Korean Job Discussion Forums

Panic Button · Joined: 15 Jul 2005

from the BBC news webiste:

Da Vinci film faces ban in Korea

Author Dan Brown's bestselling novel has courted controversy
A religious group in Korea has applied for a provisional injunction to stop the release of the movie version of the novel The Da Vinci Code.
The Christian Council of Korea (CCK) filed its application in Seoul against the film's distributor Sony Pictures, according to Screen International.

Dan Brown's bestselling book suggests Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child.

CCK said the film was "an insult and defamation" of the holiness of Jesus Christ and the Bible.

The group added that they were "concerned about the damage that would be caused to individuals' faith" because of the film's content.

The film stars Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou and is directed by Ron Howard.

It is currently scheduled to open in Korea next month after its Cannes world premiere on 17 May.

Until Friday, the film was threatened with not opening at all as the publisher's of Brown's book were being sued for breach of copyright of an earlier book.

But the judge at London's High Court ruled that Brown had not copied the "central theme" of the book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail written by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh.

Mr Justice Peter Smith, said The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail did not have a central theme in the way its authors suggested.

"It was an artificial creation for the purposes of the litigation working back from the Da Vinci Code," he ruled.

Both books explore the theory that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child and the bloodline survives to this day.

The Da Vinci Code is still in the UK top 10 book sales chart, while The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail is back in the top 40 thanks to the controversy.

Bobbins. Was looking forward to that. Now i'll have to download it instead of goin to the cinema. Mind you I'm sure those nice Christian types know what's best for me.

What do the Christians on this board think about it?

And if they want the film to be banned, whay's it OK to have the book on sale on every street?

mithridates · Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 7:20 pm Post subject:

As a Christian, they sound pretty gay.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

They just asked for a ban. That doesn't mean they'll get it.

bestyoucanget · Joined: 06 Nov 2005

once again religion.....the wrath of all evil, steps in to ruin it for everyone else again...........why can these people understand that if they want to ruin there own lives, thats ok, bu tnot ruin the recreation fun for everyone else.............

Troll_Bait · Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 7:36 pm Post subject: Re: Da Vinci Code Ban

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/07042006/2/entertainment-south-korean-christian-group-seeks-injunction-stop-da-vinci.html

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200604/200604070016.html

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200603/200603070034.html

I doubt that it will succeed. The book has been a best-seller here for some time now.

If the film's banned, people will ask why. It'll just make these particular Christians look bad.

Thank goodness the genie of knowledge is out of the bottle.

flotsam · Joined: 28 Mar 2006

Son Deureo! · Joined: 30 Apr 2003

Someone had better tell COEX mall about this ban, because they have posters advertising for the movie everywhere. They'll be so disappointed to find out that they can't play it. Laughing

flotsam · Joined: 28 Mar 2006

J.B. Clamence · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

krats1976 · Joined: 14 May 2003

Teufelswacht · Joined: 06 Sep 2004 Location: Land Of The Not Quite Right

yesnoyesyesno · Joined: 28 Jan 2006

[quote="J.
Koreans generally don't read books.[/quote]

try leaving that PC BANG every once in a while

maggoli · Joined: 21 Nov 2005

I think the problem most Christians have with the book is that it is not so much that it is a scandalous novel but that Brown promotes it as more than fiction. If it were simply fiction, fine. We should not be afraid and take every thought captive. But then he purports that all the documents, secret societies, symbols, etc are factual. I'm not sure that is altogether fair. Ya can't have it both ways. Sad

Espeically with the coming Easter celebration of Christ's resurrection, this book/movie is a direct attack on orthodox Christianity. Am I shaken? Nope. It does, however, on the basis of late documents and fragmented documents, portray my Lord and saviour as a mere man who apparently married Mary Magdalene. As a Christian, a follower of Christ (and not of some mysterious cabal of "leaders" who "make" me push tracts on the street), this is appalling. It also spends most of its time attacking Roman Catholicism. Now, I'm not a Roman Catholic, and so cannot offer a defense of what Catholics may or may not have done, but I'd be curious as to how they percieve this book. Question

I don't mind alternative sources of evidence and knowledge, but he completely misuses and misrepresents these sources. When I studied history back in the real world, post-modernism and its bastard child of "any history ya wanna make up" was on the front burner. Some Canadian historian had written a novel as reality (it was some kind of biography in the first person based not on real documents and characters as originally claimed...too much beer and hard living between now and then) and there was some controversy as to whether to consider it history, etc. Anyway, ya can't just write anything and call it fact. Obviously, I'm not an expert in the field, or I wouldn't be peddling English here, but I think I can differentiate between good research and not.

As for an earlier post. I haven't heard anything about aberrent Christians making such threats. It really isn't my style...no "fatwahs" are likely to be pronounced as was the case of Salman Rushdie. True Christians are really part of a "religion of peace." Just wait...I hope no bonehead proves me wrong. Embarassed

They probably do not expect any success in banning the movie, but it has to be said. I can't deny Christ. No, I'm not actually associated with the people calling for the ban; this is the first I've heard of it, too. But, if someone said something bad and untrue about my mother (or yours, for that matter!), I'd have to do the same. Very Happy

Happy Easter! Very Happy

Dan in Seongnam

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

maggoli · Joined: 21 Nov 2005

Although I would support Salman Rushdie's right (or that of the person who made the disparaging reply) to free speech, apparently I have no right to engage politics and culture. That's okay, I see where you are coming from. Been there. One more enemy to pray for.

I was a little relieved, actually. I had expected a more substantial reply actually focused on the claims made by the book itself. Brought home my Elaine Pagels and copies of the gnostic gospels from work. (Don't actually seem to have a copy of the Gospel of Philip. Anyone out there have access to it? I want to check it out.) I would encourage people to look at a copy of Richard Abanes' The Truth behind the Da Vinci Code. Short, sweet, and seems mostly right.

Sincerely,

Dan (again) in Seongnam