DA VINCI CODE DETRACTORS’ HYPOCRISY - UPDATED
Ok. A lot of people slash countries are anticipated slash craving slash expecting slash waiting slash excited for the upcoming worldwide movie release of The Da Vinci code. But suprisingly slash unfortunately, controversies will be doing a grandiose ‘welcome’ barricade in front of the movie’s now showing cinema entrances–with protests, ban propositions, and more ban propositions…
Last year, a couple of colleagues and I were in SM City Dasmariñas (nice reading, SM manager ^_^) for an outrageously whole-day non-stop action-packed window-shopping. Though I have money, I spent only 20 pesos for the food (shared with another classmate since she packed a lunchbox of rice), then we strolled inside the National Bookstore afterwards.
Each time I enter that gleaming red bookstore, I always find myself behind the fiction bookshelves searching for any traces of Da Vinci code left. That damned book is always out of ‘stack’ (the salesladies pronounced ^_^), leaving me quite frustrated. The next month, with only twenty pesos in my pocket I returned with the same interrogation. “Meron po, sir,” (There is, sir) they replied. Oh bother.
Whenever I have money in my wallet (na in-arbor ko sa kapatid ko ^_^), there goes the “ubos na po, sir” [We ran out (of it), sir] dialogue. But if I cashed out my monthly allowance (of course, nothing will be left after all these school projects and apartment fees) and attempt to ask the salesladies for the book, they say “Oh, we still have one, sir.” Much annoying if they instead offer me to buy the special ‘expensive’ illustrated edition usually left behind.
Da Vinci code is phenomenal, our former literary editor exclaimed after catching me reading Dan Brown’s novel which was borrowed from our culture editor which was borrowed from our associate editor which was borrowed from Katrina, an admirer of our culture editor. Image the lineup the novel took before reaching my literary pleasure. That damn “informative but prosaically imaginative” book took me 48 years before pre-emptily lending it to my Kuya who also wanted to read that book. Yes, I’m through with the book, with some satisfactions for its controversial ‘facts’ and mysteries it claims, and some har-hars to its clerical and grammatical inaccuracies.
I warned my Kuya. “Yah, maganda yung puzzles pero ang babaw. Me mali-mali pang grammar, lalo na po sa French. Parang journal yan na nilagyan ng stereotypical love story.” But even before quoting it to him, I stressed him out about its impact to his faith, though I already know he’s logically smarter than me ^_^. And we had some good discussions.
Yes, the Da Vinci Code is very controversial, and so it claims its phenomenal impact to its readers due to its enigmatic revelations about the divinity of Christ, the importance of Mary Magdalene to Him and to the Church, and the movements of the Catholic Church to suppress the disclosure of the ‘real’ scriptures for the welfare of their imperial domination. I was quite stunned after reading the book. I’ve had some ideas about Christ having a child, but to divulge Mary Magdalene as the mother and the closest to Christ and her contradicting ‘Royal’ descent, everything traditional was phased out of my head. Now I have another perception of Christ—a human, claimed as a supernatural being with his made-up holy reverence used for the Catholic’s political interest, a Royal family member, a preacher, a lover, a ‘lover’, and now, a father. There were even Holy organizations protecting Mary Magdalene and her ‘daughter’ and the real ‘truth’ about her establishment of the Church, and the unearthly destructive orders of the Catholic Church to persecute such facts. Yet despite of all these claimed ‘facts’, I didn’t think BAD about Jesus Christ. He still has saved millions of people through His scriptures.
In the first place, I already have some inadequacies with the religion I’m into (I’m Catholic, but I don’t want or feel like one). My too much reading, watching TV, and attending various churches urged me to become unstable with my religion, believing that it’s ‘traditional and stood as a citizen who still believes the values of our Lord’s scriptures for his everyday life. The ‘Da Vinci Code’ must have been one good factor.
Though my perception about Christ has been hashed, I think it gave me an opportunity to learn more about myself and the Catholic Church. I assess we must educate ourselves outside the four corners of our room.
Speaking of such personal platitude, we go back to the movie.
The novel’s screen version will be showing on May 6, synchronized with its worldwide release. Now, the movie faces suppression from different religious groups as well as non-government organizations, initiating efforts of refraining the movie’s debut in cinemas.
Not only that this movie faces such predicaments here in the country, but other Christian dominating countries as well. I’m not really particular with those countries, but as far as the religious connivance of these countries is concerned, theirs might be even worse than that of the Philippines’.
The Philippine Alliance Against Pornography Inc. (PAAP) proposed yesterday that our dear President should be a ‘real statesman’ by leading an urgent fight to stop the showing of the controversial film. Such movie claims ‘daw’ to preclude the belief about the divinity of Jesus Christ and the Christian faith, and our dear President ‘daw’ must initiate actions for the cancellation of the movie’s importation, the censorship and destruction of all Dan Brown’s books sold in bookstores nationwide, and declare Brown persona non grata in the country. He even rolled out several violations of the movie (including the book itself): the violation of Article 201 of the revised Penal Code that prohibits the showing and display of immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions, and indecent shows; Presidential Decree 1986, the law creating the MTRCB, and Republic Act 7610, the anti-child law.
Persona non grata my ass.
Go, Columbia Pictures! Don’t mind the PAAP! Don’t mind Laguardia (in case she declines)! Capitalize here in the Philippines ^_^! Spread the word of Dan Brown, and let the people be educated! In case your movie will not be shown here, we are ABSOLUTELY SURE that piracy will still overrule each and every shitted organization here who are drafting for the persecution of the movie! We will buy pirated DVDs on the bangketas of Dasmariñas, Cavite for the sake of our patronizing! Conquer the Philippines! Show these ignorant people how ignorant they are!
Just kidding myself.
I think this movie will offer viewers another perspective about Christianity and the so-called ‘reality’ behind it—how big names in history would collaborate for an effort of divulging some facts about the eons of the Church. Even some bishops would agree to me—and even injected the movie would even help Filipinos to have stronger faith to God.
Though I say that it would greatly create an impact to its viewers, I don’t think that Filipinos would idealize bad point-of-views about Christ. For me, it would just educate us more about Jesus Christ and his so-called ‘real’ identity, and only His identity itself. Not the Christian values. If it indeed made people shift religions or other negating side effects of some sort, I shall certainly believe that 3 7 out of 10 Filipinos are not good in English ^_^.
Categories: Tsismisan, Da Vinci Code
