The Da Vinci Code

I went to see The Da Vinci Code this weekend. I know that some who read this may shocked, disturbed, or disappointed by my going. If you are, please comment; I'd like to hear your thoughts. I never read the book, so all my following comments are based solely on the movie.

Of all the stories I have read, listened to, or seen on screen, the one most similar to The Da Vinci Code is a movie that was released last year, National Treasure. Allow me to summarize the two movies.

National Treasure supposes an enormous treasure which was accumulated over centuries during ancient times. This treasure was passed from hand to hand and conqueror to conqueror until it disappeared from history. Rediscovered by knights of the Crusades, it was smuggled to various hiding places and eventually to the North American continent by the Knights Templar and their heirs, the Freemasons. The Freemasons of colonial America set up an elaborate trail of clues leading to the hiding place. Interpretation of the clues required a thorough knowledge of Masonic symbolism and American history.

The Da Vinci Code supposes a Christ who was married and left a child. His bloodline continued to the modern day, protected through the centuries by a secret league of devotees. This group included Leonardo da Vinci, who left clues to the "truth" in his artwork. The hero of the story follows a series of clues to find the location/identity of the biological heir.

Both movies have gun fights, car chases, and spooky underground passageways. Both protagonists are intelligent, middle-aged men who accurately interpret the puzzles with which they are faced. Both heros must struggle not only with a group of villains who want to reach the same goal they do but also with misunderstanding authorities and police.

Here's the similarity I want to especially notice: Both movies create or twist historical facts to fit their thesis. People who lack knowledge of history or are suspicious of historical records might actually believe that there might be an invisible map on the back of the Declaration of Independence, or a magnificent treasure buried below New York City. In the same way, people who have no knowledge of church history and no knowledge or belief in the Bible might be persuaded that Jesus was married or that the Council of Nicea invented the doctrine of Christ's deity. It is for this reason I think The Da Vinci Code is dangerous. Too many people do not have the ability to refute the falsehoods, so they pause and wonder if what is portrayed may be true. Ignorance may be bliss, but it is also vulnerability.

I believe that National Treasure is fairly harmless, at least in terms of its historical manipulation. The worst thing that will happen to you is you will be more ignorant and more confused than you were before. Promoting knowledge of history is a good idea, but it isn't the Christian's mission. Our mission is to spread the gospel, and The Da Vinci Code is not helping. The false gospel it promotes is completely anti-Christian.

In conclusion, no person whom God wishes to save will be persuaded in the end by any false gospel. False teachers have appeared since the time of Christ and will continue to appear in the future. Our job is not to keep false teaching from appearing in the first place, but to confront in a way that brings glory to God and to use it to strengthen our families and Christian brethren.

Fire on the Strings in Hindsight

I had a great time at the festival on Saturday. In the morning I watched the Texas state banjo and flatpicking guitar championships. Amazingly, a kid about fifteen years old beat Chris Hirsch for first place in the banjo contest. Mr. Hirsch, for those who don't know, is the local can-play-anything-on-the-banjo man. In the afternoon and evening we had performances by four local bands: The LoneStar Band, The Bluegrass Solution, Hickory Hill, and Classical Grass, and two national bands: Cadillac Sky and Blue Highway. Those two especially were impressive not only for their ability as musicians, but also for their coordination. Each band played like a single instrument. Wow.

I had a baby girl after me all evening. Her parents were sitting several rows behind me, and they let her wander pretty liberally. She inevitably came to me, hugging me, asking to be held, smiling, laughing, etc. This caused no end of amusement to the people surrounding me. I think their interest was generated largely by the fact that as an unaccompanied male in his early twenties, I could be expected to have less interest in babies than almost anyone else in the room. I actually did hold her, which was fun because I haven't held a baby in a long time.

I didn't get home until 1:00 Sunday morning. Someone at church commented that I looked a little tired. Imagine that.

A One Man Strike

Yesterday, I was working for someone who is replacing his roof. Since the the demolition requires only one skill, that of not damaging yourself, the homeowner decided to hire someone off the street. Now, for the uninitiated, Houston has several areas where unemployed Latinos, mostly illegal, gather every morning in the hope that someone will give them work for the day. It's kind of an informal rent-an-immigrant program. Anyway, the homeowner hired a man around 11:30, having agreed to pay him eight dollars an hour, which is about as good a wage as any of those guys can get. Work progressed smoothly until 2:30, at which time our friend stood up, put down his tool, folded his arms, and announced that he was finished and wanted to go home. It was hot, he said. It was dangerous on the roof, he said. It was dirty, he said. Of course, he might be persuaded to stay if he was making ten dollars an hour, he suggested. I watched bemusedly as the homeowner begged and pleaded and eventually gave in. The poor man wasn't prepared for the ploys of an unscrupulous day laborer.

