The Da Vinci Code and Dogma – Term Paper

A Dogma is a principle or a set of principles that are believed to be unquestionably true by a particular person or a group of people. Dogmas are associated with religious groups drawn from Islam, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and other faiths. Non-religious dogmas are also common with people who are related by any organization like politics or creed. An example of a Christian dogma is the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the source of salvation for all believers. I am a Muslim. I believe in the existence of an all-powerful God, and his Messenger Mohammed. My faith is founded on the Quran which I believe is the voice of God. In my religion, God is incomparable to any other creature or supernatural being. Besides Mohammed, God had used other prophets to communicate his will to the Muslims. I, therefore, believe in the old prophets like Adam, Jesus, Noah, Moses, and Abraham. From my religious education, I possess a lot of knowledge of the five pillars of Islam which include faith, prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, and acts of compassion.  

The Da Vinci Code dissatisfies the Islamic main beliefs. The movie is about the inner secrets of the Christian Church that have been safeguarded by cultic religious practitioners for a long time. One of the themes in the film is the person of Jesus which is a controversial issue in the Islamic faith. Nonetheless, the film’s cinematography is superbly developed.

The film presents the concept and the interpretation of dogmas. There are various dogmas that depicted in the Da Vinci Code.  Catholic Dogmas in the film are represented in different forms. The sale of indulgences for sin remission is a Roman Catholic dogma openly practiced in the pre-Reformation era and indirectly after. The Da Vinci Code is a narrative of the Roman Catholic Church politics involving the top leaders of the Church. The mention of Opus Dei raises the doctrine of leading an ordinary life with the aim of attaining spiritual sanctity. The concept in both films is based on the beliefs of certain religious factions, and principally the Roman Catholic. Besides the mention of Angels, there is no other concept of Islamic faith in either movie.

Artful literature may or may not succeed in symbolizing religious motifs. Art can exaggerate or misrepresent religion depending on how it is created. I believe that artful literature should accurately mimic the subject under review without bias. In my opinion, the Da Vinci Code is biased, although this bias spices the movie and makes it interesting to watch.  Despite being a Muslim, I listen and participate in Christian discussions in the defense of my faith. In one of the discussions that I attended, debaters were arguing on if the Bible truly reflects the life and mission of Jesus. Some of them said that the Bible overly focuses on the mission, although the life of Jesus is given little mentioning. Since the person of Jesus is the central principle in Christianity, theologians and religious scholars consult a number of sources to elucidate the family of Jesus. A common question among these people is whether Jesus was married. In the Da Vinci Code, Jesus is sad to be married to Mary Magdalene especially with reference to Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.  I do not believe that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene or any other person,  thus underscoring my stand on the accuracy of the film.