Milwaukee Catholic Herald

Use 'Da Vinci Code' as teaching tool

Author Amy Welborn speaks in Milwaukee about new film

By Cheri Perkins Mantz
Catholic Herald Staff

ST. FRANCIS — Last spring, already knowing the popularity of “The Da Vinci Code” book and anticipating a similar fate for the book-based movie, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee invited Amy Welborn to speak about those works.

She was a well-known journalist, a writer for USA Today and Our Sunday Visitor, and a former high school religion teacher with a master’s degree in church history, when she was asked to review “The Da Vinci Code” three years ago. Following the publication of her review, Welborn and her editors were shocked at the amount of feedback generated.

Her answer to all those e-mails and phone calls is a 128-page book called, “De-coding Da Vinci: The Facts Behind the Fiction of The Da Vinci Code.” She wrote the book in two weeks.

About 350 people attended the first program, May 30, at Pius XI High School, Milwaukee. The second program was held at the Cousins Center on May 31 and was attended by about 100 clergy, laypeople, Bible study leaders, and cathechists.

“The things he (author Dan Brown) says are so out there,” Welborn told the group at the Cousins Center. She said she is not necessarily against “The Da Vinci Code,” she just wishes that it would be used as a teachable moment.

She received a hearty laugh from the crowd when she explained that about 99.9 percent of the book is fiction.

“Paris is a real place, the Louvre is a real place and Da Vinci existed; that’s about it,” said Welborn, who also mentioned that Brown once said the only fiction in the book is the characters and action. He claimed that everything else is fact.

Welborn also explained she believes there are three types of people who believe in “The Da Vinci Code”: those who believe in the Priory of Scion and the possibility of a “Holy Bloodline”; those who don’t care about the details, they just like the fact that it “sticks it to Catholics”; and those who hardly go to church, have been poorly catechized and view the book as an authoritative-sounding account of history of the church.

Welborn said it is the last category that worries her the most.

“I’m wondering if there’s a group of people that just see Jesus as a mortal teacher,” she pondered to the crowd.

She gave the group an idea of how to deal with those who believe all “The Da Vinci Code” states.

“It’s useful to start with something that has nothing to do with religion,” she explained. “For instance, if you research Da Vinci, you wouldn’t find him listed under ‘D’ or ‘V’; he’s known as Leonardo in art history. It’s good to start with something like that because you can say, ‘If he can’t get this stuff right and that’s in any high school art history book, why are we depending on him to tell us the truth about early Christianity?’”

Welborn also discussed a scene in the film that particularly disturbed her.

“Teabing, Ian McKellen’s character, (expresses) the idea that early Christians were the oppressors,” Welborn explained. “I was outraged for the memory of Peter, Paul … the nameless followers of Jesus who didn’t wage war on the Roman Empire, who were, in fact, persecuted for what they believed.

“You can say it’s just a novel, but it’s bothersome,” Welborn continued. “It’s simply untrue. This is a chance to retell stories of early martyrs. They were arrested, persecuted … thrown to lions. That matters.”

Welborn also said she would like people to use this opportunity to introduce the Gospels. She encouraged the audience to use “The Da Vinci Code” book and movie as a “teaching moment.” With 65 million copies sold, chances are good those in classes have read it or have seen the movie. Wellborn emphasized the importance of dispelling untruths in the book and using it as an opportunity to point people to the Gospel and true church teachings.

Another fictitious aspect of the book and movie Welborn addressed was the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. In the book, Brown said Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and had a child. Also, that Mary Magdalene was the true Holy Grail because she carried the blood of Jesus in carrying their child.

“There’s no evidence in scripture or in Christian tradition” of this marriage, said Welborn. “Jesus is married. That’s part of Christian tradition. He is married to the church. We all have the holy bloodline coursing through our veins. To rattle on about Jesus and Mary Magdalene misses the point. Jesus is standing here waving and we’re more interested in this book.”

During a question and answer period, one person asked how to answer someone’s questions when he or she believes “The Da Vinci Code” as fact.

“Ask why,” Welborn suggested. “What in the book are they latching on to and address that. To me, it’s all sources. Most of the time if you look at source issues, you have a good start. Sometimes, when even logic fails, I don’t know what to say.

“Be sure to communicate to people that we’re not taking ‘The Da Vinci Code’ too seriously.”

Another person asked if she suggested they read the book or see the movie.

“Life is short, there are a lot better things out there to see or read,” Welborn said. “If there’s someone in your life that is really entranced by this then I’d say yes. But make a deal, ‘I’ll see it if you read the Gospel of Mark’ and then discuss it.”