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<I>Thelma=20
and Louise </I>and <I>Brokeback Mountain</I>, films have told us how to =
think=20
about the world around us.<SPAN=20
class=3D720243421-16052006>..</SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT color=3D#0000ff><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT><SPAN=20
class=3D720243421-16052006></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D3><SPAN style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Debunking=20
Christianity -- which is <I>The Da Vinci Code'</I>s mission -- =
advances this worldview.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D3><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D720243421-16052006><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D4>Art</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
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T=20
face=3DArial><FONT color=3D#0000ff><FONT face=3DArial><FONT =
color=3D#0000ff><FONT=20
face=3DArial =
color=3D#0000ff></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=3DOutlookMessageHeader dir=3Dltr align=3Dleft><FONT =
face=3DTahoma=20
size=3D2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> GrassTops USA=20
[mailto:Christopher at grasstopsusa.org]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, May 16, =
2006 4:13=20
PM<BR><B>To:</B> GrassTopsUSA Member=20
akelly at americantarget.com<BR><B>Subject:</B> Don Feder Exclusive - Da =
Vinci Code=20
=96 Blasphemy Hits The Big Screen: 05-16-06<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
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<P class=3DMsoNormal><B><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#820606><I><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 16pt">THE DA VINCI CODE</SPAN></I><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 16pt"> -- BLASPHEMY HITS THE BIG=20
SCREEN</SPAN></FONT><FONT style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 11pt" =
face=3DArial=20
color=3D#820606><BR>GrassTopsUSA Exclusive Commentary<BR>By =
Don=20
Feder<BR>05-16-06</FONT></B></P></DIV></DIV>
<P class=3DMsoNormal><B><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: =
16pt"> =20
</SPAN><FONT face=3DArial><I><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: =
11pt">The Da=20
Vinci Code</SPAN></I><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> -- =
which opens=20
in the U.S. on May 19 -- might be subtitled "Religion for =
Morons" or=20
"Gnosticism Meets The New Age."</SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> It's =
fantasy posing=20
as reality. The Sony Pictures film is blasphemous, defames =
the=20
Catholic Church, and promotes neo-pagan Goddess=20
worship.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">I find it =
offensive, and=20
I'm not even a Christian.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Director Ron =
Howard (who=20
specializes in visual candy) assures us that Opie's opus =
will be=20
true to the novel -- a pretentious, overwritten piece =
of trash=20
that makes <I>Bridget Jones's Diary </I>look like one of the =
100=20
Greatest Books Ever Written.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">The plot of Dan =
Brown's=20
mega-best seller (45 million copies sold) goes like this: =
Jesus=20
married Mary Magdalene, who bore his children, who became =
the=20
Merovingian monarchs of France, whose descendants are =
running around=20
Europe today -- being chased by Opus Dei or Mormon =
missionaries=20
or Martians or someone.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Again, according =
to <I>The=20
Code, </I>The Catholic Church has for centuries concealed =
the truth=20
about Jesus to maintain its power. Mary Magdalene represents =
the=20
"sacred feminine" -- which supposedly predates=20
monotheism -- and which wicked patriarchalists have =
spent=20
millennia trying to suppress, the better to deny man's =
sexual nature=20
and subjugate women.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">The book (and =
presumably=20
the film) even has a ritualistic orgy, where communicants =
dance with=20
orbs and the grand master of the book's mysterious order =
gets frisky=20
with a plump, middle-aged lady. The scene is described on =
page 311:=20
"'The woman you behold is love!' The women called, raising =
their=20
orbs again. The men responded, 'She has her dwelling place =
in=20
eternity.'" (All I want is lovin' you, and music, music,=20
music?)</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Brown may have =
achieved=20
the impossible -- devised a type of mumbo-jumbo that makes =
"healing"=20
crystals seem serious.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Orthodox =
Christians are=20
rightly offended by <I>The Code's </I>plot, denying as it =
does the=20
divinity of Jesus and his mission. </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">People are free =
to=20
believe, or not believe, in Jesus. Jews and Christians have =
been=20
debating the identity of the Messiah, what God requires of =
us and=20
how salvation may be achieved for almost 2,000 years. But to =
turn=20
the life of a man almost a billion people on this planet =
worship=20
into a soap opera beggars the term =
insensitive.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">At least =
Christians can=20
take comfort in the fact that their's isn't the only faith =
maligned=20
and misrepresented by Brown's book. </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">On page 309, =
Brown writes=20
of his protagonist: "Langdon's Jewish students always looked =
flabbergasted when he first told them that the early Jewish=20
tradition involved ritualistic sex. In the Temple, no =
less. =20
Early Jews believed that the Holy of Holies in Solomon's =
Temple=20
housed not only God but also His powerful female equal, =
Shekinah.=20
Men seeking spiritual wholeness came to the Temple to visit=20
priestesses -- or hierodules -- with whom they =
