NationStates Jolt Archive

Finally after all the hype I finally read that book Sunday. Finished it in about 5 hours.


What a steaming pile of crap that was. Seriously, I've read better writing on men's room walls. Why are so many people so giddy about that book? I can't figure out why the Catholics are in an uproar, hell it's a mediocre book that's only famous because they raised a stink about it.

Nah, it was a good book. Not great, but good. I suppose I appreciated it in part because I enjoyed the math references, whereas other people might not like them.

I really enjoyed it but then I'm not very clever....

Meh, it was an OK book.

Liked "Angels & Demons" better :)

Its like 'The Sun' its popular with lots of people because the writing in it is rubbish. The reason the Catholics got cross is because he claimed that the book was based on fact when it wasn't.

It wasn't exactly Umberto Eco...

Codex Da Vinci cloaca est...

For those who can't speak shit latin 'The Da Vinci Code is sewage'.

I can't figure out why the Catholics are in an uproar, hell it's a mediocre book that's only famous because they raised a stink about it.
All the Catholics I know aren't in an uproar. They were actually some of the first ones to read the book. The large majority of them said it was exciting but not believable.

The first Dan Brown book you read always appears better because it has the twist you don't suspect. From then on, they become predictable and rather boring.

There's nothing wrong with them, it's just there's nothing particularily great about them.

However they do tend to be a fun way to spend a couple of hours.

Finally after all the hype I finally read that book Sunday. Finished it in about 5 hours.


What a steaming pile of crap that was. Seriously, I've read better writing on men's room walls. Why are so many people so giddy about that book? I can't figure out why the Catholics are in an uproar, hell it's a mediocre book that's only famous because they raised a stink about it.

I don't beleive you read it in 5 hours. I can scan read and speed read and I sure didn't do it in 5 hours

I don't beleive you read it in 5 hours. I can scan read and speed read and I sure didn't do it in 5 hours

Well I didn't time myself but I can usually read anywhere between 60-100 pages an hour. Depends on how much I like the book and the type set and such.

I disagree. It's a rather good book, if you're into suspense/puzzle/mystery books, which I am. Of course if that's not your cup of tea, you probably found the book boring to no end.

And, the catholics are in an uproar because they're dumb and uproar for nothing and everything. They think they hold the supreme thruth on everything, and anyone disgreeing/mocking/parodying them is an heretic and should be censored/maimed/killed/killed more. Good thing the crusades and inquisition are a thing of the past.

Well I didn't time myself but I can usually read anywhere between 60-100 pages an hour. Depends on how much I like the book and the type set and such.

I still doubt 5 hours in one sitting. More likely a day and a bit.

I still doubt 5 hours in one sitting. More likely a day and a bit.

Wasn't one sitting, I got bored and went to go scrounge up some dinner about 300 pages into it.

It's not written nearly well enough to be a real page turner. I kept reading and reading waiting to hit the good part and it just never happened.

I enjoyed it – I saw it as mental fluff that killed a few hours.

Sometimes I think that most people like it because these supposedly difficult riddles and whatnot that baffled geniuses throughout history can be figured out fairly easily, so it makes them feel smart.

If you approach it as some pop-culture fluff and not some serious piece of literature then you should be able to enjoy it. You are probably taking it way too seriously. It’s like watching an episode of Friends and expecting something of the quality of Much ado about nothing.

And, the catholics are in an uproar because they're dumb and uproar for nothing and everything. They think they hold the supreme thruth on everything, and anyone disgreeing/mocking/parodying them is an heretic and should be censored/maimed/killed/killed more. Good thing the crusades and inquisition are a thing of the past.
Sterotypical generalization. *claps* *points to their previous post*

The writing was crap. However, the whole "church conspiracy" is what has made it vastly popular, along with the "accurate descriptions" of artwork, references to "actual organizations", etc. It gives it a credibility- even for a poorly written work of fiction- that draws people to it. If you have something against the Catholic Church, or question your faith, or hate religion in general, or whatever- this book gives you what you want. Throw in a murder mystery and all sorts of conspiracy goodies and people look past the dreadful writing and see the story for what it could have been if a decent writer penned it.

