Bart Cannon: ‘The Da Vinci Code’: ‘Aw, Dad, it’s just a movie!’

In a culture where symbolism, spin doctors and sound bytes shape our views about everything from soap and soft drinks to shoe leather and social agendas, the world of ideas can sometimes become a lonely place — especially for deep thinkers.

Movies, for example, offer plenty of eye candy for those seeking a temporary respite from reality. Staring mindlessly at the big screen certainly can be therapeutic — especially with the aid of an oversized, overpriced soft drink and bag of popcorn. That’s what we call “entertainment.” I enjoy a good flick just like anyone else, but, for deep thinkers like me, half the entertainment value comes from delving into the various nuances of the plot’s philosophical underpinnings.

After watching James Cameron’s “Titanic” a few years ago, I inconspicuously dabbed away my tears and ushered Momz and the kids out of the theater. On our way to the car, I remarked, “Well, kids, what did you think about the symbolism in the movie? Did you notice that a MAN-made vessel dubbed ‘unsinkable’ lost its battle with an iceberg — part of God’s creation?” Instead of stimulating a discussion about the futility of mankind’s arrogance or God’s omnipotence, I ignited a backfire. Four voices in unison virtually shouted me down: “Aw, Dad, it’s just a movie!”

I refrained from further outward dialog, but, in typical deep thinker fashion, silently debated the merits and implications of “Aw, Dad, it’s just a movie!” Besides, the privacy of my inner conversation is a much safer place. Almost 10 years later, the release of perhaps the most controversial Hollywood blockbuster of all caused my mental hard drive to reboot, search its archives and upload an upgraded version of the same question: Is “The Da Vinci Code” “just a movie?”

Author Dan Brown said, “My sincere hope is that ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ in addition to entertaining people, will serve as an open door through which curious souls might pass to begin their own exploration” (Author Talk, 2003). Apparently Brown’s intentions exceeded the boundaries of mere entertainment. In addition, Brown’s main character, professor Robert Langdon, described Leonardo Da Vinci as “… a prankster who … incorporated in many of his Christian paintings hidden symbolism that was anything but Christian — tributes to his own beliefs and a subtle thumbing of his nose at the Church” (p. 45-46).

A thoughtful, exploratory journey can be a healthy, even advisable pursuit. Nevertheless, worldviews — those clusters of ideas and beliefs about our universe and what makes it work — are seamlessly woven into the fabric of most media productions, whether newscasts, novels, paintings or feature films. The viewing public may get entertained, but we may get indoctrinated at the same time.

Consultant Eric Beck stated, “You and I don’t usually arrive at our worldviews or presuppositions through rational discourse. We’re good students of [Star Wars producer] George Lucas and the media without knowing it, which really points to … the insidiousness or the mastery that the media has in transferring values.”

According to the Rev. Dean Elliott, executive pastor of Cleburne Bible Church, “The Da Vinci Code” contains three primary lies: (1) Jesus is not God, (2) the New Testament gospels cannot be trusted and (3) Christianity is not the only way. As disconcerting as these notions may be to the vast majority of Americans, a fourth lie, “Aw, Dad, it’s just a movie,” may pose a danger all its own.

“The Da Vinci Code” is not “just a movie.” Unless we’re alert to Brown’s efforts to pitch his view of reality, albeit under the auspices of entertainment, we may find that we’ve swallowed his clever amalgamation of purported fact and fiction and jumped on the bandwagon — rather than evaluating his belief system on the basis of the best available evidence.

Here’s a word to the wise and the otherwise: If you read the book or see the movie, while you’re being entertained remember the importance of separating fact from fiction. Since we can’t count on Dan Brown to do that for us, we’ll have to do it ourselves.

Bart Cannon is a guest

columnist. He can be reached at cannonb71@yahoo.com.