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We are all discoverers... travelling the world, learning its truths, its people and its meanings every single day. Grab your backpacks and let's embark on this journey of mine, one that holds a lot of meaning to me... Lilypie Kids birthday Ticker

Saturday, May 20, 2006

 

Davinci Takes Me on a Rollercoaster Ride

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Source: Link

Just came back from watching "The Davinci Code" and I must say that the movie has really really caught me by surprise.

Have heard about how "The Davinci Code" has caused much controversies, especially within the Christian community, so when my friends asked me along to watch the movie, I thought: Why not since it was in the spirit of entertainment and finding out just what this story is really all about to be causing so much unroar (I have yet to read the book) ...

A Rollercoaster Ride
Never would I have expected that a movie could have thrown me into a "rollercoaster ride":
  • I could be at one point of the movie feel extremely angry with the claims which attacked the Christian faith and yet at another point feel like a fool as if we, as Christians, are living in the shadow of a possible lie...
  • I could be at one point of the movie be wary of the claims made; sometimes dismissing it as heresy and yet at another point trying to be all sociological and objective in evaluating the facts being put forth (since I am trained the sociology)...
In fact, by the end of the movie, there was this feeling of awkwardness and I just didn't know how to react to my friends who were with me... It is likened to having watched a movie with your friends that made you look real stupid. You just don't know what to say after that and I could not explain why I felt that way.

Disclaimer
I would be lying if I told you that my faith has not been shakened at all by the movie. I left the movie with more questions, but mainly questions about "The Davinci Code" and its claims. I decided that I wanted to blog about these thoughts and questions I have about the movie. I do not profess that I know enough to draw a conclusion about who is right and who is wrong (especially since I have not even read the book). I am also no bible nor history scholar so I won't attempt to use biblical or historical facts (some of which are being challenged) but nonetheless want to make sense of the movie...

Source: Link

What was on the Author's Mind when writing "The Davinci Code"?
One of the fundamental questions was this: What was Dan Brown thinking about when he wrote "The Davinci Code"? What is/are his intention(s)? We are often quick to judge others (myself included) without first trying to understand their intentions; only by understanding intentions can we better appreciate the value of something.

In the same way, when trying to make sense of "The Davinci Code", it would help to understand the intentions behind this piece of work. It would not be fair to judge "The Davinci Code" without knowing much about the intention(s) for writing it. Perhaps, it was meant to just be a piece of work to entertain or something else. Unfortunately, the author does not reveal much about this. On his website, he called
"The Da Vinci Code is a novel and therefore a work of fiction. While the book's characters and their actions are obviously not real, the artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals depicted in this novel all exist" (link).
It becomes unclear whether "The Davinci Code" seeks to be an entertaining piece of work or a piece of work which serves to reveal a conspiracy. But he does goes on to say
"My hope in writing this novel was that the story would serve as a catalyst and a springboard for people to discuss the important topics of faith, religion, and history" (link).
Being a historical fiction (defined by The Da Vinci Code: Separating Fact from Fiction (RBC Ministry, 2005:8) as "a genre of literature in which imaginery characters live within the realistic boundaries of known facts", "The Davinci Code" is a clever blend of fiction with known history and famous people so much so it becomea difficult to separate fact from fiction. The fact that it involves famous people like Leonardo da Vinci and Victor Hugo in a supposed conspiracy and challenges the religious identity of adherents of the largest world religion and one's gender identity... it just makes the movie all the more "juicer"...

When asked whether the book is anti-christian, Dan Brown responds
"No. This book is not anti-anything. It's a novel. I wrote this story in an effort to explore certain aspects of Christian history that interest me." (link).
What is Dan Brown's Faith?
Since this story puts to challenge the Christian faith, it would also be natural to also wonder what Dan Brown's faith (if any) is... On this, he says:

"Yes. Interestingly, if you ask three people what it means to be Christian, you will get three different answers. Some feel being baptized is sufficient. Others feel you must accept the Bible as absolute historical fact. Still others require a belief that all those who do not accept Christ as their personal savior are doomed to hell. Faith is a continuum, and we each fall on that line where we may. By attempting to rigidly classify ethereal concepts like faith, we end up debating semantics to the point where we entirely miss the obvious--that is, that we are all trying to decipher life's big mysteries, and we're each following our own paths of enlightenment. I consider myself a student of many religions. The more I learn, the more questions I have. For me, the spiritual quest will be a life-long work in progress." (link)
When asked about his facination with secret societies, he says:

"My interest in secret societies is the product of many experiences, some I can discuss, others I cannot. Certainly my research of organizations like NSA, the Vatican, NRO, and Opus Dei continues to fuel my intrigue. At a more fundamental level, though, my interest sparks from growing up in New England, surrounded by the clandestine clubs of Ivy League universities, the Masonic lodges of our Founding Fathers, and the hidden hallways of early government power. New England has a long tradition of elite private clubs, fraternities, and secrecy." (link)
How does Dan Brown know what he knows?
How does Dan Brown know what he knows? Does Dan Brown have privileged access to information? Claims are made on something that has happened a real long time ago so is the source itself credible and reliable? How do these sources compare to other sources?