That being said, I liked it. But I am an antitheist, who delights in anything that shows, implys, or accuses the "holy mother church" of anything sinister.

Its like 'The Sun' its popular with lots of people because the writing in it is rubbish. The reason the Catholics got cross is because he claimed that the book was based on fact when it wasn't.

Most of it was quite bad, though his is right about the jewish law that all men must be married before their 20's. It strikes me as odd that there is nowhere in the bible that referes to Jesus as someone who broke that law.

Most of it was quite bad, though his is right about the jewish law that all men must be married before their 20's. It strikes me as odd that there is nowhere in the bible that referes to Jesus as someone who broke that law.

It raised some interesting points, but nothing I'd not already known. Guess I take some of the things I know to be rather common knowledge.

Sterotypical generalization. *claps* *points to their previous post*
Christians in an uproar about the Da Vinci Code are equally as stupid as thos Muslims upset over the Mahomet images in european newspaper.

Most christians I know think nothing of the Da Vinci Code. They read it, thought it was midly entertaining, dismissed it as fiction, which it is, and went back to loving their neighbours. As did many Muslims when they saw the caricatures: they looked at them, smiled or thought they were of bad taste, and went on with their lives.

Fundamentalists who can't digest satire or disagreement over their faith are very, very sad people indeed. I'd even say that kind of fundamentalism is dangerous, as it is the stuff that causes wars based on religion, crusades, inquisition, and suicide-bombing.

You're welcome to your opinion, but I stand by my words. Perhaps I should simply slightly reword it: "Those Catholics who are in an uproar..." and that would express my opinion more accurately.

I still doubt 5 hours in one sitting. More likely a day and a bit.

It clocks in at 137,100 words, according to Amazon. Standard wordage per page for this kind of novel would be about 450. Comes out at 300 pages by my calculation.


I certainly read comfortably at rate of a page a minute if I'm not distracted, and so five hours seems perfectly likely.

It raised some interesting points, but nothing I'd not already known. Guess I take some of the things I know to be rather common knowledge.
Like?

You're welcome to your opinion... Perhaps I should simply slightly reword it: "Those Catholics who are in an uproar..." and that would express my opinion more accurately.
I most certainly am and I welcome your addtion to your previous post. *nods*

The bit about Mithras was the most obvious example. How Christianity has taken basicially all of it's faith from various earlier pagan religions.

The bit about Mithras was the most obvious example. How Christianity has taken basicially all of it's faith from various earlier pagan religions.
True, very simple politiking, similar to the New labour move onto the centre ground in British politics. It is alway good to remember that the religion is more about politics than it is about God.

How Christianity has taken basicially all of it's faith from various earlier pagan religions.
That's funny, I thought Christianity stole just the parties. The whole divine being dying on the cross - for the sake of mortals - doesn't occur all that much in other religions.

That's funny, I thought Christianity stole just the parties. The whole divine being dying on the cross - for the sake of mortals - doesn't occur all that much in other religions.

Odin? Attis?

Most of it was quite bad, though his is right about the jewish law that all men must be married before their 20's. It strikes me as odd that there is nowhere in the bible that referes to Jesus as someone who broke that law.

That's not true. I believe the Essenes were a group that many of them didn't get married. John the Baptist was supposedly of this group.

But back to the book, I found it a bit unbelievable even in the obvious fiction part of the plot of Brown's story. Supposedly in 15 minutes this 73 year old man who is shot in the stomach and mortally wounded ran the equivalent of 3 city blocks, thought up 3 anagrams, wrote the address to his bank on this amazing key, hid the key behind one painting, wrote on another painting, took off all his clothes and "folded them neatly", drew a pentacle on his stomach in blood, drew a big circle on the floor and a bunch of other stuff with a blacklight pen, sprawled out naked on the floor in a pose, and died (I might have even forgotten a thing or two in there). And that's in the first couple chapters.

