Why is the book the Da Vinci Code, which is a book on fiction,......?
546646
I think the problem lies in the idea that this may not all be fiction.  Some of the base of the ideas can be well documented and are in the non-fiction book Holy Blood, Holy Grail.  Brown takes this research and runs with it well into the realm of fiction.  But there is some truth in the book.  I think that's what's being considered scary.
1113847
Truth or fiction?\n\nWho says it has to be one or the other?\n\nMany fictional books have a lot of truth to them.\nEven the bible uses fictional stories to reveal truth.\n\nIt's a work of fiction that contains, reveals, or points to,  truths.
450518
it's a good entertainment but it is filled with falacies, lies and evil.  \n\nthe book is a fiction but the author continued to claim that it is based on historical fact.  what's so funny is that the book can't produce solid evidence of its claims.  on the contrary, there are even more evidence that would show that the book and its basis is bogus.  \n\nCatholics should be concerned about the book because it not only misrepresents their Church as a murderous institution but also implies that the Christian faith itself is utterly false.\n\nOther Christians should also be concerned.  Only some of the offensive claims of The Da Vinci Code pertain directly to the Catholic Church. The remainder strike at the Christian faith itself. If the book's claims were true, then all forms of Christianity would be false (except perhaps for Gnostic/feminist versions focusing on Mary Magdalene instead of Jesus).\n\nIt isn't a defense to say that The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction. Fiction can't change the basic facts about major historical figures without being subject to criticism. People would be outraged if Doubleday printed a novel portraying Adolph Hitler in a positive light. Christians have a right to be outraged when the basic historical facts about Christ are falsified. The criticism will be even more intense when a publisher releases a book parodying the most sacred beliefs of others in this fashion.\n\nThe author and the publisher  have gone to great lengths to mislead people into thinking that the novel has a historical basis. They deserve especially sharp criticism for this, and when criticism is made they cannot hypocritically hide behind the "It's just fiction" allegation after having made such extensive efforts to convince the reader that it is not "just fiction."
518048
It is a thriller story involving secret societies, conspiracies, the Catholic Church, and the fictional "truth" about Jesus Christ. Here is the author's own summary: \n\nA renowned Harvard symbologist is summoned to the Louvre Museum to examine a series of cryptic symbols relating to Da Vinci's artwork. In decrypting the code, he uncovers the key to one of the greatest mysteries of all time . . . and he becomes a hunted man.\n\nDuring the course of the novel it is alleged that the Catholic Church is perpetuating a major, centuries-long conspiracy to hide the "truth" about Jesus Christ from the public, and it or its agents are willing to stop at nothing, including murder, to do so.\n\nBefore reading the book, I would refer you to this literature that will give you a background of the basis of the book and the real historical fact.  http://www.crisismagazine.com/september2003/feature1.htm
395110
It is a thriller story involving secret societies, conspiracies, the Catholic Church, and the fictional "truth" about Jesus Christ. Here is the author's own summary: \n\nA renowned Harvard symbologist is summoned to the Louvre Museum to examine a series of cryptic symbols relating to Da Vinci's artwork. In decrypting the code, he uncovers the key to one of the greatest mysteries of all time . . . and he becomes a hunted man.\nDuring the course of the novel it is alleged that the Catholic Church is perpetuating a major, centuries-long conspiracy to hide the "truth" about Jesus Christ from the public, and it or its agents are willing to stop at nothing, including murder, to do so.
29328
Yeah, it's the DaVinci Code. Dan Brown, the author, uses just enough truth mixed in with his fiction to make what he says believable. Most people don't know enough about the Bible to know that what he's saying is false, and so they accept it because he's a good writer.
607912
It's a novel. Novels are fictional by definition. It was never meant to be taken as truth. I really don't understand why some people think it is.
