Preserve Da Vinci

With the following statement, I am about to reveal just how far behind I am when it comes to reading best-sellers: This weekend I completed "The Da Vinci Code." (In my defense, I finished "Angels and Demons" more than two years ago.) \nAs we all know, this book by Dan Brown has sparked a tremendous amount of controversy, particularly among the Christian community. Many do not accept the claims made by the book, which seem to undermine some of the fundamental concepts of their faith -- most notably, the divinity of Christ. And while I personally have no problems with the assertions that Brown puts forth -- in fact I find many of them to be quite brilliant -- I do feel empathetic toward those Christians who have a hard time swallowing these ideas.\nHowever, I do not agree with those who argue that when the movie version of "The Da Vinci Code" comes out in May, all religious references should be left out. To do so would completely change that which makes the novel so intriguing to begin with: discussions about the Bible, the origins of Christian philosophy, Da Vinci's take on the religion and evidence about its history. "The Da Vinci Code" is a work of art that deserves to maintain its integrity in the transition from book to film.\nThrough this novel, Brown does not ask the Christian community to upend its entire belief system by forcing it to accept the idea that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail is actually Magdalene's womb as she carried his child. He merely challenges his readers to consider ideas different from those traditionally accepted. However, by demanding that religion be removed from the film, religious groups are going beyond expressing their discontent with the novel -- they are impinging upon the rights of the artist.\nI see nothing wrong with Christians who can appreciate "The Da Vinci Code." After all, Aristotle once said: "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Enjoying this novel does not necessarily mean agreeing with it.\nIt's time we accept that art and religion are not the same, and while the two might complement one another at times, there are other times when we need to respect the fact that artists will not always agree with religion and religion will not always agree with art. Naturally, artists should not splatter pornography under highway bridges just as religions cannot make human sacrifices. \nNevertheless, we have just as much freedom to ignore things as we do to express them. If you don't agree with a church's beliefs, don't attend it. If you don't want to read "The Da Vinci Code" or watch the movie, then don't. But we can't censor something just because it doesn't conform to our beliefs.