INVESTIGATING BROWN’S ANGELS AND DEMONS
"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." (1 Peter 3:15).
Do you remember the story of Snow White? When the magic mirror tells Snow White’s wicked stepmother, the queen, that Snow White is the fairest in the land, the queen is furious, and sets out to kill her step-daughter. Using magic to turn herself into an old hag, the queen visits Snow White at the cottage of the seven dwarfs, and tricks her into biting into a poisoned apple, sending the beautiful princess into a deep sleep. It’s too bad that there wasn’t someone around who knew what the wicked queen was plotting that could have kept Snow White from eating the poisoned fruit! Although we know that the story of Snow White is only a fairy tale, there is a lesson in this story for us. There’s an insidious plot afoot today, designed to poison the minds of people, in the form of a cunning novel called Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. This is no harmless little fairy tale, but an all-out attack against the church of Jesus Christ! This critical response is designed to point out some of the deceptive messages hidden in this malicious novel, to help prevent you from falling prey to its treacherous falsehoods.
WHAT IS ANGELS AND DEMONS?
Angels & Demons is a bestselling mystery novel written by Dan Brown that was published in 2000. It tells the story of Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon who tries to unravel the mysteries of a secret society called the Illuminati, and prevent them from destroying Vatican City using an antimatter bomb. This character is also the protagonist of Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code, another toxic book of lies and false claims against the Christian church. (For more info about the deceptions in The Da Vinci Code, see my article Exposing The Da Vinci Deception, available to download at our website: www.beausejourchurch.ca). Here is a look at some of the main lies and errors that are found in Brown’s Angels and Demons novel:
THE LIES IN ANGELS AND DEMONS:
LIE #1 – CHRISTIANITY IS LIKE A CANCER:
“Looming before them was a rectangular, ultramodern structure of glass and steel. Langdon was amazed by the building’s striking transparent design. He had always had a fond love of architecture. “The Glass Cathedral,” the escort offered.
“A church?”
“Hell, no. A church is the one thing we don’t have. Physics is the religion around here. Use the Lord’s name in vain all you like,” he laughed, “just don’t slander any quarks or mesons.” (Brown, pg. 22).
Right at the very beginning of this tale, Brown reveals his true intentions. This is no adrenaline laced fiction ride – this is a blatant, all-out attack against God, the church, and Christianity. One of the characters tells Langdon, “We don’t want a church here, we don’t like church, in fact, let’s go break the Ten Commandments – eat, drink and be merry, we don’t want any ‘god’ telling us what to do!” This is a harbinger of the poison to follow.
A few pages later, another character’s dialogue is used to reveal Brown’s hatred for the church:
“Miracles?” The word “miracle” was certainly not part of the vocabulary around Harvard’s Fairchild Science Building. Miracles were left for the School of Divinity.
“You sound skeptical,” Kohler said.” I thought you were a religious symbologist. Do you not believe in miracles?”
“I’m undecided on miracles,” Langdon said…
“Perhaps miracle is the wrong word. I was simply trying to speak your language.”
“My language?” Langdon was suddenly uncomfortable. “Not to disappoint you, sir, but I study religious symbology – I’m an academic, not a priest.”
Kohler slowed suddenly and turned, his gaze softening a bit. “Of course. How simple of me. One does not need to have cancer to analyze its symptoms.”
Langdon had never heard it put quite that way.” (Brown, pg. 26-27).
If you didn’t catch the subtle slander here, what Brown’s character is saying is that Christianity is like a cancer, and cancer is defined as any evil condition or thing that spreads destructively. Brown studies religious symbology – symbolism in the church – but he is not a Christian or a religious man. And the other character, Kohler, says in essence, “You are not a part of the church, but you are studying the church, which is like a cancer – it’s evil and destructive.” You might think that I’m reading too much into this here, but as you read on in the novel, you will see that the author relentlessly slanders Christianity. One example of this is a statement Langdon makes on page 48: “the superstitious dogma spewed forth by the church was mankind’s greatest enemy… if religion continued to promote pious myth as absolute fact, scientific progress would halt, and mankind would be doomed to an ignorant future of senseless holy wars.”
