The DaVInci Blog

The DaVinci Code is out in paperback and the hardcover is still hanging around the bestseller lists while better and more worthy books have come and gone. The movie is coming up next month, spreading its gospel of rumors and distortions and fictional accounts of conspiracy. The Templar Legacy is on the best seller lists with its take on hidden Gnostic gospels that would demolish traditional Christian dogma. The Holy Blood, Holy Grail guys have another "nonfiction" book out beating the same dead horse that Jesus survived and married Mary Magdalene. A recent study reports Jesus may have walked on ice, not water.

And then there's Judas' gospel, "lost" for a millennium or more, that is finally seeing the light of day. It's supposed to be written in the second century, so can't be direct from the fink himself.

"God made me do it!" he whines in this gospel. "I was vital to His fulfilling the prophecy!"

Which, if true, would call into question the nature of Christ's sacrifice, making his crucifixion God playing with loaded dice instead of letting free will fulfill prophecy, demolishing (you guessed it) traditional Christian dogma.

Gnostic gospels exist. What is it in our nature that makes us eager to believe that they are concealing deep dark secrets? Why do so many want to believe they're truthful but are willing to doubt the official gospels? Doesn't that tell us more about ourselves?

It seems to make no difference that these gospels are in print, available in many book stores and over the internet. Even available in Catholic bookstores, which have no obligation to carry them.

The Council of Nicea in the fourth century put together the New Testament that we know today. They had to go through a lot of manuscripts and texts that purported to be the word of God, true accounts of Jesus' life, the Apostles' lives and works, letters and sayings, etc.

Critics and conspiracy theorists assert that they destroyed the texts that emphasized Jesus' humanity, while keeping the texts that emphasized Jesus' divinity. While that may be, if they were truly trying to determine the will of God, perhaps that was God's will. But people are much more inclined to cry coverup; some, depending on their agendas, see the jettisoned material as proof that the Church Fathers were hiding all kinds of alternate viewpoints.

Couldn't it be that a lot of the rejected material was repetitive, poorly written, obviously fraudulent, or clearly pushing someone's personal agenda? It happens in books and articles that are written about current events or figures in the news. There have been numerous books about John F. Kennedy and Winston Churchill. Does anyone accept everything each book asserts as, you'll pardon the expression, gospel? Maybe some, but many seek out various sources -- news items, eyewitness accounts, rebuttals from friends and enemies.

To get back to Mr. DaVinci. Why did he put himself in The Last Supper facing away from Christ? Did he see in the apostles cowards who turned away from Jesus in fear for their lives that night? And did he put himself in like that as a wry comment on his own weaknesses and imperfections? Or, if he was an atheist, maybe he just did it for laughs. Heck, if he was just a joker, we're lucky we didn't get Peter making rabbit ears behind Christ's back.

Did he paint them without halos to emphasize their humanity? Was this because he was giving a hidden sign that he had sympathy for the Gnostic viewpoint, who saw Jesus as human, not divine? Or was it his own personal viewpoint that Jesus, while God, still had a mortal body? Or that the apostles, about to run away in the Garden of Gethsemane, hadn't earned their halos yet?

DaVinci was a man of genius living in times dominated by Popes and kings and dukes and what have you. Was he a Gnostic? Was he an atheist? Does any of this matter today when we look at his paintings?

I think I'm going to write my own Gnostic conspiracy book. It will deal with an obscure sect of Rosicrucian’s who are the guardians of a holy relic that was suppressed by the Church in the 5th century. Yes, it's the Holy Spice Rack of Galilee -- made by our Savior himself, in his carpentry shop. It was an item of such poor quality, showing total ignorance of basic carpentry principles, that many at the Council of Nicea felt it was a fraud put forward to prove that Mary was, in fact, a single mother. Joseph was obviously not around to teach Jesus his trade, which meant he took a powder when he found out that Mary was with child, which would cast doubts about Jesus' divinity. I feel I will have a ready audience.

Destroyer Movie news from Warren Murphy

Brian Murphy released this item this afternoon on Warren Murphy's Forum

Warren Murphy announced today that he had signed a Destroyer film production deal with Robert Evans independent production company in Hollywood. The deal covers film and television, as well as computer
games and merchandising, and the old man says "after quite a few years in the Destroyer doldrums, we've got a chance here of seeing something good happen."

For those who don't know, Robert Evans is a one-time actor who took over the running of Paramount Studios when the company was down the drain and on the verge of bankruptcy. In just a handful of years,
Evans produced The Odd Couple, Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, Love Story and The Godfather, and turned Paramount into the hottest studio in town.

This is great news, though I realize it may take awhile for a movie to begin production and there are many things which can go wrong.

I'm really hoping this stirs interest for the Destroyer books with a publishing company, and that this comes sooner rather than later. The contract with Gold Eagle is up as of this year and I'd like to see the books continue on with a minimum of interruption. Even if a publisher can be found, there would be more of a gap than the usual three months Destroyer readers have become used to.

A new publisher might choose to issue only two books a year instead of four. Or they might issue two Destroyers and two spinoffs (good too!). Or four Destroyers and two spinoffs (I'm getting greedy here).

Windows XP

Warren Murphy has started a blog in the forums of his website. A few weeks ago, amid many other things, he mentioned his hatred of and frustration with Windows XP. Most of his frustration was not being able to find things, which are spread out in odd ways. And always being asked what to open a program with when he clicks on it.

I don't have too many problems opening things, since I mostly work with Open Office documents. When you save a new OO document, if you type .odt after the title you choose, it opens up in OO automatically when you need to view it again. I do have a problem choosing media stuff, but I generally know what to go with. The new Harry Potter movie had me downloading something called InterActual, which isn't a very good DVD player. I gave up trying to view anything on it and opened it in Windows Media center, which worked fine.

Last night, for some reason, I decided to go beyond what usually comes up when I click on Programs (Windows XP usually only shows you the programs you use most frequently). I got into "Windows Digital Media Enhancements," which looked interesting. Though, like Warren has pointed out, why it's so far away from "Media Center" which is under Accessories? It's all media, isn't it?
Anyway, under WDME (I'm not going to keep typing that whole thing out!), they've put a program that allows you to convert audio files to the Windows format (.wma), and a program that prints a label for your CD and CD case.

Thirdly, it has a "Party Mode" which is basically a full screen skin for your Windows Media Player. That was a little frightening. I turned it on and couldn't find a way to get out of it, so I had to click on control/alt/delete. When I went back to the Settings screen, there's supposed to be a little X somewhere that removes you from the party, but I don't recall seeing it the first time and I'm not going back to check. The big window with the randomization setting in my player is enough for me.

Now, for the last and creepiest thing. WDME has something called Windows Dancer. When you click on it a little dancing woman appears in the bottom left hand corner of your screen. The general operating question here is: why? Who thought this up? Is this so lonely people won't have to dance by themselves? Or in case you feel like having a party and everyone's busy?

When I see these things, I feel just like one of the Beverly Hillbillies, trying to figure out the billyard room and the cement pond.

"Granny! Uncle Jed! There's a little woman dancin' on the screen!"

"Weee-el doggie!"

"Jed! Jed!! Get that 'lil goomer off the screen!"

I felt bad for her dancing away to nothing, so I opened my WMP and opened a song. I'm Alright isn't exactly the hip hop she seems to be bopping to, but it'll have to do. It's more suitable than The Donkey Serenade or O Holy Night.

It's good to know that Microsoft is gearing it's Windows for parties. When you're dancing, programs don't need to make sense. Items don't have to be near similar items.