Anyone read "The DaVinci Code"

[BUYLONGTERM]

Honestly the Best book I've read in years...I guarantee you will NOT be able to put it down!!!!

I highly recommend it!

[BigGreen]

I picked it up on Pheedno's recommendation and it is unquestionably the best piece of popular lit out there at the moment. If you enjoy a book for the author's style and craftmanship with words, I don't know that this book is particularly for you. On the other hand, if you're looking for a mystery/thriller type book that intelligently goes WAY beyond the norm, give it a read. Though a self-confessed literary snob, i couldn't put it down either.

[BUYLONGTERM]

It made me think really hard about religion...I'm not quite done with it yet..

[Xavier_4446]

Is it completly based on religion?

[BigGreen]

It made me think really hard about religion...I'm not quite done with it yet..

I hear you on that one, and i think this may ultimately be what the book best accomplishes. Sadly, philosophers have been saying much the same thing for decades (centuries, actually, but I mean with respect to the more specific arguments made in the book) but it has taken a company charging 16.95 apiece for the message to begin permeating a little...then again, several investigators of cultural resistance claim that subversive messages merely disguised as pop culture respresent the greatest threat and accomplishment of the movement, so maybe this is its genius.

[BUYLONGTERM]

Is it completly based on religion?

Hmmm, not really. I can't say to much.. You have to get it!!! It ROCKS! Very easy read. you can read it in 2 days.

[Strut99GT]

Author's name?

[Elliot]

dan brown.. also demons and angels will give you a worst view of religion.. if you like conspiracy theorys you'll love that book, same author...

[Aragorn]

I can grab it on pdf. if anyone needs it.

Aragorn

[spywizard]

Hey Aragorn...

I would love to see it in a PDF.

thanks

[kc]

I'll agree...best book i've read since college. An all around excellent novel. Since reading it, I've also read the three other books out there by Dan Brown. They are all equally well thought out and written. I wish I would have read Angels & Demons before The Davinci Code...it's definately a can of worms. If you're lookin for some more info in the same area...check out The Bible Code and its sequel as well as Holy Blood, Holy Grail(this one's kinda textbooky but killer info). Anyway..Excellent excellent book!

[Elliot]

i think holy blood, holy grail took the whole holy grail thing to a diffrent level and sounded a bit unconvincing..

[kc]

I just thought the information and historical background it offered on groups and events was good. I'm into looking at a bunch of different theorys...can't make a good argument about something unless you have a good background on the subject...but i can see where you're coming from.

[Elliot]

im a catholic but i question my religion a whole lot.. i mean how can you not? most jesus statues were of a white male.. while jesus was an arab.. little things make a world of a diffrence..

[PTbyJason]

im a catholic but i question my religion a whole lot.. i mean how can you not? most jesus statues were of a white male.. while jesus was an arab.. little things make a world of a diffrence..

What specific things make you question religion? There is evidence overwhelmingly proving God to be true.

[BUYLONGTERM]

What specific things make you question religion? There is evidence overwhelmingly proving God to be true.

Jason, have you read the book? It has to do with some proof Jesus was married and had a son. And that the wholy Grail wasn't necessary a cup. Pretty cool book. I think thats what he meant.

[hoss827]

I can grab it on pdf. if anyone needs it.

Aragorn

Hey bro, i'd like to see it in a pdf as well if you can take the time. Thanks, I'd appreciate it.

--Hoss

[ripped4fsu]

ok, I'll give it a read, thanks for the tip BLT

[PTbyJason]

Jason, have you read the book? It has to do with some proof Jesus was married and had a son. And that the wholy Grail wasn't necessary a cup. Pretty cool book. I think thats what he meant.

oh, so that's how I've heard the name of that book. I knew I recognized it. I honestly can't say that I've had a chance to read that yet. I'll dig into it some time in the future.

[Swellin]

im a catholic but i question my religion a whole lot.. i mean how can you not? most jesus statues were of a white male.. while jesus was an arab.. little things make a world of a diffrence..

While I agree with your remarks about a white Jesus, I offer this....
If a virgin can have a kid...why can't it be a white Arab?

[BUYLONGTERM]

oh, so that's how I've heard the name of that book. I knew I recognized it. I honestly can't say that I've had a chance to read that yet. I'll dig into it some time in the future.

Jason,

Yes, definitely read it. Its an easy read and honestly you will not only be able to put it down, but you can probably read it in about 2 or 3 days. Its amazing!

[PTbyJason]

oh, so that's how I've heard the name of that book. I knew I recognized it. I honestly can't say that I've had a chance to read that yet. I'll dig into it some time in the future.