How does one respond to this lie about the church? By looking to the words of Jesus Christ Himself, the founder of the Christian faith: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35). The mission of the church is to provide love, acceptance, forgiveness, healing and restoration to all people!
LIE #2: ALL GODS WILL BE PROVEN TO BE FALSE:
“The men and women of CERN are here to find answers to the same questions man has been asking since the beginning of time. Where did we come from? What are we made of?”
“And these answers are in a physics lab?”
“You sound surprised?”
“I am. The questions seem spiritual.”
“Mr. Langdon, all questions were once spiritual. Since the beginning of time, spirituality and religion have been called on to fill in the gaps that science did not understand. The rising of the sun was once attributed to Helios and a flaming chariot. Earthquakes and tidal waves were the wrath of Poseidon. Science has now proven those gods to be false idols. Soon all Gods will be proven to be false idols. Science has now provided answers to almost every question man can ask.” (Brown, pg. 31).
This passage of dialogue is wrong on so many levels. First of all, one of the distinctions that Brown tries to make in his novel is between science and religion, or Christianity. Later on in the novel, the protagonist Langdon says, “Since the beginning of history, a deep rift has existed between science and religion… Religion has always persecuted science.” (Brown, pg. 39). He says that the two are totally separate and incompatible, but that is completely false. The reality is that all areas of science validate and confirm the Biblical account of creation, and there are no errors of geology, biology or any other sciences contained in the Scriptures.
Another bold claim that the author makes is that science will soon prove all Gods to be false idols. Notice the capital ‘G’– he is undoubtedly referring to the Christian God of the Bible here! And yet, contrary to his claims, more and more scientific discoveries are being made every day that point to the reality of Intelligent Design, that simply says, “Where there is a design, there is a designer.” (Note – it is beyond the scope of this paper to lay out all of the many scientific evidences and support for scientific creationism, but if you are interested in learning more about this topic, I would encourage you to check out www.answersingenesis.org).
In regards to the questions that man has been asking since the beginning of time, such as: Where did we come from? The Bible gives us the only answers that provide real purpose and meaning for our lives. The lie of evolution says that we are all one big cosmic accident, that we are merely the product of billions of years of evolution, and therefore complex animals, with no greater purpose or destiny than to one day become worm food, rotting in a grave. The Bible on the other hand tells us that we have been created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), and therefore, we have incredible intrinsic value, and our ultimate destiny is to know God, to glorify Him, and enjoy Him forever in Heaven.
LIE #3: CALLING EVIL GOOD AND GOOD EVIL:
“Langdon quickly explained how most people pictured satanic cults as devil-worshipping fiends, and yet Satanists historically were educated men who stood as adversaries to the church.” (Brown, pg. 46).
Here is one of the examples of how Brown tries to paint evil as good and good as evil. The Bible teaches that the devil is the source of all evil – the one who comes to steal, kill and destroy in people’s lives. And yet, in the passage quoted above, you see how the author tries to portray Satanists as normal, good and educated men. Along with this picture of evil Satanists as being good men, he portrays the characters that are church members as being evil, hypocritical and fanatical. He says that the church has “crushed (the) opposition with lies and prophecies of doom. (The church) has manipulated the truth to serve (its) needs, murdering those whose discoveries did not serve (its) politics.” (Brown, pg. 190). Here he says that Christians are liars, manipulators, and murderers.
In response to this claim, we freely admit and acknowledge that as Christians, we aren’t perfect. There are definitely a number of people in the church who claim to be followers of Christ, but who in reality do not follow His teachings. But those who are true disciples of Jesus Christ are committed to striving to be more kind, loving and peaceful, even though we may never be perfected in it. But to brand all Christians with this broad stroke of evil, sinful men is slanderous, and incorrect. The church exists for two primary purposes – to love God, and to love all people. Here again we see Brown’s animosity towards the church proclaimed loud and clear.