One of the most important group of people in the story is the Priory of Sion, which has for centuries guarded a secret, which became the theory at the heart of "The Davinci Code"; that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and today their descendants are living in France (link). According to The Da Vinci Code: Separating Fact from Fiction (RBC Ministry, 2005:10), the title "Priory of Sion" has been used three different times in history: The first a monastic order founded in Jerusalem in 1100 that was later absorbed into the Jesuits in 1617, the second and third referred to the group under the leadership of Pierre Plantard (1920-2000).

According to Wikipedia, the Priory of Sion was founded in 1956 but was dissolved sometime after October 1956 but the name came up on paper again intermittently between 1962 and 1993 although it was considered by the Sub-Prefecture of St. Julien-en-Genevois (where Priory of Sion was registered in 1956) as "dormant" with no activities since 1956.
"Between 1961 and 1984 Plantard contrived a mythical pedigree of the Priory of Sion claiming that it was the offshoot of the monastic order housed in the Abbey of Sion, which had been founded in the Kingdom of Jerusalem during the First Crusade and later absorbed by the Jesuits in 1617. The mistake is often made that this Abbey of Sion was a "Priory of Sion", but there is a difference between an abbey and a priory. Calling his original 1956 group "Priory of Sion" undoubtedly gave Plantard the later idea to claim that his organisation had been historically founded in Jerusalem during the Crusades when meeting the author Gérard de Sède during the early 1960s - this fabrication by Pierre Plantard was part of his literary deal with de Sede when they began collaborating during the early 1960s in a series of published books." (link)
Then in 1960s and 1970s, he created a series of forged documents to prove that he is in the bloodline of the King of France. He and his associates then deposited these documents in libraries all over France, including the National Library but in 1993, he admitted under oath that he had fabricated the documents (RBC Ministry, 2005:10-11). Also see "The Priory Of Sion
Is The "Secret Organization" Fact Or Fiction?" by CBS (link) and the Wikipedia article on the Priory of Sion (link).

Even though the Priory of Sion really do exist, how does this compare to religious text of the 2 largest religions in the world: Christianity (with 2.1 billion adherents at 2005) and Islam (with 1.3 billion adherents at 2005) (link). Even though there are ideological differences in both religions, there still contain similarities between both the bible and the koran (link). There was no mentioned that Jesus was married in the bible and also in the koran:

"Yet, there is no mention whatsoever of the marriage or a wife of Jesus...

On the other hand, relatively more details of the biography of Jesus are found in the four Gospels and other writings of Paul, John, and Peter in the New Testament, including his genealogy (more precisely that of Joseph the carpenter, the claimed fiancé of his mother), the names of his disciples, and also some of his relatives. Yet again, no mention whatsoever is there of a wife. Hence, with the information and sources at hand, we can conclude that, most probably, Jesus did not marry. This is in harmony with the character and message of Jesus. He came to correct the deviation of Judaism from pure monotheism and divine guidance to a materialistic approach to life, a superficial approach to rites and hard-hearted application of law. So, Jesus emphasized the purification of heart and soul, and the revival of the true essence of belief, rites, and law. For the prevailing materialistic world he came to guide, his life was a model of asceticism and turning away from material desires. This gives further weight to the belief that Jesus did not marry." (link)
Crazy Hypothesis
OK let me be bold and come up with a few crazy hypothesis to consider the possibilities...

Scenario 1: "The Davinci Code" is a compelling novel that cleverly weaves together historical events and famous people into a compelling conspiracy; one with many twists and which keeps readers and movie-goers on the egde of their seats. As such, the possible motivations for "The Davinci Code" would include reasons such as writing for income, self-actualization and personal interest.

Scenario 2: "The Davinci Code" has been used as a tool in response to disgruntlement with the Christian faith especially since Opus Dei (clearly representative of the Christian faith) has been portrayed in the story as the "baddie", going around silencing others to keep an age-old secret, which has worked for their interests. In this case, the possible motivation for "The Davinci Code" would be for "revenge".

