Christianity Online: Response to The Da Vinci Code as Imp ...

Fascination and Criticism

It appears that The Da Vinci Code had either engaged the fascination of readers and viewers or set them afire with criticism of the work. In some cases, it did both. Some wanted to learn more about Da Vinci; some found it offensive or antithetical to the history of the Church; some embraced its tenets outright; and others sought to find why Dan Brown’s work did not square with their preexisting historical and biblical knowledge.

It is interesting to note that the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation had also petitioned the moviemaker, noting that albinos should not be depicted as demented religious thugs. One cinema writer asked, “Will it never end? It seems that The Da Vinci Code cannot NOT offend everyone on the planet” (Lim, 2006).

Indeed, exposure to the Da Vinci message has been widespread. According to a Zogby poll commissioned by the Center for Missional Research, a majority of Americans are familiar with the content, either by exposure to the book or movie, or through news and entertainment reports (Stetzer, 2006). A Barna Group poll suggested that one in five American adults had read the book even before the movie’s release and that a significant number were persuaded by it.