LIE #4: THE BIBLE IS A MAN-MADE BOOK OF STORIES:
“Holy Scripture is stories… legends and history of man’s quest to understand his own need for meaning.” (Brown, pg. 137). This lie is very similar to this quote from Brown’s other poisonous book of lies, The Da Vinci Code, where he writes: “The Bible is a product of man… Not of God… Man created it as a record of tumultous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the Book.” (Brown, pg. 250-251). Later on in Angels and Demons, Brown takes another jab at the inspiration of the Bible by saying that the Secret Vatican Archives contain “unpublished books of the holy Bible.” (pg. 222).
Here’s how I responded to this brazen lie in my article, Exposing the Da Vinci Deception: Second Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” The Bible, which is actually a collection of 66 different books, written by about 40 different authors over a period of 1500 years is indeed the very Word of God. Second Peter 1:20-21 says, “no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” As Christians, we have an absolutely certain promise from God Himself that He will preserve His Word to all generations! “But the word of the Lord endures forever.” (1 Peter 1:25). Jesus Christ Himself declared, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” (Matthew 25:35). One of the factors that Dan Brown takes out of the Bible equation is the reality of the existence of God. Because there is a God, and because the Bible is His own Word, we can trust that the same God who inspired the Scriptures over two thousand years ago will also preserve that truth wholly intact and without error to our generation today.
LIE #5: GOD IS A FEMALE, MOTHER EARTH:
“Vittoria was silent for a long time. “Science tells me God must exist. My mind tells me I will never understand God. And my heart tells me I am not meant to.”
“So you believe God is fact, but we will never understand Him.”
“Her,” she said with a smile. “Your Native Americans had it right.”
Langdon chuckled. “Mother Earth.”
“Gaea. The planet is an organism. All of us are cells with different purposes. And yet we are intertwined. Serving each other. Serving the whole.” (Brown, pg. 139).
Here we see another one of the main characters of the story – one of the good guys – who claims to believe in God. At first, this might seem like a good thing, until we discover what she means when she says she believes in God. She does not believe in “God the Father Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and Earth” as He is described in The Apostle’s Creed. Rather, she says that she believes God is a she, not a he, and that she is Gaia, Mother Earth, the earth goddess from ancient Greek mythology. This is an example of an incorrect New Age belief about the nature of God. If we want to know who God really is, we need to examine how He describes Himself in His Holy Word, the Bible. First Timothy 1:17 says, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever.” Let’s us reject outright the lies of human beings who would try to twist and distort our image of who God really is, and allow the Scriptures to frame in our hearts and minds what God is really like!
LIE #6: JESUS IS A FABLE:
“Do you truly believe they stake their lives on a fable about a man who walks on water?” (Brown, pg. 192).
Although this reference to Jesus is a subtle one, there is no question about who the author is referring to here. In his other volume, The Da Vinci Code, Brown slanders the good name of Jesus by bringing into question His divinity, and also fabricates a lie that says Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had children. The Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ is the unique, only begotten Son of God, God Himself in the flesh, who healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out devils, and performed many miracles. History tells us that this man Jesus Christ really lived and walked on the Earth. The question is – was Jesus really who He said He was? The answer to that is a confident, unwavering YES! If you have questions about the divinity of Jesus Christ, I would recommend to you two great resources that will answer any questions you may have:
The first one is New Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. This classic defense of the faith provides a wealth of historical, archaeological, and bibliographical evidences for the basic beliefs of the Christian faith, answering questions such as: Is the Bible historically reliable? Is there credible evidence of Christ’s claim to be God? Will Christianity stand up before 21st century critics? Josh McDowell is a classic example of an agnostic college student who believed that Christianity was worthless. But a group of Christians challenged him to examine the claims of Christianity on an intellectual basis. Instead of succeeding in discrediting the truth of Christianity, Josh discovered compelling historical evidence for the reliability of the Christian faith. As a result, Josh accepted Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour, and his life was changed through God’s love and grace. (www.josh.org).