Scenario 3: "The Davinci Code" is a tool to reveal the truth. In this scenario, the author is a member of the Priory of Sion and just as other members of the Priory of Sion eg. Leonardo da Vinci, have left clues to the secret, so is the author attempting to reveal the "truth" (as in the story). Another possibility might be to disillusion people and have them buy the ideology of the Priory of Sion. However, to date, we have not seen the Priory of Sion coming forth to "claim" these disillusioned people, at least not that I know of.

However, something is still not very clear to me: Did the Prior of Sion (as in the story) exist to protect the secret of reveal the secret? If the Priory's aim is to protect the secret, then won't there be a balance between what the Opus Dei wants and what they Priory of Sion wants? Unless of course, someone decides to upset the balance e.g. Opus Dei trying to eliminate all traces of the secret including silencing all who knows the secret or a third party (neither from the Opus Dei and Priory of Sion) used both to gain access to the secret, thereby turning both against each other. This was exactly what happened in the story in which Sir Leigh Teabing (also "The Teacher") made use of the Bishop of Opus Dei to help him find the location of the Holy Grail. If indeed Priory of Sion was to protect the secret of the Holy Grail then members such as Leonardo da Vinci and even the author would have gone against the objects of the group by revealing the secret.

Hence, the motivation in this case would be to reveal the "truth" as it is known in the story. But, has the secret of the Holy Grail been found?

4. Scenario 4: "The Davinci Code" is used as a tool of mockery. Just as Karl Marx has argued that religion is the opiate of the masses, used to control them, so is "The Davinci Code" trying to make a statement that mocks adherents (whether or not blind followers) of religions. The story seems to hint that "what matters is what you believe" as spoken in the story. Again and again, many in both Opus Dei and Pirory of Sion were made to look foolish:
  • Bezu Fache - Captain of the French criminal investigation police, despite being a law enforcer, blindly believes that Robert Langdon (hero of the story) killed Jacques Saunière (curator of the Lourve and head of the secret Priory of Sion) when Bishop Manuel Aringarosa told him so
  • Bishop Manuel Aringarosa - The bishop of Opus Dei who was used by Sir Leigh Teabing, despite being an "elightened" leader
  • Silas - An albino devotee of Opus Dei did the bidding of his bishop to silence members of the Priory of Sion despite being a religious adherent of a faith which promotes love and forgiveness. He was duped twice; once by Rémy Legaludec (manservant and chauffeur to Sir Leigh Teabing) to "kidnap" Sir Teabing and later Sir Teabing tipped off the London police of his location and who subsequently was shot dead by the police.
  • Even the Priory of Sion was also made to look stupid. At the end of the story, Robert Langdon managed to find the location of the tomb of Mary Magdelene. The question is: Did the Priory of Sion know of the location of this tomb? If they didn't then, it is an ultimate mockery. If they do, then they would have failed in their mission to safeguard the secret
Doesn't it make religion look scary that there are somethings that people can even kill for.
The above are just some crazy hypothesis I have came up with as I tried to make sense of the movie and the scenarios are not exhaustive nor mutually exlcusive. In the words of Dan Brown, "Interpreting those ideas is left to the reader" (link)

Defending my Faith
OK, I have attempted to make sense of the story using a secular perspective. But fundamentally, I am a Christian so from this point forth, allow me to turn defensive and present my case:
  • Argument 1: The concept of the cryptex just doesn't make sense at all; won't landscape change and how can anyone ensure that the clues in the map will lead one back to the actual spot where they can find the tomb? Unless they can see the future.
  • Argument 2: No matter how you debate about it, the story doesn't deny that God exists and it does not deny that Jesus exist as well and that he has performed miracles. The only contention is that Jesus is married to Mary Magdelene and they both have descendents. That there had been a conspiracy to coverup and suppress females (I guess the assumption is that all the descendents henceforth are females, which again does not make sense). Interestingly, in the movie, Tom Hanks, who played Robert Langdon, said "History shows Jesus was an extraordinary man. Why couldn't Jesus have been divine and still have been a father?" (Link). I later found out that this line was not in the book and that there had been alterations made to the story in the movie:

    "The DaVinci Code movie deviates only subtly from the best-selling book on which it is based by making the lead character a man of some faith... Screened for critics Tuesday in Los Angeles, the film offers more skepticism to the theory of Jesus' marriage and fatherhood than Brown wrote. In the movie, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) expresses doubt about that idea. At one climactic point, Langdon says, "History shows Jesus was an extraordinary man. Why couldn't Jesus have been divine and still have been a father?" That line was not in the book. The filmmakers try to back off from a hard-line stance on the question of Jesus' divinity. Says Langdon, near the end of the film, "What matters is what you believe." Contrary to rumors about the script, there are no scenes of Jesus and Mary Magdalene romantically involved." (Link)