Fire on the Strings

Saturday is going to find me at the Fire on the Strings festival. Going was a given as soon as I heard that Blue Highway was playing. So, if you want to hear some excellent picking, sweat all over your instrument in the Texas heat, and learn dobro from Rob Ickes, come on out.

For those of you who believe a blog should have pictures, I must admit that I have no camera. All my life I have been surrounded by family members with cameras, and I have never had to actually use one to get the pictures I want. Occasionally, I will post photos, but they will be either pirated or taken on a borrowed camera.

United 93

I saw United 93 this afternoon. For those who may not know, it details the story of the hijacked plane that went down in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. I appreciated the way in which the story was told, in that the focus was on the human tragedy and the acts of personal heroism that were displayed that day. It is the story of everyday people going about their everyday lives but being thrust into extraordinary circumstances. The portrayal is of real confusion, real fear, and real courage. This, to me, was very inspiring, even with the tragic ending.

I'm glad the movie is being shown, because it is a great reminder to Americans to not take their next hour for granted.

Warning: For those who are especially sensitive, the movie does contain some violence and language.

Dancing

Check out Katie's blog for a picture of the two of us dancing. The photo was taken at a Mediterranean festival at which we performed last Saturday.

Peer Pressure vs. Isolationism

I have noticed that people who spend most of their time in isolation tend to come up with more eccentric ideas than those who are constantly in the company of their peers. Contrary to what one may expect, being with other people tends to make us want to be like them, rather than develop our own individuality. Too often, children and adults alike are pressured into doing things they know are not best or are even wrong. These people place too much importance on the opinions of others.

On the other hand, people who live in an ideological bubble, who keep themselves removed from the world, will sometimes become imbalanced in their thinking. They may take unsupportable positions on issues, or they may focus on one area of their life or ministry at the expense of others. These people place too much importance on their own opinions.

How do we find a proper balance? We have to constantly be analyzing the ideas, opinions, theories, and behaviors to which we are exposed; we need to limit the amount of floor time we allow falsehood. Just as a plant can't grow in a dark room, a truth-starved soul will wither. It is also important to share our own ideas with other people so that when we are wrong they can tell us. Ultimately, all our thoughts must be tried against the Bible. Let us approach it with a mind free of worldly presuppositions, the fear of man, and the pride of the flesh.

Grape Leaves and Eggplant

Katie and I danced with our folk dance group at a local Mediterranean Festival yesterday. In return, we were given a free dinner. Now historically, I have had a reasonably adventurous palate, but this plate pushed the limits of my experience. We had ground lamb mixed with rice, dipped in vinegar and lemon juice, and wrapped with grape leaves into an egg-roll-sized bundle. Next to this was a salad composed entirely of chopped herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, celery leaves, and onions. Such things have their place as accents or seasonings, but they are strong when eaten by the mouthful. On the side was a bowl of something which looked like hummus, but rather than being made from chickpeas, it was made from eggplant, and spiced in such a way so as to insure than no one but a Turk or a Tunisian could eat it with enjoyment.

All these and other similarly exotic dishes were consumed in the midst of a scholarly discourse from one of our fellow folk dancers. As he described the foods we were eating, he rattled off names which I cannot pronounce, much less hope to spell.

After it all, our family motto (one of them) still stands:

Never turn down free food.

"What do they teach them in these schools?"

I was listening to a local talk radio show this morning, and I heard about a study that CNN did recently in which they found a remarkable lack of geographical knowledge among college students. Of a study group of 500 Americans between the ages of 18 and 24, sixty-six percent could not point to Iraq when shown a world map. Having been homeschooled all my life, I realize I am not well acquainted with what goes on in a typical high school classroom, but I fail to comprehend how one could take even a general overview of recent U.S. and world history and not know where Iraq is. As if this failure of our schools was not disconcerting enough, here's the more important issue: These people are members of the voting public, yet they do not care enough about their country to locate the nation where thousands of our troops are fighting and dying.

For those of you who do care about where our country has been, where it is, and where it is going, remember this: A light shines brightest when it is surrounded by darkness.

A Day Without an Immigrant

The day has come and gone, and I am hoping that no one's opinions were influenced by the ploy. The message sent was purely emotional, not logical or economic. No reasonable person could say that there would be no effect on the economy and our lives in general if five percent of the workforce got up and moved to Mexico one day, so we haven't learned anything new about the importance of the migrant. Further, a thinking person will see that those who are taking low-wage jobs are also putting less back into the economy, even while they receive benefits such as welfare and health care. Even if we had to pay more to get our fruit picked and our houses built, our society would be paying less in the long run. Am I wrong?