Da Vinci Code Shakes Catholic Faith

Many claim "The Da Vinci Code" is harmless fiction, but what if not everybody's getting the message? That is what a recent poll reveals. This from Reuters:

"The Da Vinci Code" has undermined faith in the Roman Catholic Church and badly damaged its credibility, a survey of British readers of Dan Brown's bestseller showed on Tuesday.

People are now twice as likely to believe Jesus Christ fathered children after reading the Dan Brown blockbuster and four times as likely to think the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei is a murderous sect.

"An alarming number of people take its spurious claims very seriously indeed," said Austin Ivereigh, press secretary to Britain's top Catholic prelate Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.

"Our poll shows that for many, many people the Da Vinci Code is not just entertainment," Ivereigh added.

He heads a prominent group of English Roman Catholic monks, theologians, nuns and members of Opus Dei, who commissioned the survey from leading pollster Opinion Research Business (ORB) and have sought to promote Catholic beliefs at a time when the film's release has provoked a storm of controversy.

ORB interviewed more than 1,000 adults last weekend, finding that 60 percent believed Jesus had children by Mary Magdalene -- a possibility raised by the book -- compared with just 30 percent of those who had not read the book.

Seeing the effects of "The Da Vinci Code" are this devastating to Catholics, is it much of a stretch to believe it will do the same to Protestants, evangelicals, or even members of the church? I believe there are many Christians who can watch this movie without being shaken in the least. However, I also know there are many more who are not grounded in the truth and who will give this nonsense more credit than it is due.