I changed my mind. I'm sorry, but I've read enough about it already.

*edit* Ok, I will do more research before I come to a final decision. Right now I see some problems with the book, but I will continue to read up on it more before I make a final decision. I do appreciate the suggestion for the book and I'm glad everyone enjoyed it.

[Elliot]

While I agree with your remarks about a white Jesus, I offer this....
If a virgin can have a kid...why can't it be a white Arab?

isnt it a bit cliche that the baby is white? i mean come on.. and chances are if he would of been white he would of been an more of an outcast.. thoes are just basic facts.. i wont go into unproven theories.. as kc state jesus might of been a father.. jayson how can you prove that there is a god, im talking about scientificly not faith cause everyone can have faith..

[kc]

elliot have you read angels and demons? if not...go pick it up..you'll love it. As far as Brown's books being anything more than a wake up for some people i dont' know...they are all based around fact, heresy and research but they definately leave everything open for discussion...which is why i enjoy his work so much.

[BigGreen]

*edit* Ok, I will do more research before I come to a final decision. Right now I see some problems with the book, but I will continue to read up on it more before I make a final decision. I do appreciate the suggestion for the book and I'm glad everyone enjoyed it.

Jason, I'm not sure what kind of reviews you're hitting in your search, but I might have an idea given your quick 'flip flop' on the idea. A few (actually several) people criticized the book for being a thoughtless attack on organized religion, and it seems that this view has permeated a disproportionate share of the discourse. In fact, I can't recall the name right now, but a semi-prominent voice against the book, when called on it, had to confess to not even having read it.

Additionally, while I'm an agnostic, I know several friends steeped in faith who also found the book to be an interesting point of view worthy of conversation.

[PTbyJason]

isnt it a bit cliche that the baby is white? i mean come on.. and chances are if he would of been white he would of been an more of an outcast.. thoes are just basic facts.. i wont go into unproven theories.. as kc state jesus might of been a father.. jayson how can you prove that there is a god, im talking about scientificly not faith cause everyone can have faith..

Bro, I will be more than happy to prove anything to you scientifically. But there are whole books on it, so I can't just lay everything out that easily. If you have specific questions, let me know. If you want to, I can discuss them with you via PM. It doesn't matter to me either way though.

[BUYLONGTERM]

OK, I think people are looking way to much into this. Its a great thriller book. Forget about everything else.

[PTbyJason]

Jason, I'm not sure what kind of reviews you're hitting in your search, but I might have an idea given your quick 'flip flop' on the idea. A few (actually several) people criticized the book for being a thoughtless attack on organized religion, and it seems that this view has permeated a disproportionate share of the discourse. In fact, I can't recall the name right now, but a semi-prominent voice against the book, when called on it, had to confess to not even having read it.

Additionally, while I'm an agnostic, I know several friends steeped in faith who also found the book to be an interesting point of view worthy of conversation.

Well here is the problem that I found when I started looking at reviews. And understand, I edited my statement that I would never read the book because I did not have specific proof of what I was reading. Until I have complete proof of any fact or lie, I cannot critize it. I think that's only fair.

Some of the reviews I read were saying that the facts were twisted. That they were semi-right, but twisted in a way so that they put down religion. Those things alone caused me to say that I would not read the book. Now again, I will say....I don't have a specific quote or "fact" in the book that I can either approve or disprove, which is why I edited the post. That is something I will have to dig into. I think it's only fair that I point out specific things if I am going to critize it. I know how I felt once I read one of the review in praise of the book. Right now I see the book as fiction based on what I read and what I feel. That's my opinion, and it can be taken as mere opinion until I can back it up with facts.

[PTbyJason]

OK, I think people are looking way to much into this. Its a great thriller book. Forget about everything else.

You are right bro. I saw people taking it is a book of history as opposed to just a thriller novel. My apologies.

[BUYLONGTERM]

Well here is the problem that I found when I started looking at reviews. And understand, I edited my statement that I would never read the book because I did not have specific proof of what I was reading. Until I have complete proof of any fact or lie, I cannot critize it. I think that's only fair.

Some of the reviews I read were saying that the facts were twisted. That they were semi-right, but twisted in a way so that they put down religion. Those things alone caused me to say that I would not read the book. Now again, I will say....I don't have a specific quote or "fact" in the book that I can either approve or disprove, which is why I edited the post. That is something I will have to dig into. I think it's only fair that I point out specific things if I am going to critize it. I know how I felt once I read one of the review in praise of the book. Right now I see the book as fiction based on what I read and what I feel. That's my opinion, and it can be taken as mere opinion until I can back it up with facts.

