A Christian Study Guide for the DaVinci Code

By Dr. Judy Barrett

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown provides Christians with an excellent opportunity to explore many Christian heresies. Using rumors of secret para-church organizations, Dan Brown weaves an interesting tale of murder, cover-ups and intrigue. In doing so he provides us with the opportunity to ask ourselves what is morally and Biblically correct. Discussion is the key to answering these questions. Biblical references are provided to help you decide what the character should, or should not, do. It is a given that not everyone in the book will behave Biblically, but in examining their faults we may learn much.
While this book may be used by an individual, it was designed for group discussion. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 22, 2012
• ISBN: 9781300328292

Book preview

A Christian Study Guide for the DaVinci Code

A Christian Study Guide for The DaVinci Code

by Dr. Judy Barrett

Caution: The DaVinci Code contains mature subject matter. Sexuality and other subjects contained within its pages have upset more than one devout Christian. It is however an excellent guide to understanding many of the Christian heresies that do exist and crop up from time to time.

Copyright © Judy Barrett Books 2012 All Rights Reserved

ISBN #978-1-300-32829-2

Introduction

This set of study guides is meant to assist those who wish to read and understand controversial literature. The guide brings out areas of controversy and compares them to Biblical teachings. Some topics are simply Biblical or unBiblical, while others will require more thought.

These books are not Christian books. They will contain subject matter that is clearly not 'wholesome.' Some parents wish to shelter their children, or themselves from such things, and it is their right to do so. I would not recommend this book if you are teaching this audience. Further children are under the authority of their parents, and their parents' wishes must therefore be respected.

I have taken a different stance while raising my children. At what I considered appropriate ages I introduced my children to ideas they would one day encounter in their adult lives, and explained (and explained, and explained) the good, the bad and the ugly about the things we encountered. These study guides are meant to help you through this process. Whether they are your students, friends or your own children, I have done much of the research, and brought out many of the controversial questions that each book brings up for you to ponder. Bible verses are included so that you may compare ideas with scripture when necessary. Typically I will have you look the verse up yourself, because the context the verse occurs in matters and often you will be examining subtle points.

These books are not for young audiences. Even if you are completely okay with the subject matter, this level of philosophical thought is beyond most pre-teen's understanding. Learning philosophy too young results in memorization. These study guides are meant to foster independent thought and teach logic. It takes a little longer to come up with your own opinion so even when dealing with adults leave some time for people to think before answering some of the more difficult questions.

I have set these books up so that there is a study guide with questions without answers and then included an answer key. You may want to supply everyone with the key, or at least the answers to the definitions if you wish to move faster through the material. In doing this your conversation will then only focus on the more controversial topics. You may also buy just one book and copy as many study guides as you need for your group. Or, since copying is a pain and costs money, you may buy as many copies of my book as you wish. I make more money that way, and am happy with that option as well.

I hope you have fun with this. It will take much maturity to go through these topics as the authors often conflict with our religious views. This too is beneficial, because one of the most important things we need to learn is how to discuss our beliefs without becoming angry or emotional when others disagree. We also need to know enough about the material so we can identify when someone is merely ill-informed and then be able to graciously correct their misinformation without offending. Additionally, we need to learn when to cease talking because the other person is obviously too upset. Discussing controversial books in a 'safe' setting helps to foster this type of maturity. If not done well however it can break relationships, so please tread lightly and understand that the friend is more important than your view of any work of fiction.

I wish you well! If you have any questions you may contact me through my blog: www.judybarrrettblog.com or email me at: [e-mail]. If you do not like my work, that is okay, but please refrain from placing nasty comments in my inbox. Remember, these books are very controversial, and will evoke strong emotions if you are not used to this type of literature. Having read much in college with many professors who were more liberal in their beliefs than myself I have more experience than some. My goal is to help teach you, or the children you teach, the apologetics needed to handle those same situations.

I hope you do enjoy it.

Blessings,

Judy Barrett

Background

Dan Brown is a fiction writer/ English teacher who uses conspiracy theories as premises for his novel. The DaVinci Code stirred up much animosity in Christian circles since the conspiracy theories used had to do with the Christian religion. None of the theories in this book are new. Mr. Brown does his homework well with only a few twists to make his work of fiction plausible.  If you were taking a history test on Christian conspiracy theories and had only read this book you would probably score high.

That does not mean that the theories are right, or even valid, but they are not new. They are theories that our Christian ancestors dealt with. The theories are even believed by some today, though they are not mainstream in the United States. Understanding these theories and why they are wrong will prepare you when you encounter similar thinking in the future.

In some ways Dan Brown did the Christian world a favor (though many did not see it that way). By exposing these theories we had an opportunity to explain Christianity to people who were now interested. Many of us missed the point and just started yelling and trying to ban the movie the book was made into. By doing this more people were drawn to the movie, saw the controversial messages and received no information from our side as to why we don't believe this way.

The book is interesting and extremely well-written. I read it in two-days because I could not put it down, even though I picked it up reluctantly and my goal was only to see what everyone was yelling about. I picked it up late. Most of the hoopla has died down, but the theories proposed in this book still exist and this work provides a concise and interesting way to examine and deal with them so that we might be more informed.

By the way- one of the few 'errors' in the book is in its title. Leonardo DaVinci would not have ever been referred to as 'DaVinci.' DaVinci is not a last name. It merely means 'from the area of Vinci.' The Leonardo Code is not as catchy a title though, so I assume that this was artistic license and not an actual error per se. But it does reinforce the fact that Mr. Brown's intent was to write a work of fiction, and probably not to upset the entire Christian population or convert people to a new way of thinking.

The DaVinci Code: Study