The Da Vinci Case/Code

The copyright case surrounding the Da Vinci Code is developing in compelling ways. There is little doubt that with this case unfolding and a film version nearing release, we will be seeing and reading a lot more about this story throughout 2006.

So, naturally enough, the web/blogosphere is heating up with Christian “reponses” to the book. This past week Jonny Baker highlighted a very good link to a growing rejesus resource on the Da Vinci Code. I’m sure we will see much more of that sort of thing (though the rejesus page sets the bar quite high to begin with).

But maybe we could respond to the Da Vinci code slightly differently, by going back to the way the book was written and asking a little about its appeal. To me, the book read like a final assignment for one of those “write a novel in a week” type courses. I recall laughing out aloud after the first page because it was such a textbook opening.

The Da Vinci Code was a commercial sucess, not because it was great literature or tight history, but because it was a well crafted conspiracy thriller in an era when religious cover-ups seem so plausible (since the mainstream church so often lacks credibility). It is not so much that it tells the reader something they did not know, rather it confirms a suspicion they already held (namely that the church is more in the business of covering up the truth than revealing it).

Of course, the idea that the Catholic church is hiding secrets about the “true” history of Chrstianity is hardly a new conspiracy; it has been around for a very long time. As the current Da Vinci Code copyright case is showing, few of the ideas in the book are new, or original.

Trying to “prove” the story false might seem like the right thing to do, but I doubt that will be fruitful. The “truth” of the Da Vinci Code is less important than its “believability.” Instead of asking, “is this true,” we would be better to ask, “why is it believable?”

[tags] Da Vinci Code, Apologetics [/tags]