The DaVinci Code...

The movie's about to open and now everywhere you look someone is writing an article about the DaVinci Code. Somehow, according to one article I read, Dan Brown's book -- if it were to be considered as truth -- negates Christianity.

First, I'd like to say that it is just a book -- a well written page turner, but still nothing more than a book.

Second, how can anyone say with any actual fact that Jesus was NOT married to Mary Magdalene? How do we know this? What Jesus did between age 12 and age 30 isn't in the Bible. We do not know where He went or what He did. The Jewish faith is all about family and Jesus was Jewish, so perhaps He did marry. Or, perhaps, He did not marry, but isn't believing one or another really just a guessing game?

Third, if Jesus was married, how does this negate Christianity? In my mind, it only negates the Vatican's belief that Priests should not marry. It does not negate the basic belief of Christianity that God's only son, Jesus, died on the cross for our sins and rose three days later.

Now, someone once told me that if Jesus had been married, that would mean that He had sex and then He would not have been an innocent dying on the cross for all our sins. Like somehow sex or the lack of sex is what makes you an innocent in God's eyes.

Now, I don't know if Jesus was married to Mary or not. I'm not even sure that I believe one way or another. I know that the Catholic Church for centuries portrayed her as a prostitute and it was in recent times they came out and said, "We made a mistake. She wasn't a hooker." So, how do we know that the Church will not do this again? How do we know that one day the Vatican will have to say, "Yes, we hid the truth from you for 2000 years. Oops."

I do know that there are a lot of Gospels that didn't make the cut into the Bible, such as the Gospel of Thomas. And, it seems as if the books that did make the cuts -- such as Paul's letters -- usually denounce women's roles within the Church. So, to believe that a group of men decided that they would hide the secret of Jesus' marriage isn't a far stretch.

Blessings

Blogging...

So, the day that the life sentence came for Al Qaeda Terrorist Moussaoui, I wrote an entry on one of my other blogs about him. (click the link to read the blog). Anyway, what I wrote was support for the life sentence, because I don't, as both a Catholic and a Christian, believe in the death penalty. I believe that everyone deserves a chance to come to terms with their maker and ask for forgiveness -- along with the opportunity to ask Jesus Christ to be their personal savior.

Anyway, I didn't think my blog gloated on the fact that I believe Mr. Moussaoui will spend eternity in the fires of Hell. I believe this because he doesn't show any remorse and he made a statement after the sentencing "America, you lost."

Well, I took some heat from a reader in New York. And, that's understandable, not everyone has to agree with my statement, but she wrote something that's really been digging at me since I read it:

"For one thing, I doubt that you are a "Christian" if you are a Catholic.....faith in an organization is not the same as faith in Our savior."

This bugs me. Since when is the Catholic Church not a part of the Christian faith? Since when are they mutually exclusive? As a Catholic, I believe that Peter was our first bishop of Rome, or, as he is now known, the Pope.

Now, I don't believe in everything the Catholic Church states, but I feel at home when I attend Mass. I enjoy participating in the Mass. I have felt closer to God and Jesus since I first decided to be Catholic.

So, I guess I take great offense of someone questioning my Christianity merely because they don't have the same way of expressing their faith as I do. I wouldn't question the faithfulness of a Lutheran or a Methodist because they don't choose to practice the same faith as me.

So, I'm curious -- if you aren't Catholic, how do you see the Catholic Church and if you are Catholic, have you experienced this kind of doubt from other believers?

And, speaking as someone who was reared with a non-Catholic bent, is it me or are protestants becoming the new Catholics? Wasn't the Catholic religion the one that pre-judged everyone? Wasn't it the Catholics who thought they were the only ones going to Heaven? Now, it seems like for some protestants, the roles are reversed. BTW, I'm sure there's still high and mighty Catholics out there, but I'm running into less and less of them.

God Bless