Angels & Demons Courts Controversy, But Most Catholic Digest Poll Shows Most Catholics Merely Curious
Dan Brown's novels and the movies based on them often contain plot lines considered explosive to the Catholic Church, but a poll conducted by Catholic Digest prior to the release of The Da Vinci Code movie shows that rather than leave the church, most Catholics become more curious about the history of their faith.
New London, CT, May 17, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Angels & Demons – the movie based on author Dan Brown’s pre-Da Vinci Code novel – hits theaters this weekend. Like its predecessor, it has stirred up controversy about its portrayal of the Catholic Church.
However, a Catholic Digest poll conducted prior to the release of The Da Vinci Code movie shows that the majority of Catholics do not seem to be swayed by fictional portrayals of their church and history.
“Our poll found that 73% of Catholics said that The Da Vinci Code had no effect on their faith,” said Catholic Digest editor-in-chief Dan Connors, “and 91% did not think it was wrong or sinful to read the book or see the movie.”
Angels & Demons’ premise is not as explosive as that of The Da Vinci Code, which put forth the idea that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and had a child together. However, the new movie’s suggestion that the Catholic Church has attempted to suppress scientific progress has caused stress in some Catholics.
Yet the 2006 poll suggested that, if anything, the controversial plots of books like The Da Vinci Code make Catholics more curious to research the true stories of their faith. In fact, one of the very few books to sell more copies than The Da Vinci Code in the two years following its release was the Bible. Da Vinci readers also explored books such as Bart Ehrman’s Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code: A Historian Reveals What We Really Know About Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Constantine (Oxford University Press).
”For many readers, said Connors, “books such as Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code are exciting mysteries. And that’s fine. The problem comes when readers who don’t know much about Christian history begin thinking Brown’s fiction is fact. At the same time, however,” he added, “these books and the movies made from them can inspire Catholics to grow in faith by ask good questions about it — though the answers will clearly have to come from other, more reliable sources.”
Curious about what’s true and what’s not in the pages of Dan Brown’s novels? Check out these free resources from Catholic Digest:
The Truth About The Da Vinci Code: Answers for Catholics – Booklet written by the staff of Catholic Digest puts the novel in context, providing accurate historical background and offering points for discussion
View at http://tinyurl.com/qqyl9t
How We Really Feel About The Da Vinci Code: A Catholic Digest Special Report –
Results and Analysis of the 2006 Catholic Digest-Yankelovich Poll. Download at: http://tinyurl.com/pggenz
Catholic Digest is America’s most popular Catholic magazine. Since 1936, Catholic Digest has used the stories of real people to demonstrate that a life guided by faith can be exciting, challenging, enlivening, and joyous. Catholic Digest is owned by Bayard, an international publisher with more than 100 periodicals in Europe, Africa, Asia, and America.
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However, a Catholic Digest poll conducted prior to the release of The Da Vinci Code movie shows that the majority of Catholics do not seem to be swayed by fictional portrayals of their church and history.
“Our poll found that 73% of Catholics said that The Da Vinci Code had no effect on their faith,” said Catholic Digest editor-in-chief Dan Connors, “and 91% did not think it was wrong or sinful to read the book or see the movie.”
Angels & Demons’ premise is not as explosive as that of The Da Vinci Code, which put forth the idea that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and had a child together. However, the new movie’s suggestion that the Catholic Church has attempted to suppress scientific progress has caused stress in some Catholics.
Yet the 2006 poll suggested that, if anything, the controversial plots of books like The Da Vinci Code make Catholics more curious to research the true stories of their faith. In fact, one of the very few books to sell more copies than The Da Vinci Code in the two years following its release was the Bible. Da Vinci readers also explored books such as Bart Ehrman’s Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code: A Historian Reveals What We Really Know About Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Constantine (Oxford University Press).
”For many readers, said Connors, “books such as Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code are exciting mysteries. And that’s fine. The problem comes when readers who don’t know much about Christian history begin thinking Brown’s fiction is fact. At the same time, however,” he added, “these books and the movies made from them can inspire Catholics to grow in faith by ask good questions about it — though the answers will clearly have to come from other, more reliable sources.”
Curious about what’s true and what’s not in the pages of Dan Brown’s novels? Check out these free resources from Catholic Digest:
The Truth About The Da Vinci Code: Answers for Catholics – Booklet written by the staff of Catholic Digest puts the novel in context, providing accurate historical background and offering points for discussion
View at http://tinyurl.com/qqyl9t
How We Really Feel About The Da Vinci Code: A Catholic Digest Special Report –
Results and Analysis of the 2006 Catholic Digest-Yankelovich Poll. Download at: http://tinyurl.com/pggenz
Catholic Digest is America’s most popular Catholic magazine. Since 1936, Catholic Digest has used the stories of real people to demonstrate that a life guided by faith can be exciting, challenging, enlivening, and joyous. Catholic Digest is owned by Bayard, an international publisher with more than 100 periodicals in Europe, Africa, Asia, and America.
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http://www.catholicdigest.com/
Amy Wiseman
800-321-0411 ext 114
http://www.catholicdigest.com/
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