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Summary: Great mystery about truth of Jesus, Last Supper
Review: In a nutshell the book is about a massive coverup by the Church, i.e. Christians and in particular the Catholic Church. Constantine the Great apparently and conveniently decided to leave out New Testament books in which Jesus was portrayed as a mere mortal. Da Vinci and others believed this and sent signals of their beliefs as code in paintings, music, etc. For example, look at the Last Supper painting by Da Vinci. The disciple sitting to right of Jesus surely looks like a woman, not John. Who is this person according to Da Vinci? None other than Mary Magdelene! Furthermore, Da Vinci and many others believed Mary was the wife of Jesus and bore his (their) child. What's amazing is that author brown backs up these beliefs with historical facts. I didn't believe it myself at first, but do as I did...go to google and do a search on photos of the recent restoration of da Vinci's Last Supper. Look at the so called man sitting to right of Jesus (left when looking at print). That is NOT a man, that is a WOMAN sitting next to Jesus.
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Summary: One of The Best Books I've Ever Read
Review: In addition to being just a good old fun and exciting mystery novel, this book is extremely enlightening as well. It provides an in-depth look at the history of Christianity and many secret societies that still exist today. It also explains how through centuries of propaganda, many ancient pagan rituals and symbols for life and beauty were misconstrued and demonized by the early church in order to convert the masses. If you are looking to read a book that is impossible to put down, and also learn a thing or two in the process, The Da Vinci Code is for you.
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Summary: Eye-opener
Review: In addition to providing the reader with an array of new possibilities to research on a seemingly endless variety of subjects, this estimable fellow has underscored what a crock organized religion is.If ever we can wean people from the mindless belief in established religious dogma and open their minds to what is truly magnificent - the reality and mystery of the universe sans superstitious god-worship - what a truly wonderful gift they will receive.
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Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: In addition to the Eighth-grade reading level, painfully contrived dialogue, and insipid characters, this book is rife with historical error. For example, the Knights Templar were not destroyed by the church, but by the King of France, and the Dead Sea Scrolls DO NOT discuss Jesus' alleged marriage. What is really disturbing is Brown's claim to have extensively researched this book. A claim which may lead many less-educated readers to believe this is a very factual and historically accurate novel. There are so many outrageous claims-I would love to see some footnotes and references!
Furthermore, Brown's implication that the Christian/Catholic church destroyed the sacred feminine in order to maintain a powerful patriarchal society just doesn't hold water. Never mind that the pagan societies so revered by Brown for their inclusion of goddess worship were explicitly patriarchal and oppressive of women (name any FEMALE Roman senator, empress, Athenian leader, Persian leader, etc.). And what about the Cult of the Virgin Mary? The writings of St. Bernard hardly demonstrate oppression of the sacred feminine!
Unfortunately, I sense that any challenge to Brown's research would be met with a snide 'Michael Moore' defense-"It's JUST fiction."
A far superior read is Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum. It is well-written, erudite, humorous, and devoid of Brown's juvenile moral equations(liberal=Good, conservative=Bad) and shoddy history.
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Summary: Hallelujah, a bit formulaic, but well worth it in surprises.
Review: In DA VINCI CODE Dan Brown brings back Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon from ANGELS AND DEMONS. Like his earlier outing, DA VINCI is a page-turner that is hard to put down, full of plot twists at a breakneck speed as the search for the Holy Grail becomes a race to stay alive. DA VINCI is teaming with interesting trivia that makes it worth a second read. Also recommend: MURDER IN KEY WEST, by Freeman and COCKPIT CONFESSIONS OF AN AIRLINE PILOT, by Keshner... both brilliant.
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Summary: The ultimate Puzzle Book! Fantastic!
Review: In his book, "The Da Vinci Code", Dan Brown has integrated many levels of mystery and puzzle solving, intertwined with suspense and murder. Add the secrecy, spanning hundreds of years, that surrounds various individuals and groups, and you have a magnificent page-turner of a book. The 454-page book is comprised of a prologue, 105 chapters, and an epilogue. The chapters are short and usually end with a compelling urge to continue reading the next, and the next, and the next, etc. "The Da Vinci Code" is a fast read because you won't want to put it down. Da Vinci -- what a clever fellow!