The second one is The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel. This author is another example of an atheist who approached Christianity from the outside, examined the evidence, and came to the logical conclusion that Jesus Christ truly is the only begotten Son of the Living God who was raised from the dead. Time after time, intellectual men and women who come to the Scriptures with integrity of heart come away with no other conclusion than to say that the Bible is true, God is real, and Jesus is alive.
LIE #7: FAITH IS FUTILE:
“Faith does not protect you. Medicine and airbags… these are things that protect you. God does not protect you. Intelligence protects you… Put your faith in something with tangible results. How long has it been since someone walked on water? Modern miracles belong to science… computers, vaccines, space stations… Who needs God? No! Science is God!” (Brown, pg. 218).
As I’m writing these words in the year 2009, we are almost at the close of the first decade of the 21st century. We are living in a world that is engulfed by fear, terrorism, wars and rumours of wars, and multitudes of natural disasters. If ever there was a time that we as the human race needed faith, it is now! A contemporary Christian artist penned these words, describing the difference between atheism and faith:
“Atheism is the wedge under the foundation of our faith, trying to topple our relationship with Christ. When the fool said in his heart, there is no God, he rejects the truth God painted on the canvas of the night. Atheism has never created an artistic masterpiece, never healed a fatal disease or calmed a fear. Atheism has never still given answers to our existence, peace to a troubled mind or even dried a tear.
For it’s God who created heaven and earth and flung the stars in space and breathed in the handful of dirt and it became a man. It’s God who sits on the circle of the earth and measures the mountains in a scale, and holds the seven seas in the palm of His hand. It’s God who sent His only begotten Son to the cross of Calvary to save our souls from Hell and the grave. It’s God who creates, God who delivers, God who heals and God who is worthy of a thunderous ovation of praise.
There is a hope, there is a light, there is an answer to all answers
There is a flame that burns in the night, and I know, I know, I know there is a God.” (Carman).
Although I am not anti-science, I want to declare to you today that science is NOT God. Science is defined as systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation. A miracle is in many ways the antithesis of science, for it is defined thus: an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause. The reality of miracles in our world testifies to the reality of a living, loving God. The Bible declares that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, and He’s still transforming lives today! Faith saves. Faith heals. Faith protects. Faith provides. The Bible declares that our Heavenly Father is a living, loving God who generously gives good gifts to His children. Don’t believe Brown’s lie that says faith is futile!
Later on in the novel, one of Brown’s characters, the camerlengo, continues bashing God and the church by saying, “God has become obsolete. Science has won the battle… Religion cannot keep up. Scientific growth is exponential… The rift between us grows deeper and deeper, and as religion is left behind, people find themselves in a spiritual void… To science, I say this. The church is tired.” (pg. 474-475).
Don’t believe that lie! Jesus Christ is alive and well, and He is still seated on the throne. Two thousand years ago, Jesus Himself said, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). No matter what forces of darkness rise up against His church, or what form it may come in – including a subtle yet poisonous book from an atheist named Dan Brown – Jesus Christ has declared that His church will arise victorious.
CONCLUSION:
With the arrival of Ron Howard’s movie adaptation of Angels and Demons, many Christians are wondering whether or not they should go and see this movie, or read the book that it is based upon. Knowing that Brown has crafted this story as a poisonous little morsel designed to erode your faith in God, the church and the Bible, it would make sense to avoid his malignant piece of lies. If you are looking for entertainment in the form of a good book, or an adrenaline pumping thrill ride of a movie, there are dozens of better choices than Angels and Demons. And although I wouldn’t go so far as to say we should boycott this movie, I will leave you with this challenging question: Why would you want to waste two hours of your life on a movie based on a book that was designed by the author to deceive you? You wouldn’t eat a poisoned apple, so why would you fill your heart and mind with poisonous words?
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Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
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