Obligatory "Da Vinci Code" Hubbub Deflation

Well. It was inevitable, I think. And now it's here: An opinion nobody asked for, to be chucked in with the lot. This is merely an opinion. Granted, an eloquent one (smirk) but only my personal views. It's not like I'm drawing a cartoon of Mohammad or anything.

I'm the son, nephew, and grandson of Methodist ministers. I had a religious upbringing. For what it's worth, I'm also a Universal Life Church minister, myself. (Weddings available on request.)

Spoilers below, I guess, though of the vaguest possible nature. Quit reading if you don't want to know.

A large number of people are having a very, very difficult time thinking about the notion that Jesus Christ could have had a wife and children. Not accepting it, just thinking about it. (A comparable fervor would be the stigma that followed Julie Andrews, namely that Mary Poppins never went to the bathroom. Ever.)

It's an idea suggested in a work of fiction, for cryin' out loud. Not true. Concerning the Bible, I think that any story that skips eighteen years of the main character's life and then tries to assert that the character didn't do certain things in that stretch is weak to start with. How can you say that he didn't, if you won't tell us what he did do, instead?

Regardless-- Even if he was married and a father; it doesn't have to diminish the miracles he performed, the people he helped, the message he gave or the sacrifice he made. But oh dear Lord, we can't have people thinking that Jesus Christ actually knew physical love with his wife, because sex is dirty.

Hang on a tick, it isn't. There is nothing dirty, wrong, or inappropriate about sex. Everyone's equipped for it. The most important physical change you go through prepares your body to do exactly that. Is that why the Bible skipped Jesus hitting puberty? Was it too jarring a thought to consider him becoming a man, rather than just instantly being one?

He also turned water into wine. Anyone care to harp on him for drinking?

Christians believe (myself included) Jesus Christ, also known as Joshua, was the son of God. He was touched by the Divine, and more than just a man. But he was also a man. The mortal child of Mary. He ate, he slept, he pooped, he bled, he died. All things a man does.

Catholic Priests don't marry. They take a vow of celibacy, to boot. Among their reasons for doing this is to have a closer relationship to God. Jesus was God's son. His direct descendant. Do they really think a relationship with another human being is going to weaken his relationship with his Pop?

I think of these people getting upset over all this, and I can't help comparing their faith to the walls of Jericho. The Da Vinci Code is merely being carried around by Joshua (an earlier Josh) outside their walls. They're only talking about an idea, not even shouting. They're just out there. Granted, the idea is going to be mentioned in thousands of movie theatres, with millions of copies of the book in print. So it's a loud, clear voice. They're still not shouting.

If your walls tremble over a work of fiction, what does that say about you?