302092
You are really generalizing this genre.  "Fiction" is not a specific type of book, and thus can be considered many things.  However, most fiction novels have some element that is unique to the story and not to the real world, though it is allowed if by accident.  For instance, a fictitious novel about a murder, may match perfectly a murder case with the only exception being the names of the characters, but the story is still fiction because the names are unique and it is being published independently of the actual murder.  Historical fiction, for instance, can have this type of occurence.  William Shakespeare's "Julius Ceasar" is considered fiction, but it is feasible that the events portrayed in the play reflect the true historical death of Ceasar.  Another popular type of fiction is science fiction.  In science fiction, the story is more often based on a scientific hypothesis about some pre-existing knowledge.  For instance, a story about moon travel was considered just imagination until NASA began sending flights to the moon.\nBasically, I am trying to say that a FICTION book is a very poor designation, because it is too vague.  However, fiction does contain at LEAST one invented element, be that a name, a character, or a world.
1139390
yeah,but if you dig deeper,the da vinci code is purely fictional,and the catholic church gave out their views on this...most if not everything on dan brown's book is merely a product of his wild imagination...but it was very entertaining...
620552
Bible is Fact.\nDa Vinci Code is Fiction.\nBible presents itself as Fact.\nDa Vinci Code presents itself as Fiction.\nBible author says the book is Fact.\nDa Vinci Code author says the book is Fiction.\n\n'nough said.
547425
The Da Vinci code is a book, the movie is coming out in a few days, by Dan Brown. He "claims" that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had a baby together. Also that there was a secret group hiding that secret. Also Brown claims that the Merovingian(sp?) is the bloodline of Jesus. \n\nOh by the way, while all of this is playing out, there is this guy who is a Harvard professor who teaches Symbology that has to go over to Europe to help this lady out with solving her father's death.\n\nThe reason "it shook the foundations of Christianity" is because Dan Brown, as I said earlier, claims that Jesus was married and had a child.
230307
Many of the hypotheses and conjectures proposed in the Da Vinci Code are not able to be proven.  However, it is a very interesting read and it has ignited a great deal of interest in history, travel and religion. Isn't that worth something?\n\nHere are some interesting comments regarding the religious aspects of the book:\n\nDa Vinci Code Movie on the Way!\nhttp://www.ubiquityinternational.com/drtom/2006/01/da-vinci-code-movie-is-on-its-way.htm\n\nDa Vinci Code Redux\nhttp://www.ubiquityinternational.com/drtom/2006/03/da-vinci-code-redux.htm
674227
I don't have a copy of it here but I would like to remind you - and the rest of the ummah worldwide - that it was a work of _fiction_! Like the DaVinci Code. I've read almost every fictional thing Rushdie has written and he never just sticks in sotto voce comments that are 'Rushdie's idea'. So you'll find that this comment is also put in the mouth of a fictional character.\n\nReally! You need to learn the difference between fiction and non-fiction! Check Wikipedia or something.
274688
The Da Vinci Code is a novel written by American author Dan Brown and published in 2003 by Doubleday Fiction (ISBN 0385504209). It is a worldwide bestseller with 36 million copies in print (as of August 2005) and has been translated into 44 languages. Combining the detective, thriller and conspiracy theory genres, the book is part two of a trilogy that started with Brown's 2000 novel Angels and Demons, which introduced the character Robert Langdon. In November 2004, Random House published a "Special Illustrated Edition", with 160 illustrations interspersed with the text.\n\nThe plot of the novel involves a conspiracy by the Catholic Church to cover up the true story of Jesus. This implies that the Vatican consciously knows it is living a lie, but does so to keep itself in power. The novel has helped generate popular interest in speculation concerning the Holy Grail legend and the role of Mary Magdalene in the history of Christianity. Fans have lauded the book as creative, action-packed and thought-provoking. Critics have attacked it as inaccurate and poorly written, and decry the many negative implications about the Catholic Church.\n\nThe book opens with the claim by Dan Brown that "all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate"; but this claim is disputed by academic scholars in the fields the book discusses (see Criticisms of The Da Vinci Code and the further reading list below). As widely noted in the media, there has been substantial confusion among readers about whether the book is factual. Numerous works have been published which explain in detail why any claim to accuracy is difficult to sustain.
