If you have read the book, "The Da Vinci Code" or seen the movie, you have then undoubtedly wondered if there is any truth in what this work of fiction says. It is only natural to wonder; actually it is a good thing that you question it. It is important every now and then for us to take a look at what we believe, what our beliefs say and what they means to us.

Here we are going to take a look at several of the claims that the author of the Da Vinci Code makes. Then we are going to discuss the truth of those claims. For the sake of our article we will look at the following three proclaimed "truths" in the Da Vinci Code.

• Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and created a child, her womb thereby being the Holy Grail. The Da Vinci Code also states that these truths have been kept alive by the Priory of Sion, a secret society that is led by the "Great Minds" of all times, such as Da Vinci.
• The Gospels are historically inaccurate. The Da Vinci Code states the truth that the Roman Catholic Church started a cover-up of over 80 Gospel accounts that tell the story of who Jesus really is.
• Jesus was not divine. The Da Vinci Code maintains that His divinity was voted on in the fourth century at the council of Nicaea. Is that the truth?

1. Is it the truth that Jesus and Mary were intimately involved, as The Da Vinci Code Alleges?

Let’s start with the first "truth" in the Da Vinci Code; that Mary and Jesus were intimately involved and that they created a child. While it is conceivable to read the Bible and conclude that Mary Magdalene and Jesus shared a special relationship due to the privileges that were bestowed upon her, such as it was Mary who first saw Jesus in his resurrected state, it is a stretch to conclude that this means that they had a sexual relationship.

Those that believe this often point to a rumor that began sometime in the 12 th century about the "Holy Grail." The rumor states that the cup Jesus drank from during what we refer to as the Last Supper was still in existence and had special powers. This rumor then somehow evolved in the 15 th century to become that the cup was a metaphor for the blood line of children that Mary and Jesus had. The Da Vinci Code picks up this idea as beiing the truth and develops it into a key part of the plot of the book.

However, since there is absolutely no other reference to the cup except in the Matthew, Mark and Luke there is no Biblical basis for the truth of these claims.

2. Is it the truth that the Gospels are historically inaccurate, as The Da Vinci Code Alleges?

The Gospels are historically inaccurate. This is a key point in the Da Vinci Code, that in truth, the Bible is not something that can be trusted. The early books that are known as the Gnostic Gospels quite often do not match up with what the Gospels of God's Word state. It is important to note that theologians and historians alike have studied and rejected the Gnostic Gospels since the 2nd Century when they first appeared. (And by the way, the gospels in the Bible are accepted as being contemporary accounts from the 1 st century.) So the Gnostic Gospels were much later, fraudulent writings.

The church fathers speak of the heresies of Irenaeus, Hippolytus and Tertullian all of whom write about the Gnostic Gospels. The early church rejected these writings due to the fact that the writings did not match the other 27 books of the Bible. The author further states that the church knew that there were over 80 Gospels, yet only chose to use 4 of them. They knew what the truth was!

That’s the truth, which is a little bit different to how The Da Vinci Code presents it!

3. Is it the truth that Jesus was not really divine, as The Da Vinci Code Alleges?

Finally, the claim is that the truth is that Jesus was not divine… that his divinity was a result of unanimous vote. Is it true as the Da Vinci Code states that the foundation of the Christian faith was not created until the Council of Nicaea voted on it in the 4th Century? An obvious contradiction to this statement is apparent in the New Testament, where it provides a very clear and precise understanding of the orthodoxy and the core beliefs of the Christian faith. Immediately it can be seen that this claim is not true, as the claims of the apostles and Jesus Christ Himself regarding His divinity permeate the entire New Testament.

History tells us that the belief and central faith system of Christianity had been around long before the Council of Nicea that came about in A.D.325. The council did have a purpose, it affirmed what the church leaders and the bishops had been teaching as truth for the previous 200 years. They gave the church a so called "rubber stamp" of approval, with a vote of 218 to 2. They didn’t make up a new teaching about the divinity of Jesus, which is what The Da Vinci Code alleges.

The truth is that if you were to take a moment and read Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, James, Peter and Paul, they each tell of the Jesus' identity. All of which were written in the 1st Century. Look at 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, also known as the Pastoral Epistles, make it very clear what salvation and sound doctrine are. They all accept the divinity of Jesus Christ; far earlier than The Da Vinci Code would you have you believe.

While it makes for good reading to say that what is stated in the Da Vinci Code is the truth, remember that the book is a work of fiction. If in fact the statements that are set forth in the book were fact, why did the author go about telling them in a book of fiction? Wouldn't it have given these "myths" more credence if it was a nonfiction book?

Yes, it would have but it probably wouldn't have been such a success. Many times, authors try to create a world in their books to make you believe that their world is a real world. Then it makes what they are telling you more believable… you buy into it because it seems to makes sense. It seems like the truth. At other times authors write about a world that they believe to be true in their minds and it is there in their minds that these "truths" are real. To attempt to make their argument even stronger they will often add just enough reality to make the story almost believable. And The Da Vinci Code is a wonder “read” for just that very reason.

The real truth that lies in the Da Vinci Code is that it has opened a dialog. This dialog is between those who believe that the Bible is the word of God and every word written is absolute, those who either don't believe at all, the atheist, and those who are agnostic and believe there is a bit of truth to both sides. For both the believer and the atheist there is little that can be done to win them over to the other's point of view but it the agnostics that both sides attempt to persuade and reach out to both side having the same fear - they will lose that soul to the other side.

You have the duty to question what you believe, or what you don’t believe periodically. It is through questioning that you are able to deepen your understanding of who you are and how you relate to the world. I encourage you, though, to take the time to do some research and question things from the viewpoint of factual knowledge and history. That’s how you can discover the truth.