic facts about major historical figures without being subject to criticism. People would be outraged if Doubleday printed a novel portraying Adolph Hitler in a positive light. Christians have a right to be outraged when the basic historical facts about Christ are falsified. The criticism will be even more intense when a publisher releases a book parodying the most sacred beliefs of others in this fashion.\n\nThe author and the publisher  have gone to great lengths to mislead people into thinking that the novel has a historical basis. They deserve especially sharp criticism for this, and when criticism is made they cannot hypocritically hide behind the "It's just fiction" allegation after having made such extensive efforts to convince the reader that it is not "just fiction."