made love=20
and experienced the divine through physical=20
union."</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">This would be =
amusing,=20
were it not so disgusting. Jews daily pray for the =
rebuilding of the=20
Holy Temple. For what -- so men can "experience the =
divine" by=20
getting a little nookie?</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">In Judaism, =
"Shekinah"=20
refers to the Divine presence, at one time said to reside at =
the=20
Temple. Because the Hebrew word is feminine, in Brown's =
fevered=20
imagining, it has morphed into a female deity. =
</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">There were no=20
"priestesses" in the Temple. The Torah condemns the ritual=20
prostitution practiced by the Canaanites as "an =
abomination" --=20
its most severe censure.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">It was Judaism =
that first=20
related sexuality to morality. (Christian sexual ethics come =
from=20
the Jewish Bible.) Where did Brown get his understanding of =
ancient=20
Judaism -- from that noted Kabbalist, Madonna? Did he =
discover=20
Jewish polytheism among the documents hidden away in the =
Templars'=20
secret crypt, along with Jesus' marriage =
license?</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">In an article on =
nationalreview.com, David Klinghoffer argues that Jews also =
should=20
be concerned about <I>The Da Vinci Code</I> because of its=20
disturbing parallels to "The Protocols of The Elders of=20
Zion."</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">"The Protocols," =
a forged=20
document, postulates a conspiracy of Jewish leaders to =
conceal the=20
truth about their alleged control of humanity through =
various=20
political movements. <I>The Da Vinci Code</I> claims the =
Catholic=20
Church is involved in a massive cover-up to hide the real =
history of=20
Jesus, in order to maintain its control of the faithful. In =
both=20
cases, the public is invited to scorn the sinister =
conspirators --=20
Jews or Catholics. </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">As a =
Goddess-worshipping,=20
neo-pagan, Brown seeks to reverse the Bible's process of =
taming=20
man's erotic nature (by channeling it to fidelity and =
family), once=20
again divorcing the sexual from the spiritual -- =
freeing man's=20
hedonistic urges from Judeo-Christian constraints. That =
Brown has so=20
many admirers among Hollywood libertines is=20
unsurprising.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">But why all the=20
fuss? After all, it's only a movie, =
right?</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">The =
novelist/philosopher=20
Ayn Rand was once asked why she primarily wrote fiction, =
instead of=20
works of philosophy. Rand explained that it's far easier to =
convey=20
ideas through fiction than non-fiction -- witness =
Dante's=20
<I>The Divine Comedy</I>, witness <I>Uncle Tom's Cabin</I>, =
witness=20
<I>Ben-Hur, </I> <I>The Screwtape Letters </I>and =
<I>To=20
Kill a Mockingbird .</I></SPAN> </FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Novels and films =
aren't=20
footnoted. The author or screenwriter can create a =
thoroughly=20
convincing universe that powerfully projects his message. =
From=20
<I>The Birth of a Nation</I> and <I>Triumph of The Will =
</I>to=20
<I>Thelma and Louise </I>and <I>Brokeback Mountain</I>, =
films have=20
told us how to think about the world around =
us.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Most movies =
present the=20
world according to Hollywood (and the word became =
flesh -- lots=20
of flesh) -- that the sex act is good in and of itself, =
that=20
people should follow their feelings (which invariably will =
lead them=20
to right conduct and happiness), that prayer is like =
throwing a=20
penny in a wishing well, that God is within us, that God is =
love,=20
that God makes no demands of us and that the followers of=20
traditional religion are a bunch of uptight, puritanical,=20
hypocritical killjoys.</SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Debunking=20
Christianity -- which is <I>The Da Vinci Code'</I>s=20
mission -- advances this worldview.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">All too many =
people read=20
novels or see films and think they're experiencing reality. =
Their=20
understanding of the complicated history of settlers and =
Indians=20
comes from <I>Dances With Wolves</I>. They are informed =
about the=20
crusades by <I>Kingdom of Heaven. </I>Their understanding of =
the=20
theory of global warming comes from <I>The Day After=20
Tomorrow.</I></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">According to a =
Barna Group=20
survey, 24% of those who read <I>The Da Vinci Code </I>said =
it aided=20
their "personal spiritual growth and understanding." In =
other words,=20
one in four of its readers believe the book's thesis (as =
opposed to=20
its storyline) is true. Our "personal spiritual growth" =
isn't aided=20
by what we believe to be a lie.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT =
face=3DArial><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-WEIGHT: 700; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">The best =
response to=20
<I>The Da Vinci Code </I>-- besides derisive =
laughter --=20
is a boycott. Resist the urge to determine just how bad it =
is by=20
buying a ticket. You'll only be rewarding the=20
perpetrators -- perhaps encouraging <I>The Da =
Vinci Code:=20
Part II</I>, wherein Dan Brown reveals that Jesus was really =
married=20
to Lazarus.</SPAN></FONT>=20
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<P align=3Dcenter> </P>
<P align=3Dcenter> </P>
<P align=3Dcenter><I><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><B><FONT=20
color=3D#820606>Keep these emails coming to your =
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list.</FONT></B></FONT></I></P>
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