“The Da Vinci Code” especially misses the point about Mary when it makes its case that she was the bride of Christ. Both the novel and the film use as their evidence a gap-filled passage from the Gospel of Philip, a Gnostic Gospel of the second century. The passage reads as follows: “And the companion of the [gap] Mary Magdalene. [Gap] her more than [gap] the disciples [gap] kiss her [gap] on her [gap].” The gaps are maddening. Companion of whom? Loved her more than what? Kiss her where? But even if we fill in what seems to be the logical meaning—Jesus loved Mary more than the male apostles and kissed her on her mouth—the passage is less sensational than we might think. In the Gnostic tradition, kisses on the lips are not an erotic act but a chaste gesture meant to symbolize the passage of knowledge and spiritual truth. Elsewhere in the Gospel of Philip, Jesus also kisses his male disciples on the mouth. (If the makers of “The Da Vinci Code” wanted to interpret this act as erotic, they would no doubt be facing even more vehement protests from conventional Christians.) The passage is certainly significant, for it could imply that Jesus gave Mary special authority in his church. But “The Da Vinci Code” fails to make this point by mistaking the nature of Jesus’ kiss.

This is the reason why I’m really glad that The Davinci Code book exists. While some Christians will argue that it’s distracts people from God’s truth, for others, the book and now the movie is helping to bring people closer to God. And on top of that, Christians are searching the Bible for the truth to refute the claims made in Dan Brown’s fictional tale. And if it takes a book and a movie to prompt Christians to pick up their armour and renew their interest in the Bible, I’m all for it.

If you viewed any of the broadcasts on the History Channel, what did you think? Has it solidified your own faith?

Frankly, I couldn’t put the book down. I read it in 12-hours, from 7pm to 7am. The book is just that darn good. No wonder it’s been on the bestselling list for almost 2-years.

My sister urged me not to read it.

“Your faith will be challenged,” she said. “If you’re not strong in God, that book will cause you to question him even more.”

While many Christians denounce that book as being heretic, blasphemous and downright disgraceful, I see it as a wondrous way to build character in Christians. If we’re not challenged in what we believe, then our religion simply becomes a habit. And once a habit, it’s very hard to break.