Why were so many protests triggered by The Da Vinci Code?

In my opinion protests are an expression of human urgency. Clearly some people feel a sense of urgency about the questions The Da Vinci Code has raised in respect to the role of women in the history of Christianity. My hope is that those who have taken issue with the fictional representation of Christian figures will take the time to examine the very real struggles for equality women have endured for centuries in all religious traditions.

The movie Angels & Demons is the sequel to The Da Vinci Code and is based on the novel  about conspiracy in the Catholic Church by Dan Brown. The launch of this movie has reopened interest in The Da Vinci Code and the issues of Faith and Feminism that the original film and book unleashed.  

The forerunner generated a huge storm of criticism with its premise that Jesus impregnated Mary Magdalene and that church officials tried to keep their bloodline a secret.  The Vatican has taken a hostile but somewhat more measured response against Angels & Demons.

Why do you think the Catholic Church and other theologians were upset by The Da Vinci Code?

I believe that despite the fact that the Da Vinci Code is fiction, it is based on themes and characters with which we are all familiar. But the issues of inequality this book and film have raised are real. You don’t have to look far  to find our stories of women being relegated to second class status within many faith communities.

Is it true that Jesus has living blood descendents and that he married Mary Magdalene, or any other claims in the Da Vinci Code?

Like the Da Vinci Code author and the filmmakers, I believe that both the book and film are fictional. There are scholarly debates about many of the issues raised in the film, debates that will surely continue. What is most important is that this film provides us with an opportunity for an important conversation in our country: What is it about the relationship of women and the church today that makes a mere fictional novel so popular and so controversial? What deep need for answers to these questions has this phenomenon tapped into? I think that women are realizing that they have been denied access to a full spiritual life because of the inequalities ingrained in so many religions.

Feminism is simply the idea that all people, men AND women, are equal in God’s eyes. While there are many points of controversy in Dan Brown’s book, one message rings true; the book affirms Jesus’ teaching that all people are equal in God’s eyes.

 This film is a great example of how pop culture can give us an opportunity to talk about very serious and substantive issues. Our hope is that people will see this film and be moved to talk about the ways religion has touched their lives and the role religion can play in creating a more just world for women.

Are you agreeing with the content of The Da Vinci Code and therefore challenging the Catholic Church’s teachings and policies?

Like the author and filmmakers, we agree that this book is fiction. The most important result of The Da Vinci Code’s popularity is the tremendous conversation it has sparked about women, religion and how women continue to be treated as less than equal partners in faith.