    "While it will still offend some Christians, it turns out that the movie version of “The Da Vinci Code” subtly softens some of the religiously disputed aspects of Dan Brown’s novel... An early clue that the film is trying a different tack from the novel comes when it omits the book’s thesis: “Almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false.” The script instead turns that concept into a question: “What if the world discovers the greatest story ever told is a lie? The chief alterations, however, pop up during a pivotal theological discussion between the story’s two experts on religious history, Harvard professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) and Sir Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen). The maniacal Teabing makes the claim (disregarded by real-life scholars) that Christianity considered Jesus a mere man and turned him into a divinity in A.D. 325. Good-guy Langdon mildly objects, inserting a critical viewpoint that the novel lacks... When Teabing introduces the plot’s central theme about Jesus taking a wife, Langdon responds, “This is an old wives’ tale,” then repeats his doubts.” (Link)
  • Argument 3: If indeed this was a big conspiracy, I would guess that with over 2 billion adherants all over the world, it would be a real challenge covering up the conspiracy and somemore over 2000 years
  • Argument 4: What the religious people did in the story (i.e. killing and silencing people) is contrary to the teachings of the Christian faith which emphasizes love and forgiveness. It is just hard to believe that with the kind of work that Christians are engaged in worldwide in meeting community and social needs, it is on the other hand killing people to safeguard its interests. Kind of mock saints such as Mother Theresa doesn't it?
Beware of False Prophets
Anyway, before I end off... I just remember what the bible tells us about being careful of false prophets who will come in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15)

Matthew 24:11 says "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many."

2 Peter 2:1 says "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves."

1 John 4:1 says "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

For more reading on the Christian perspective of The Davinci Code, also visit http://www.y-zine.com/mona_lisa.htm.

Wow, finally can end off (can you believe I actually lost my first draft and had to type this all over again, regathering my thoughts). SO GLAD it is finally done...

"It is finished"

Thursday, May 18, 2006

 

Mission Impossible

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Dear Diary,

WORK IMPOSSIBLE!!!
(Poster done using photo "Working with Laptop" by len-k-a)

Today was disastrous... things at work is just getting so unbearable I almost screamed my head out today. It has gotten so bad I do sometimes fear going back to work because I just didn't know where to start with so much work on hand. It is like: I am not done with one work and work just keeps coming in... Everyday just feels like going to battle and I am just being torn in all directions, having to do this, and that and that. I do prioritize but it has come to a stage where I can no longer prioritize any further... my current "to-do" list is at number 35.

And yet, I am not sure if I am indeed overworked or I am just slow? I am not sure whether I have myself to blame for all the work or just that all these are inevitable? I have spoken on this with my boss on a few occasions but did not really keep harping on it lest I be seen as whiny...

Today, I became terribly overwhelmed when the email server encountered some problems. I have to thank God that in the end, all the email was salvaged but somehow, all my few hundred emails, categorized into sub-folders according to projects and "to-dos" have all became uncategorized again. On one hand, I am relieved that I got my emails back (because I would be in a worst state if the emails were gone) but on the other hand, I stared at my over 800 uncategorized mails in disbelief, not knowing where to start... It doesn't help that these few weeks, I have been going out for meetings after meetings (and bringing back more work with each meeting) while work piles up back in office. To date, I have so much work on hand including:
  • several large projects on hand which requires the recruitment and management of a few hundred volunteers,
  • several pending volunteer interviews to conduct,
  • a few meetings to attend and plan,
  • reports to prepare,
  • networking and marketing to corporate volunteers and sponsors,
  • a new volunteer management database system to review and implement,
  • coordination of my fellow volunteer managers' applications for a conference,
  • public enquiries, coming through the phone, email and other departments and centres, to handle
  • volunteer placements and referrals to track
  • an exchange programme co-plan
  • continued marketing of my organization's volunteer programme e.g. updating the volunteer opportunities bulletin
  • work processes and policies to finetune
  • expectations from centres, volunteers and management to balance
I just can't take it anymore... I need help, I need prayer, I need rest... Things have gotten so bad that I find that even when I leave on time from work and get sufficient sleep, I still feel exhausted. I find that I am getting so sucked into mandane work, firefighting that I have less energy and time to really invest on my volunteers; building rapport and a relationship with them. Things are getting so mandane especially when I don't even have the time to implement many of the ideas I first had when I came on board. In fact, I don't even feel that I am as sharp anymore; being able to come up with creative ideas to engage volunteers. I am starting to feel alone and sometimes angry when I referred a volunteer out to my fellow volunteer coordinators (who happen to also be overworked) only to have the volunteers call me back a few weeks later to tell me that there had been no follow-up, making it seem like I had been inefficient. Work Impossible...

