Da Vinci Code (17th Jul 06, Mon)

All I could think of was - it was sensational! Uncovering information in a new way, seeing things in a new light - the mind feels rejuvenated! As much as Angels and Demons seemed to have shown darkness, I think Dan Brown compensated with much enlightenment in the Da Vinci code.
The whole battle about the truth is scary. A famous lyricist once wrote - "don't believe your eyes, they trick you!" I wonder what the people who lived with Lord Jesus would have felt when they read the Bible we read now. They must seen such conflicting accounts (if the history in this book is true).
'Truth is always victorious' - it came out but isn't winning - the Vatican is appalled at the book and is condemning it. Is it so hard to consider God as a human too? In Hinduism, as much as we claim that God is omnipresent and all knowing, we still worship Gods like Rama and Krishna - who were Gods in human form. We accepted them being married and having children, as much as we encourage celibacy when becoming their devotees.
I think by saying that God is human and yet, He has done so much good - will only be showing us more proof that one need not be a God to do good. Everyone can be and should be a good human being.
Speaking of good human beings, I got reminded of a scene I saw this morning. As usual, packed amidst the morning rush hour, like a sheep in the herd, I stood in the train, reading. There were 2 ladies - middle aged and middle young- and middle-aged (she seemed in the middle). They were reading the Bible and then various pamphlets of prayers (they seemed to have a never ending pile of those in a plastic bag - I was surprised how both of them were storing the same object in the same way). After a few stations, an elderly gentleman walked in (he almost seemed like he would crumple). As stations went by, he kept glancing at the seated commuters before him (unfortunately, all were ladies, of which 2 of them were the Bible readers) to give him a seat. As I watched this scene, I could not help but wonder at how many less sins would these ladies be accumulating by reading the Bible and leaving a human in need in front of them, as he is. Finally, after standing for a long while, the younger Bible reader stood up and offered her seat. (There were many others around these two women for scrutiny and counting of sins for not noticing the elderly man. Perhaps, even I accumulated some for not voicing out my opinion and getting this gentleman a seat, but that would be deviating from the point)
Religions were formed on faith. Humans never seem to learn without authority - so was God made - to remind you that He is there all the time, watching you at every move. This is, I think, nothing more than your conscience. Until this is awakened and righteous, there is no God for you. So, in the end, God is nothing more than you, your conscience. To say that your God is human - is just to say that - "He was just like you. He could have made mistakes, but He did the right thing." It almost like when your parents act as friends to you - isn't that something nice?
Besides, there are many hymns that say Lord Jesus was just like other babies, then why this resistance by the Vatican to accept a book that just claims that He was a human too??
So, going back to my original reason for this post, the Da Vinci Code is a good fresh topic (atleast for me) out of the traditional mysteries and murders. The part I loved the most were the codes. Amazing they were! Having personal interest in codes (I used to write diary entries in codes), I found Da Vinci very brilliant (like I had to say that for him to be accepted as brilliant) and as I was reading through, I found myself solving them too (sadly, there is pattern in random code too). It challenges the faith and our understanding. There wasn't so much of a historical component in this (compared to Angels and Demons). At the end though, I couldn't understand why Langdon keeps getting romantically involved with a different woman every year (Sigh! men! Seems to me like a symbologist Bond).