CrossCurrents A Catholic Reflects on Faith in Our Times

CrossCurrents A Catholic Reflects on Faith in Our Times

Bernard F. Swain, Ph.D. www.CrossCurrents.us

The “Da Vinci Code” Exposé

By the end of its first weekend in theaters, “The Da Vinci Code” had already sold 24 million tickets (the second largest movie opening in history). By summer’s start, more people will have seen the movie than read the book – and the book (with 43 million hardbound copies sold and paperback over a million sales since April) is already the biggest bestseller since the Bible!

It feels like I’ve been working on this story longer than Dan Brown took to write the book. I first read the novel two years ago, then began researching its claims in the summer of 2004. The wrote three CrossCurrents pieces in February 2005, and since then I’ve spoken about the book to more than 2,500 people, including Faith-Formation series for five parishes that totaled more than 1,000 in attendance.

Early on I found the book badly written and only mildly entertaining. In fact I only finished it out of professional obligation, yet I knew that countless millions were enthralled by it. As I see it, the story’s appeal lies, not in its pedestrian police chase nor in its tedious treasure hunt (which continues even after the murder is solved), but in its premise: “the greatest cover-up in human history,” whereby the truth of Christianity’s origins history is hidden and whistleblowers are murdered by church officials to protect the secret of Jesus marriage, his royal bloodline, and the “sacred feminine” role of his “holy grail,” Mary Magdalene.

After two years researching the book and observing people’s reaction to it, I concluded that the stir it has created tells us less about the book/movie and more about its readers/viewers.

In fact, long before the media’s expensive publicity hoopla for the movie, readers were hyping the book free of charge.

Here’s a typical case: Kathy’s friend Ellen handed her the book nearly three years ago and excitedly insisted she read it, saying “It will open your eyes!” Pushed by her friend Kathy finished the book in 24 hours and offered her quick impression: “it’s a fun read, but it doesn’t make any difference to me or my faith.” Ellen was stunned. “Don’t you understand? Don’t you see what’s going on here?”

Ellen, you see, was enthralled to discover a catholic plot depriving women of their rightful place in the church. For her and millions like her who want to believe this story, the Da Vinci code is not a “mere novel” – it is an exposé!

There are many reasons, I think, why people want the premise of this story to be true. For some, any conspiracy attracts by giving us someone to blame for all our ills. What better, more obvious target than the world’s largest, oldest organization? In this case, we blame the male leadership that plotted to “smear” Mary Magdalene and all sacred texts that promoted women in the life of faith.

For others, the story of Catholicism rejecting both femininity and sexuality provides a neat, lazy explanation for the sex-abuse scandal.

For others, the portrait of a corrupt institution killing off whistleblowers is the perfect cop-out to rationalize “dropping out” of Catholic life.

For non-Catholics, it also rationalizes rejecting Catholic actions in the public rail, whether it be on stem cell research or capital punishment or the war in Iraq or immigration reform.

For some feminists it validates everything from women’s ordination to the outright rejection of patriarchal monotheism (“God the Father”) in favor of goddess worship.

But the story’s impact hasn’t been limited to the book’s admirers, since millions of individuals and many church leaders and organizations have reacted negatively, even vehemently. After my daughter crossed protest lines to see the movie in Miami, she called me to ask, “What’s the Big Fuss?” Good question.

The Fuss, it seems to me, is many things.

Some are upset by the story’s in-your-face anti-Catholicism. Others find the claims about Jesus’ marriage and parenthood “shocking” or even “blasphemous” (I have heard at least one call of “blasphemy” from each audience I’ve spoken to). Others object to depicting villainous Catholic leaders conducting smear campaigns and crimes to preserve its preferred lies about Christian origin. Finally, others are just plain tired of bad publicity about the Church.

But the broadest bad feelings I have seen come from people with friends, family, all loved ones like Ellen, who confront them with the story’s claims and challenge their personal faith.

And what troubles me most is that, over and over again, I’m finding these people-- educated, motivated, Catholics with strong faith – almost totally unprepared to meet the challenge they are confronted with.

Why unprepared? Because too many of these people lack the faith-formation they need to counter the claims in this story. So they flounder for answers, and too often offer weak ones or even wrong ones.

These are good Catholics who, through no fault of their own, live their faith despite a great deal of ignorance. They have been led to believe, for example, that their faith depends on believing that Jesus was single, or even a virgin. They have been taught that the Ten Commandments are the basis of their faith. They have been told that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Many of them believe Jesus was not a human being like us.

If Dan Brown claims that the Roman emperor Constantine forced the council of Nicea to reject the humanity of Jesus, they are dumbfounded. Confronted by real discoveries like the Gospels of Phillip, Mary Magdalene, and Judas, they’re taken aback. Told that church history was written by the winners, they realize they have no knowledge of the controversies that shaped their own faith tradition. They can’t tell Gnostics from Arians from Docetists from real Catholics.

In other words, these many good Catholics are faith-filled but not faith-literate. They believe in Catholicism, but they cannot defend it or explain it because they do not really understand it. Their weak or wrong responses only confirm the views of those who want to believe this story.

For me, this is the biggest lesson of all. It means that The Da Vinci Code actually is an exposé rather than a “mere novel.” But what it exposes (and this explains the stir the story has created) is two things. The first is the hunger millions have for a better version of the Christian story than the one they know. The second is the warped version of Christianity that millions more have accepted until now.

Both these things point to the same root problem: our collective failure as Catholics to equip our members to meet the challenges confronting our faith today.

The movie’s motto is “Seek the Truth.” But the sad truth is that our people know too little of the truth of their own faith. After generations spent pretending we could meet the challenge by just educating only school-age children, we need a new strategy—a strategy that will produce Catholic adults who are well-formed in their faith, well-informed about its past, and transformed by its truth.

Send Your Comments and Questions to bfswain@juno.com

Dr. Swain’s opinions do not represent the views of this parish or any other official body.

Bernie Swain has devoted more than 30 years to adult spiritual formation in dioceses in the US, Canada, and France. Since 1991 he has maintained a private practice as trainer, teacher, and consultant to leaders in parishes and other religious organizations. He holds degrees in theology and political science from Holy Cross, Harvard, The University of Paris, and The University of Chicago.

His writings include Liberating Leadership (Harper & Row, 1986) and more than 200 articles in periodicals such as The National Catholic Reporter, Commonweal, The Miami Herald, The Catholic Free Press, The Pilot, Harvard Theological Review, and Liturgy.

A lifelong layperson, he lives in Boston with his wife and three children. Visit his website at:

http://www.CrossCurrents.us

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