Of Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci Code
Reader:
A book called Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown made me think about our religion..but dont get me wrong..though more of it are facts..I still have faith but just a question kept bothering me..why is it that immaculate conception is Dec 8 and then Christmas is Dec 25? I dont have the answer since this makes it that Mother Mary carried our Lord Jesus in her womb for more than a year? so this complicates things..making the authors claims as probable facts..pls help me up..
Ka Uro:
Normally, I would not answer these type of questions as I am no autority in theology. But I could see in your words how confused and bothered you are so I'll try my best to appease your troubled mind.
First, you'll never see Dec 8 and Dec 25 in the Bible. These dates are just arbitrary dates chosen by Church authorities. So don't put too much meaning to the dates. Christmas could have been any date of the year. It just happened Dec 25 was chosen. So is Dec 8. Just because the people who've chosen those dates didn't know how to count the months for conceiving a child, doesn't mean that that you stop believing in Jesus being the child of the Virgin Mary. Do you? So what if the dates are wrong.
The books that you've mentioned make for fascinating reading because they make you think and question your beliefs. Nothing wrong with that. Books like them present facts (whether verified or not) and half-truths as absolute, irrefutable truths. They'll try to confuse you with contradictions. It's like a defense lawyer who although convinced of his client's guilt still presents even the slightest evidences that contradict the prosecution's case. At the same time the defense will also refrain and block any incriminating evidences from being presented. Through selective presentation of data, the defense can cast doubt in the jurors' minds. And when there is doubt, you know what could happen.
You have to learn to read some books just for their entertainment value. Nothing more. When it comes to your faith, do not over-analyze. You simply BELIEVE. I guess that's what FAITH is all about.
A book called Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown made me think about our religion..but dont get me wrong..though more of it are facts..I still have faith but just a question kept bothering me..why is it that immaculate conception is Dec 8 and then Christmas is Dec 25? I dont have the answer since this makes it that Mother Mary carried our Lord Jesus in her womb for more than a year? so this complicates things..making the authors claims as probable facts..pls help me up..
Ka Uro:
Normally, I would not answer these type of questions as I am no autority in theology. But I could see in your words how confused and bothered you are so I'll try my best to appease your troubled mind.
First, you'll never see Dec 8 and Dec 25 in the Bible. These dates are just arbitrary dates chosen by Church authorities. So don't put too much meaning to the dates. Christmas could have been any date of the year. It just happened Dec 25 was chosen. So is Dec 8. Just because the people who've chosen those dates didn't know how to count the months for conceiving a child, doesn't mean that that you stop believing in Jesus being the child of the Virgin Mary. Do you? So what if the dates are wrong.
The books that you've mentioned make for fascinating reading because they make you think and question your beliefs. Nothing wrong with that. Books like them present facts (whether verified or not) and half-truths as absolute, irrefutable truths. They'll try to confuse you with contradictions. It's like a defense lawyer who although convinced of his client's guilt still presents even the slightest evidences that contradict the prosecution's case. At the same time the defense will also refrain and block any incriminating evidences from being presented. Through selective presentation of data, the defense can cast doubt in the jurors' minds. And when there is doubt, you know what could happen.
You have to learn to read some books just for their entertainment value. Nothing more. When it comes to your faith, do not over-analyze. You simply BELIEVE. I guess that's what FAITH is all about.
posted by Ka Uro at
10:28 AM
3 Comments:
Ka Uro, I have been reading your blog.. they're very informative and interesting.
May comment lang ako tungkol sa blog mo about the Dec 8 and Dec 25 issues... actually, yong December 8 na Immaculate Conception di to yong conception ni Mary kay Jesus.. This is the conception of Anna (Mary's mother). Kaya birthday ni Mama Mary September 8, that's nine months from December 8.
Yon lang...
By
Anonymous, at 2:48 AM, May 16, 2005
Thanks for the information Ikang. It just shows how books like these could twist some facts to make them appear controversial.
By
Ka Uro, at 8:33 AM, May 16, 2005
First time here...surely not the last!
Agree ako sa sinabi. Some books are only for entertainment. Never to be believed (unless siguro indexed by the National Library as non-fiction).
Angels and Demons, for example, is superb in creating semi-true story of the Catholic Church. Kabilib-bilib, oo. Minsan nga kapani-paniwala pa. Pero I think some -- if not most -- of the kwentos were put there simply to sell the story and the book.
Faith, and again I agree with what you said, is simply believing. We don't acquire it; it's a gift.
By
Anonymous, at 7:39 PM, July 27, 2009
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