Thats interesting, because I never ever once thought that the book was attacking religion? I think all it did was open up your mind. Ever since I read the book, I have been doing a lot of research on Divinci. He was a brilliant guy. When it comes to reviews, I think that you will always find someone who has something negative to say about a book.

[Vanmuscle]

I read the book on the weekend, and thought it was great. Although it is a work of fiction, the groups, myths, and documents that it refers to are real, and the author refers to this in the prologue. There are a lot of historians who do believe that Jesus was married, and did have a child (or children). The idea that only a handful of the gospels of Jesus' life and work were chosen for inclusion is well-documented, as are theories and details about the Merovingian bloodline.

In addition, the loss of the sacred feminine, and masculization of the church (and hence our culture) is a real phenomenon, not a fable. Every wonder why the Catholic Church (and many others) only makes men priests? Why the Bible was written to permanently vilify women? Why women have always taken a secondary role in history (until very recently)? It's an interesting concept, and what some would call an explanation.

What I found interesting was the reference that the 'man' sitting to the right of Jesus in Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper' was actually a woman, and supposedly Mary Madgelan. I looked at the portrait, and it very clearly appears to be a woman. Being that the work is Da Vinci's interpretation painted 1500 years after the fact, and not an actual photo of the event (too bad they didn't have cameras then), if Da Vinci was truly a member of the Priory, and believer of the Holy Grail, he could have created it that way because of his beliefs.

If you can imagine the growth of a religion, in a time when there were no televisions, telephones, any kind of imaging, or mechanized travel, the way a story would spread would be largely by mouth. Such a story would surely be altered, and maybe even embellished. In addition, the official documentation of such a story could involve an incredible amount of political influence, and consideration of how it would affect the present day society - I don't think those who sanctioned the writing of the bible, and the move from a pagan to Christian religion were thinking of how the story would be related 2000 years later. My personal opinion on the bottom line is that faith is faith - you either have it or you don't. Some people probably have reasons for their faith, like miracles they've seen, or a personal relationship that maybe not everyone understands. I believe some people have blind faith... why question something whose end result is so personally fulfilling? In any event though, your faith is your own... it all makes the concept of time travel very intriguing.

On another note, Jesus could very well have been white. The people of today's Iran and Iraq were actually the only true aryan race (fair complexion, with light colored eyes), and not Arabs. Jesus would have been born to a Semitic culture, so it's hard to say. Does it really matter?

Sorry for rambling... just my thoughts.

[PTbyJason]

Thats interesting, because I never ever once thought that the book was attacking religion? I think all it did was open up your mind. Ever since I read the book, I have been doing a lot of research on Divinci. He was a brilliant guy. When it comes to reviews, I think that you will always find someone who has something negative to say about a book.

I should have been more careful how I replied to that. In saying that it was attacking religion, that would only be true if they took facts and used them in a way to make religion appear as completely false or punch holes in it so that people will not believe. And like I mentioned earlier, it is not fair for me to give my opinion on something that I have not even read. The reviews that I read could have been written by someone who didn't even read the book, like BigGreen mentioned. Again, this is all assuming that someone were to take this book as a non-fiction book. If people read it as it only being a fiction novel, then everything I have said about any of this is pointless.

I have to bow out of this thread due to a few reasons. First off, I am trying to give an opinion on something that I know nothing about (the Davince Code). The second thing is that my position on this board, I'm afraid, puts people in an uncomfortable position to disagree with me. That's not fair either. I'm not here to force my religious beliefs on anyone, and the more I type with just my opinions, the more I am doing just that.

[BUYLONGTERM]

I should have been more careful how I replied to that. In saying that it was attacking religion, that would only be true if they took facts and used them in a way to make religion appear as completely false or punch holes in it so that people will not believe. And like I mentioned earlier, it is not fair for me to give my opinion on something that I have not even read. The reviews that I read could have been written by someone who didn't even read the book, like BigGreen mentioned. Again, this is all assuming that someone were to take this book as a non-fiction book. If people read it as it only being a fiction novel, then everything I have said about any of this is pointless.

I have to bow out of this thread due to a few reasons. First off, I am trying to give an opinion on something that I know nothing about (the Davince Code). The second thing is that my position on this board, I'm afraid, puts people in an uncomfortable position to disagree with me. That's not fair either. I'm not here to force my religious beliefs on anyone, and the more I type with just my opinions, the more I am doing just that.

Hey, I don't mind disagreeeing with you, you bastard!!! (don't ban me) JK. I totally understand your point!!!!

If you ever do decide to read it, let me know!

BLT