For some stupid reason I chose to look into some of his "facts" and found wrong dates, and wrong lots of things - like there aren't 666 panes of glass in the pyramid built at the Louvre, the number Phi is a pretty cool number, but not everything in nature agrees with it, The Les Documents whatever they were called were forged in the 1950's and the Priory of Sion was created during that time as well. All kinds of facts about the knights templar were wrong, and Opus Dei is just a very conservative Catholic group that doesn't like the mass in english among other things. That's just the tip of the iceburg as most would probably be bored at the list I've found of incorrect statements in this book. But my point in posting is that even the plot of the story is quite unbelievable. I read it all in two days. But it was a bit disappointing for me.

That's funny, I thought Christianity stole just the parties. The whole divine being dying on the cross - for the sake of mortals - doesn't occur all that much in other religions.
In hinduism the main Hero God dies for his people, crusifixions happened and it is likely that a young rabble rouser who pissed off the Romans would have ended up on a cross if he overstepped the mark. 2 + 2 = divinity

That's not true. I believe the Essenes were a group that many of them didn't get married. John the Baptist was supposedly of this group.

But back to the book, I found it a bit unbelievable even in the obvious fiction part of the plot of Brown's story. Supposedly in 15 minutes this 73 year old man who is shot in the stomach and mortally wounded ran the equivalent of 3 city blocks, thought up 3 anagrams, wrote the address to his bank on this amazing key, hid the key behind one painting, wrote on another painting, took off all his clothes and "folded them neatly", drew a pentacle on his stomach in blood, drew a big circle on the floor and a bunch of other stuff with a blacklight pen, sprawled out naked on the floor in a pose, and died (I might have even forgotten a thing or two in there). And that's in the first couple chapters.

For some stupid reason I chose to look into some of his "facts" and found wrong dates, and wrong lots of things - like there aren't 666 panes of glass in the pyramid built at the Louvre, the number Phi is a pretty cool number, but not everything in nature agrees with it, The Les Documents whatever they were called were forged in the 1950's and the Priory of Sion was created during that time as well. All kinds of facts about the knights templar were wrong, and Opus Dei is just a very conservative Catholic group that doesn't like the mass in english among other things. That's just the tip of the iceburg as most would probably be bored at the list I've found of incorrect statements in this book. But my point in posting is that even the plot of the story is quite unbelievable. I read it all in two days. But it was a bit disappointing for me.

Are you by any chance one of those cyber debunkers hired/recruited by the vatican to disrupt conversations on the code?

It wasn't exactly Umberto Eco...
That's funny. I lost the copy of "The Name of the Rose" and wanted something to read on my next flight. "The DaVinci Code" was selling at the airport, so I bought and read it. Not a bad read for an "airplane book". It's in the same category as James Patterson, as far as I'm concerned -- just a time-killer.

Are you by any chance one of those cyber debunkers hired/recruited by the vatican to disrupt conversations on the code?

Lol! I'm not Catholic and I certainly don't work for them :)

Good stuff.

For some stupid reason I chose to look into some of his "facts" and found wrong dates, and wrong lots of things - ...

Haven't read DVC, but The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail seems to have a better reputation for sticking to the 'facts', and is a quite entertaining read.

... religion is more about politics than it is about God.
Actually, not religion per se: more like organized religion or churches. Individual believers or faith based on personal enlightenment seldom meet the same political problems than monolithic entities like the Catholic Church faces.