I Just Won't Go (Yet)
Surprisingly, despite being so burnt out... it seems that if given a choice, I still chose not to leave. I mentioned in my blog entry here a few days ago that someone asked if I am keen to go over to his organization to work. Well, just last Wednesday, he called me again and offered me a job, asking me to consider his offer. I kind of declined and mentioned that I would not want to leave my current job as I do not wish to leave my programme half developed, which was irresponsible (the more I used this excuse, the more he was bent on getting me over). Anyway, I thought through the weekend and eventually declined his offer.

Today, a friend asked me over the sms whether I have thought of going back my old workplace or join civil service? My response naturally came "no thanks, I am spiritually happy here". Well, he wasn't offering me a job but then his sms somehow made me think that despite being so stressed up here, I am still spiritually happy with what I am doing and where I am working... there is somehow more meaning working here.

Now I just do not know how long more I can last before I break down (yet again). But one thing remain true, I am grateful to God for providing for my work; so far, whenever I have a specific need for volunteers e.g. those who can bake, those who can cook etc, God will somehow send them my way... this I am grateful for the blessing. God has also blessed me so far at a few meetings that I had to lead; blessing me to know what to say and when to say...

Codfishy Proud? No.....!!!
I am also praying that I will not let pride get the better of me. So far, 2 organizations have requested me to consider taking up a position with them and recently, a colleague of mine in another centre also wrote an email to my boss and fellow colleagues in my department, "commending" me for the work I am doing and saying how they have "recruited the right person"... I just feel that sometimes it is just so easy to let this get the better of a person and become so proud. I just pray that won't happen to me.

Slowing Down...
Just last week, I gave myself a treat and decided to go watch a movie after work with my colleagues... watched "Mission Impossible III" and I must say I intensely enjoyed the break away from work (though it was kind of difficult pulling myself away from work when I had so much more to do). It was a movie that kept me at the edge of my seat and yet without senseless blood and gore. (Mission Impossible Wallpaper: www.missionimpossible.com)

I had also tried to slow down a little and just Tuesday, when I went for a meeting in the west, only to realize that I remember the wrong time and was one hour early, I went back to vist my ex-colleague at my ex-workplace nearby. It was really a wonderful being able to see my ex-colleague again.

On Friday, my cell group decided to go cycling in Pengerang and I took the opportunity to take a break from urban Singapore. Though it was a butt sore and sunburnt long weekend, I was glad that I also had the chance to take in the sights and sounds of rural life in Malaysia. There were also several firsts for me including the
  • first time I cycled beside fast-moving vehicles outside Singapore (and meeting along the way dead animals like a dead bird, frog, snake, monkey),
  • first time I cycled for over 50km,
  • first time I ate wild boar meat (which is common in the town) and
  • first time I slept with a roommate that snores so loud I had problem sleeping.
Nonetheless, it was a rare opportunity that I could spend sometime away and experienced the simple life... where town-wide power failures are a reality, where signs, menus in coffee shops are handwritten and not printed by computers, where everyone seems to know everyone.

I am thankful that we had been blessed throughout the trip. One of our friends' bike had a puncture along the way and it was a blessing that it punctual just metres away from a motorbike repair shop. In the end, althoughtthe person who helped us with the puncture had to ride his bike further down the road to buy the lining for the tyre, it is still a blessing because no shops can be in sight for miles after miles. I also give thanks that I came back safely even though at a point in time I nearby lost my balance and cycled into the the path of an oncoming car.

On Monday, I was having a little Monday blues since I still didn't seem to get enough rest despite it being a long weekend but I must really thank God that I was yet given another chance to rest; the server at work went down and the whole headquarters came to a standstill (it is at times like that it makes you wonder how reliant we are on technology). I took things easy for the whole day. At least my monday was not that blue and it helped me to regain a bit of my sanity.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

 

Lord I Give You My Heart

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Lord I Give You My Heart
Hillsong

This is my desire: to honor You.
Lord with all my heart I worship You.
All I have within me, I give You praise.
All that I adore is in You.

Lord I give You my heart,
I give You my soul, I live for You alone.
Every breath that I take,
Every moment I'm awake,
Lord have Your way in me.

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