FREE ADVERTISING FOR THE EVIL ONE: THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO THE DA VINCI CODES

By V. Rev. Fr. George Morelli, Ph.D.

A simple glance at the Christian press and internet sites surrounding the opening of the Da Vinci Code movie makes quite evident Hollywood and the book author Dan Brown have probably nothing in their budget expenses. The various Christian denominations are providing them with all the advertising they need.

If you ask me what other movies have been released in the past few months I do not think I can think of one. But I sure know about the Da Vinci Codes. A survey in one of my local television stations the day before the movie release indicated a whopping 80% of the respondents were planning on viewing this film. On a national news broadcast that same day I heard that among Americans polled the majority believed the contents of this so called ‘fictitious’ book were true. It was also reported in increasingly atheistic Great Britain the ‘belief’ in the veracity of the book and film was even greater.

I do not know one national or local newspaper or Television newscast that has not broadcast the Christian outrage over the book and film. The lure of the forbidden fruit. What is banned is enticing.

There have been many reputable scholarly responses to the content of the book and movie. This reflection is not to restate what is readily available. (http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles6/GOAJudas.php). My purpose is to lament that those who call themselves Christian would rise to the occasion and respond to challenge and keep this book and movie at the forefront of the news. One important psychological lesson: the greatest way to disrespect something or someone is to completely disregard its or their existence.

In actuality this is exactly what secular society wants to do with Christ: disregard and ignore Him. Movie and TV actors and actresses are pictured eating, drinking, driving cars, fornicating, committing adultery, murder, theft laughing, hugging, expressing political opinions etc. When was the last time going to church, saying mealtime or bedtime prayer was incorporated into the average primetime script?

Except for politically correct ‘new age’ beliefs or ever popular Islam, anything Christian is eschewed except something that in most modernist anti-Christian society will attack and bring down Christianity more directly. Hence the popularity of the so called ‘Gospel of Judas,” “Gnostic gospels” and the Da Vinci Codes.

The Holy Spirit can bring good out of what is seemingly evil. As of this writing the critic and audience response to this film has been less than spectacular. Is it possible in a stunning turn around secular anti-Christian audiences will unknowingly do the work of God and bring down the work of the evil one? It is possible the blatant falsity of such books, films and pseudo-gospels and will have an opposite effect and somehow through God’s grace viewers will see the real Christ and his church. I pray it is so.

In a previous article on Making the Orthodox Church Smaller? (Morelli, 2006, http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles6/MorelliChurch.php.) I cited the words of St. John Chrysostom:

For it is better to offer our accustomed prayers with two or three who keep the laws of God than to sweep together a multitude of transgressors and corruptors of others . . . For there is not, nay there is not, another life we may find free from all evils, but this alone. And you are witnesses who know the plots in king's courts and the troubles in the houses for the rich. But there was not among the apostles any such thing.
Contrast Chrysostom’s ‘complaint’ with the account of the early years of the Church:

“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. And day-by-day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved" (Acts 2: 41-47) .

There are sharp declines in people who identity themselves as “Christian” yet alone “Orthodox Christians”. It is possible the Holy Spirit want ‘genuine committed Christians to make up the body of Christ and do His work and not be enticed and fooled by the fictitious history and heresy like “Da Vinci and the so called Gospel of Judas.”

The prophet Zephaniah tells us that in times of shameful deeds and rebellion even in the worst of times God will have " a faithful remnant" among us: "On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord, those who are left in Israel; they shall do no wrong and utter no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall pasture and lie down, and none shall make them afraid." (Zeph. 3:11-13)

God's Remnant will reject the values and treasures of the secular world, and remain His people. This faithful remnant, the Anawim, guarantees the future survival of the Orthodox Church, by committing themselves to his word in, thought deed and action. In today’s terminology they may makeup a counterculture. The Orthodox Church and faithful Christians may find themselves among this zealous few, who maintain and witness Christ in this world beyond the secularist mainstream.

Thus in the words of St. John Chrysostom it may be better to have 2 or 3 than the multitudes (even those who call themselves Orthodox Christians. This will take great commitment, founded on deep prayer and connection with our spiritual church fathers, being united to the mind of the church, (http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles6/MorelliOrthodoxPsychology.php) a heart and mind enlightened and illumined and focused on Christ, fed by the spiritual food of the Holy Mysteries. To be part of the Anawim of Christ will require by grace the great gift of Strength and Fortitude from the Holy Spirit.

In Christ all the Da Vinci Codes and so called gospel of Judases in the world have no meaning. Let us aim to be Christ’s committed remnant.