Odin? Attis?
For the sake of mortals. Not some power stuggle between gods - unless you're counting the massive ammounts of castrations in Greek mythology to be "for the sake of mortals".
If you had said Balder ( or however you spell that ) you might have gotten a cookie, seeing as to how he was ressurected like Jesus. Other similiarities don't really exist - with the knowledge we presently have - in pagan Europe.
In hinduism the main Hero God dies for his people, crusifixions happened and it is likely that a young rabble rouser who pissed off the Romans would have ended up on a cross if he overstepped the mark.
On the Hinduism thing: I'm not acquainted with that. Source?
On the young rabble rouser: Are you referring to Jesus?

Actually, not religion per se: more like organized religion or churches. Individual believers or faith based on personal enlightenment seldom meet the same political problems than monolithic entities like the Catholic Church faces.

I would be tempted to label those as spirituality, rather than religion in this context.

For the sake of mortals. Not some power stuggle between gods - unless you're counting the massive ammounts of castrations in Greek mythology to be "for the sake of mortals".

Odin's ordeal on the tree gave humanity runes, and the division between the divine and the mundane in Ancient Greek mythology makes nonsense of the concept of 'mortals' as a separate entity from the deities.

Lol! I'm not Catholic and I certainly don't work for them :)

Good stuff.

Just, you had to hand an awlful lot of information, but then this may be your area, I don't know. I found the book readable.

I have a political back ground and know easily people can be influenced by bodies such as churches and states. For example, Mugabe's regime have been showing footage of White American's linching Black Americans at the tern ot the last cetuary and passing it off as white Zimbabweans. I know that it is wiedly beleived that Constantine orchastrated the deuification of Jesus when he "re-organised" Christianity and while reading Paul the words Misoganist kept buzzing arround in my head.

On the Hinduism thing: I'm not acquainted with that. Source?
On the young rabble rouser: Are you referring to Jesus?

I was at a festival two months ago for the Hindu God Rah (I think) with a hindu friend and the story struck me as a cross between "monkey" and the life of Jesus.

Jesus = Rabble rouser

Odin's ordeal on the tree gave humanity runes, and the division between the divine and the mundane in Ancient Greek mythology makes nonsense of the concept of 'mortals' as a separate entity from the deities.
Sounds like Prometheus.
Now, I'll have to admit, I don't know exactly what you're talking about here.

It was okay. Not great, but okay. I liked Angels and Demons better.

Actually, not religion per se: more like organized religion or churches. Individual believers or faith based on personal enlightenment seldom meet the same political problems than monolithic entities like the Catholic Church faces.

or indoctrination

Sounds like Prometheus.

Ah, but Prometheus never died.*


* Nor did Odin, but he at least underwent an ordeal while attached to a bit of wood, rather than a stone like Jimmyboy 'magic-liver' Prometheus.

I thought it was pretty good. Not the best book I've ever read, but enjoyable. Pretty good twists and stuff.

It's so popular now because:

1) Undermines the whole foundation of Christianity
2) The movie comes out the 19th.

It's so popular now because:

1) Undermines the whole foundation of Christianity
2) The movie comes out the 19th.

and 3) people think it's true.

I was at a festival two months ago for the Hindu God Rah (I think) with a hindu friend and the story struck me as a cross between "monkey" and the life of Jesus.
Isn't Buddha a god in Hinduism? Hinduism can absorb whatever it wants, that's what makes it so great! :p
Anyhow, I really got nothing to say. Other than that, I'm implying that the Jesus story most likely came first in this case and that this Hindu story you're referring to could very well have borrowed many bits and pieces from the story. I can't prove anything though, so just ignore this if you're planning on making a serious response.

and 3) people think it's true.

Yes, agreed.

Ah, but Prometheus never died.*
Nah, just an eternity getting his innards chowed on my a raven at sundown every day. :p
* Nor did Odin, but he at least underwent an ordeal while attached to a bit of wood, rather than a stone like Jimmyboy 'magic-liver' Prometheus.
*rubs chin inteligently*
OK, so if we get an Odin-Balder hybrid, that should explain why the Nordic regions converted so easily to Christianity.

Nah, just an eternity getting his innards chowed on my a raven at sundown every day. :p

An eagle, darling, an eagle.