1028691
the "scandals" written in the Da Vinci Code have been around for centuries. heck, authors have written books about it since the middle ages. even the author of the Da Vinci Code admits to fudging "facts". it's a book/movie, and a bad one at that. if you believe one book/movie without doing your own research, then you're full of bologna too
672417
The problem with "The Da Vinci Code" is that is starts by claiming that the Catholic Church is portrayed accurately. The trouble is, no distinction is made between the factual elements, and the purely fictional. As a result, people might come away believing fictional elements to be totally non-fictional.\n\nSome of the bigger fallacies claimed are:\n\nJesus is not God; he was only a man. \n\nJesus was married to Mary Magdalene. \n\nShe is to be worshiped as a goddess. \n\nJesus got her pregnant, and the two had a daughter. \n\nThat daughter gave rise to a prominent family line that is still present in Europe today. \n\nThe Bible was put together by a pagan Roman emperor. \n\nJesus was viewed as a man and not as God until the fourth century, when he was deified by the emperor Constantine. \n\nThe Gospels have been edited to support the claims of later Christians. \n\nIn the original Gospels, Mary Magdalene rather than Peter was directed to establish the Church. \n\nThere is a secret society known as the Priory of Sion that still worships Mary Magdalene as a goddess and is trying to keep the truth alive. \n\nThe Catholic Church is aware of all this and has been fighting for centuries to keep it suppressed. It often has committed murder to do so. \n\nThe Catholic Church is willing to and often has assassinated the descendents of Christ to keep his bloodline from growing.\n\nAnyone with a solid understanding of Catholic Church Doctrine and history, can easily discern fact from fiction. However many cannot, and therein lies the real danger.
581093
Its just a fiction, an ordinary novel.\nThe Truth Of The Matter:\n\nBrown can be challenged in at least two areas: (1) There are things he claims to be historical which, in fact, are not historical at all; and (2) he completely misrepresents biblical history. Let us briefly consider these two points:\n\n(1) There are things Brown claims to be historical which, in fact, are not historical at all. A primary case in point is the Priory of Sion, an organization that is at the very heart of Brown's story, and which, if proven to be based on bogus history, undermines the entire infrastructure of Brown's theory. This organization is said to guard the secret of Jesus' marriage to Mary Magdalene. It is claimed to have been founded in Jerusalem in 1099 by a French King. The organization is believed to be watching over Jesus and Mary's descendants, and waiting for the perfect time to reveal its secret to the world. Because of constant threat of danger from the Roman Catholic Church, the organization has allegedly hidden its message in literature, paintings, and even architecture such that only learned people can decipher the meanings.\n\nBrown makes the following assertion regarding this organization on page one of The Da Vinci Code: "The Priory of Sion—a European secret society founded in 1099—is a real organization. In 1975 Paris's Bibliotheque Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Dossiers Secrets, identifying numerous members of the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo da Vinci." The question is: Are these parchments reliable?\n\nAs a backdrop to answering this question, allow me to point out that Brown obtained much of his information on the Priory of Sion from a book entitled Holy Blood, Holy Grail, by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. In this book we find a dependency on the above–mentioned parchments which allegedly prove that Jesus married Mary Magdalene, had a baby named Sarah, and, following Jesus' death on the cross, Mary relocated to a Jewish community in France. Their descendents were French allegedly royalty.\n\nNow, here is the big problem with all this. These parchments are completely bogus. Historically, in 1953, a Frenchman named Pierre Plantard spent time in jail for fraud. In 1954 he founded a small social club named the Priory of Sion. The purpose of the club was to call for low–income housing in France. The organization dissolved in 1957, but Plantard held on to the name. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Plantard put together a number of bogus documents which "proved" the Jesus–Mary Magdalene theory, with French royalty being their descendants. Plantard claimed that he himself was one of the descendents of this couple.\n\nSome time later, a friend of the French president found himself in legal trouble and Plantard ended up being called to testify in the case. While under oath, the judge asked him about these documents about Jesus and Mary Magdalene, and he admitted he made the whole thing up. An associate of Plantard's also conceded that Plantard made the whole thing up. All this has been thoroughly documented by several French books and a BBC special.2