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Summary: A Thrilling Read from Start to Finish
Review: In his breakthrough novel, Dan Brown re-introduces the reader to Robert Langdon, an expert from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Brown stays true to form in this gripping read - you won't want to put this book down! "The Da Vinci Code" is full of rapid-fire surprises that are likely to leave one breathless, as the crew risks their lives in search of the Holy Grail. Brown's remarkably surrealistic work of fiction is literally teeming with fascinating anecdotes - which leave the reader shocked, stunned, and enthralled. http://www.stephenhehn.com
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Summary: A Heretical Book to be Avoided by Christians
Review: In my opinion, this is a heretical book to be avoided by Christians. If anyone read this book and thinks that it holds any answers to life, I strongly encourage you to read the bible for yourself and see that the Dan Brown's words are like an open grave. Dan's main purpose is to cast doubt on the validity of the Christian faith. He does so by attacking the authenticity of the bible, casting doubt on the Church, and suggesting an alternative spiritual philosophy to Christianity. In his attempt to attack the authenticity of the bible, Dan ridicules the canonization process, making it seem that a group of men came together and picked their favorite four gospels while they discarded over 40 other candidates. This is completely inaccurate, and it is only in a work of fiction that these lies can be presented as truth. In reality, the canonization process took many years, and the ones selected were chosen on three important tenants. 1) The book must have been written by or sponsored by the 12 Apostles of Christ. 2) The content should not contradict the teachings of Christ and 3) It must have been accepted by and widely used by many Churches. Dan also claims that Emperor Constantine heavily influenced the canonization of the Bible. In fact, he had nothing to do with their canonization, and there is sufficient historical documentation to support that assertion. Why would Dan make these outrageous claims if they are completely false? Dan does not believe as Jewish and Christian scholars believe that God has worked through his faithful people to evaluate, treasure, and collect the Sacred Writings that manifest God's will and purpose into Sacred Collections. Dan's second purpose is to cast doubt on the Christian Church. He does so by picking on a very vulnerable denomination, the Catholic Church. While a few individuals in the Catholic church have been guilty of wrongs, largely publicized, and denounced by the body as a whole, even he is not able to completely vilify the Church because the acts represent less than one thousandth of one percent of faithful and Godly men of the Church through out the ages. So Dan has to pick on one fringe group of the Church, which is not at all representative of the body as a whole. In the end, Dan decides to exonerate his characters and the Church, but not after trashing them for over 420 pages. Dan cites wrongs the Church committed throughout history (his charges again inaccurate and unsubstantiated). Claiming the Church was so powerful in the First Century they were able to stamp out anything they didn't agree with, including "divine femininity." In reality, the Church suffered horrible persecution with its members subjected to torture and every horrible painful death imaginable. Yet the church continued to flourish, deeply rooted in the doctrine of the Apostles, and watered with the blood of millions of members. With all this repression, why would such a practice grow if it were not fulfilling? If you have never explored Christianity with an open mind, I invite you to set aside your prejudices and do so. The books final point, after casting doubt on the authenticity of the Bible and vilifying the Church is to promote an alternative spiritual path. To me, this "sacred femininity" is the most disturbing aspect of this book. Dan suggests that orgy sex, astrology, tarot cards and the worship of other human beings, as gods is as acceptable of a practice for gaining spirituality as the Christian faith. He suggests that sexuality between men and women was an acceptable way of worshiping God before Christ came along, and that Christ participated in this practice, and it was the Church that stamped out this practice because they wanted to suppress the power of women. This is complete and utter nonsense! The Bible makes a reference to Dan's "sacred femininity," warning us not to have anything to do with the practice: I have this against you: You tolerate that woman, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Revelation 2:20-23 (NIV) According to the Bible, the reason the teachings of the "divine femininity" have not survived is because God finds it detestable and wiped out the practice. Dan would have us believe it was the Church who eliminated the practice, but clearly that is not the case. In summary, this is a trashy book with thin character development and a difficult to follow story line. It's your traditional boy meets girl, boy and girl get in trouble, and boy gets girl plot. The story is just a thin cover for Dan's pulpit of presenting his agnostic views and casting doubt on the Christian faith. Only in a fiction book could he get away with his outrageous claims, and only in these days would people read this filth and swallow it as truth. Christians, I urge you to skip reading this book, Dan should not receive any support from the Saints for his heretical views. If you did read this book and were intrigued by his philosophy, I urge you to read the New Testament of the Bible and make an informed decision for yourself. Dan himself even says that Jesus was an important spiritual leader. The problem in Dan's statement is Jesus said "I am the way and the truth and the light, no man may come before God the Father except through ME." Either Jesus was a complete liar, or he was the Son of God. Jesus doesn't leave any room for a middle ground.
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Summary: Fascinating parallels
Review: In reading this terrific thriller, I could not help but be reminded of another religious suspense thriller, THE LAST DAY (Warner Books) which contains the same level of research and historic tie-ins, and delivers the same type of controversial bite as DA VINCI CODE. There are few writers out there who can keep me as entranced in a story, and these two books are among the best examples of that talent. Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty marginal work- 2 1/2 stars
Review: In reality, this book was just Angels and Demons, with the onl difference being that the Holy Grail was substituted for the Illuminati. I'll give Brown a 5 star rating for having the courage and the creativeness to plug in very constroversial topics into a murder/conspiracy setting. It takes a lot of guts to have book presented to the general public in which you clearly get the author's opinion as to the divinity of Christ and whether he married and reproduced. So kudos to Brown for the guts and for the ingenuity to translate this "theory" into a fictionalized setting such that the general public finds it more plausible. If I was a real conspiracy nut, I would guess that Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci code was a "testing of the waters" as to public reception, and keep the concept of New World Order (Angels and Demons), and blood decendant of Jesus (Da Vinci Code), moderately acceptable in the public mind. In any event, Brown is clearly not an eloquent writer. Rather, his appeal lies in the simplicity of his message and the simplicity of the conveyance of his message. The research could have been a little deeper, and frankly it was way too transparent as to how this was going to turn out. I guess overall if you are looking for something intellectual and think you are getting an intellectual thriller---you're not. If you are looking for fun and something new--I would give this a 4 or 5 star rating--I just had a different expectation level when I bought the book
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