An eagle, darling, an eagle.

And it was his liver.... methinks..... possibly with a nice Chianti, but that might be from something else...

An eagle, darling, an eagle.
And it was his liver.... methinks..... possibly with a nice Chianti, but that might be from something else...
Ever so picky, aren't we? We should all play Dan Brown and see the symbology in this!

And it was his liver.... methinks.....

Yes, I did call him "Jimmyboy 'magic-liver'" earlier for a reason. Well, half a reason anyhow.

Yes, I did call him "Jimmyboy 'magic-liver'" earlier for a reason. Well, half a reason anyhow.

I just thought you were being.... well.... you.

Yes, I did call him "Jimmyboy 'magic-liver'" earlier for a reason. Well, half a reason anyhow.
I read "magic-lover" just like I always read "Golfballs"...

All facts considered, This book is still fiction. Allthough Dan Brown may have gone skimpy on the facts, does it really matter? it is a book, written for literary enjoyment. The sole purpose of the Da Vinci Code was NOT to anger the church, but to be a good read. Consider this, People. As for Christianity being based on the pagen religion, I can agree fully. The holidays are similar, And some of the stories are very much alike. Christmas is in fact a pagan holiday. Look it up, folks, do some research before you yell at me.

I read "magic-lover" just like I always read "Golfballs"...

I am completely incapable of seeing the word 'shopfitter' painted on the side of vans without reading it as 'shoplifter'.

and 3) people think it's true.
Yeah... Hihi, people are silly :)

Christmas is in fact a pagan holiday. Look it up, folks, do some research before you yell at me.

* Yells at Albernon. *

No, Christmas is a Chrisitian holiday. The clue is in the name. Yuletide is a pagan holiday.

I am adding to my previos post that i do not think he should have SAid it was true if he knew it wansnt. Perhaps HE should have done some more research.

Just coincidence they fall in the same time period? I think not.

The word Christmas may be derived from the word christ, but the hloliday was still taken from the pagans. It was a farmilier holiday, and thus easier to use. All churches in history seem to be just a bit lazy.

Just coincidence they fall in the same time period? I think not.

Firstly, Yule is a North European festival, Christianity had not taken a foothold in Northern Europe by the time that the date of Christmas had been fixed as 25th December.

Secondly, the fact that Christmas plays the role of a festival held in the deepest midwinter (from a European perspective) and that pagan religions also had their own holidays which fulfilled the same role does not mean that Christmas is a pagan festival: it is more likely to signify a human predisposition to hold a time of light and celebration during the darkest months.

Just coincidence they fall in the same time period? I think not.
No, it is no coincidence. However, you are wrong.
The pagan holidays celebrated the winter solstice under various names. The Catholic church - at least - used it to get pagans to hop onto the Christian boat and for various economical / substinence reasons concerning Medival farm-life. Christmas ( a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Christ ) falls on the 25 of Decemeber, which is usually just after the winter solstice. Its easier to change from one faith to another if you can still party on the same schedule, if you catch my drift. If you had said that Christmas has pagan and heathen influences, then you would be correct.

The word Christmas may be derived from the word christ, but the hloliday was still taken from the pagans. It was a farmilier holiday, and thus easier to use. All churches in history seem to be just a bit lazy.

Syncretism is an entirely different thing from claiming that it is a pagan holiday.

I have been proven wrong. I always enjoy that, allthough it ticks me off a bit. I keyed some of that into google, and i have to agree that i am wrong. Thank you, but you still have to note that the da vinci code is JUST a book, and nothing else. I enjoyed it and angels and demons. I can understand the catholic problems with it, because it quetions their fath and beliefs. I don not think , however, that the rest of the world should have such problem with it. After all, it is JUST a book.

I have been proven wrong. I always enjoy that, allthough it ticks me off a bit. ...
Now you'll be able to prove someone else wrong in the future. That always feels good. :)

Yes. Yes it does.

