Relax, it's just fiction

Posted 5/18/2006 11:44 PM ET

From the furor over The Da Vinci Code, you'd think World War III was about to erupt. Dan Brown's blockbuster — first the book, now the movie opening today — has ignited a fight among many Christians over whether it should be shunned as blasphemy or used as a starting point to win converts.

Let's take a deep breath here. This is a work of fiction. Why not treat it like other popular novels of historical fiction, such as The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel or Lincoln by Gore Vidal?

It's easy to see how The Da Vinci Code, if taken as historical fact, could be offensive. Its plot questions the foundations of Christianity. The bare-bones story, for anyone still in the dark, is that a professor of religious symbolism unravels clues to "discover" that Christianity is built on a falsehood: Jesus was not divine. He married Mary Magdalene and left descendants. This has been covered up for centuries by the Roman Catholic church and assorted men of history.

But the film is not a documentary, nor even a docudrama like The Passion of the Christ, which aroused passions of its own as churches touted its veracity. The Da Vinci Code is a pulp fiction romp, given superficial credibility by an artful splicing of history and beguiling supposition. It plays on popular fascination with conspiracies, suspicions about the Catholic Church, and the idea of explosive hidden truths that could change the world. The book has sold more than 40 million copies in 44 languages. The movie, despite tepid reviews, will reach millions more.

The Da Vinci backlash has ranged from a Vatican cardinal and several religious groups urging a ban or boycott, to Thailand banning it then relenting with a notice to audiences that it is fiction.

The bans and boycotts overlook what can be gained from engaging works of historical fiction. Like an adult version of the Harry Potter books that have gotten kids to read (if only fleetingly), The Da Vinci Code has provoked passionate debate on the origins of Christianity, Renaissance art and architecture, and the meaning of the Holy Grail. Tours are booming to places in France, England and Scotland described in the book.

Trying to force beliefs on others is counterproductive. The only reasonable approach is dialogue and openness. In fact, many churches are taking just that path, through study groups, marketing campaigns and sermons picking apart the historical and theological claims. And while some Da Vinci places — notably the St. Sulpice church in Paris and Westminster Abbey — have disavowed any association, others, such as the Louvre, have embraced it because it brings people, no matter how they get there, into contact with great works of art.

The Da Vinci Code is entertainment, not theology. If it arouses intellectual curiosity, so much the better. As author Brown has suggested, if Christianity has withstood heretical ideas and fierce attacks through the centuries, it needn't have to worry about a thriller writer from New Hampshire.