I have been proven wrong. I always enjoy that, allthough it ticks me off a bit.
Best part is that you conceded gracefully. You don't see that too often in General. Kudos :)

Haven't read DVC, but The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail seems to have a better reputation for sticking to the 'facts', and is a quite entertaining read.


I watched one of those DVC debunking shows a few weeks ago. Towards the end, they were interviewing one of the writers of HB-HG and he said flat out that they have no actual proof of anything they wrote, it was entirely their theories.

I am rather surprised that Brown won his court case over that. From what little I've read of Holy Blood, I'd agree that they at the very least influenced DVC, if not having sections borrowed from it.

I watched one of those DVC debunking shows a few weeks ago. Towards the end, they were interviewing one of the writers of HB-HG and he said flat out that they have no actual proof of anything they wrote, it was entirely their theories.

True, but they at least present a set of 'facts' and describe how they came upon them, and then go ahead and speculate at how these all connect, thus allowing for some sceptical engagement from the reader, rather than just presenting a fait accompli where suppositions and actual historical data are given the same weight (like Brown did).

I am rather surprised that Brown won his court case over that. From what little I've read of Holy Blood, I'd agree that they at the very least influenced DVC, if not having sections borrowed from it.[/QUOTE]

AH, but HBHG was claimed to be a piece of factual work, or at least a piece of speculation based on possible facts, and so the authors were confronted with either admitting it was largely a work of fiction (and thus losing their credibility at the cost of strengthening their case) or presenting it as a work of fact (in which case the contents wouldn't belong to them alone.

If you had said Balder ( or however you spell that ) you might have gotten a cookie, seeing as to how he was ressurected like Jesus.

Yes, it is Balder, but he wasn't resurrected, was he? They sought to have him brought back to life, but only if everything in the multiverse said yes.

And of course, there was one guy who said no.

* Yells at Albernon. *

No, Christmas is a Chrisitian holiday. The clue is in the name. Yuletide is a pagan holiday.

Are you aware that only english has the word Christmas?

In Danish, for example, can you guess what Christmas is?

(although you could use a translater or guess, I will give the answer: Jul)

The book, while entertaining, was simplistically written, had a poor plot (One page characters have a problem... then a sudden flash of inspiration allows them to solve that problem by the next page... I can write stories by that, and I would claim I am a poor fiction writer), is clearly designed for those with the attention span of a chimpanzee on speed and the theory is the biggest load of tosh I have seen for a long time.

Finally after all the hype I finally read that book Sunday. Finished it in about 5 hours.


What a steaming pile of crap that was. Seriously, I've read better writing on men's room walls. Why are so many people so giddy about that book? I can't figure out why the Catholics are in an uproar, hell it's a mediocre book that's only famous because they raised a stink about it.
My hypothesis is that most people don't really read that much, and what they do read is low-grade dog feces. So when a mediocre book comes along and gets enough press to shock the mindless sheep into cracking that book open they're so impressed that reading is entertaining and that the book is better than the latest shitty romance/fantasy/horror paperback that they've read that they go apeshit over it.

In Danish, for example, can you guess what Christmas is?

(although you could use a translater or guess, I will give the answer: Jul

The fact that the Danes are a bunch of Godless savages who would have benefitted from being driven into the sea circa the fifth century AD is their problem not mine.*


* of course the loss to the world of Carlsberg would be a terrible thing, but sometimes difficult decisions must be made.

Good thing the crusades and inquisition are a thing of the past.

You sure about that???? :rolleyes:

I do'nt think that the churches war against the people will ever be over. It is more of an ongoing battle, them fighting for what they believe is the good of mankind and the rest of the world fighting back tooth and nail. The church, Politics, it's all a big power struggle. Everywhere you look, you see someone who wants to be more powerfull than the other guy.It's human instinct more than anything, goes back to the days when all we did was sit around smacking one another with our swords or clubs or whatever happened to be nearest. To want to be on top is Human nature.