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To all those willing to listen,


A couple months ago, curiosity took over me and I began reading the Da Vinci Code. Now I am realizing that it was a big mistake.

Before reading this book I had just realized and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I prayed everyday, and I am sure that I received answers from God. I had faith in the Lord and read the bible every night before bedtime. I was at peace with myself after a lifetime of doubt (I was NOT raised in a Christian home).

I began to read the book simply because I didn’t realize that it was Anti-Christian. I had no idea that this book would undermine my faith and leave me confused about the nature of God. I had no idea that it would leave me doubting the validity of The Bible, doubting the life of Jesus himself!

After reading the book I felt that my whole faith had been destroyed, and it didn’t bother me at all. This is what frightened me the most. I didn’t even care that my beliefs had been destroyed. I just went on with my life as if nothing had happened. I feel so distant from God now, but I am able to pray to him again.

I used to pray in deep concentration and ask the Lord questions, and I heard the answers! Now I can only bring myself to ask him for forgiveness, I have neglected him and in the process have lost my faith. I can only ask him now to restore my faith, but nothing has happened yet. No glorious vision. No answer from above. Only silence. This doesn’t mean my faith is gone, it is just damaged. But not beyond repair.

Now I formally ask for your help, I am lost and can’t find myself. Raised in an Agnostic home (or maybe Deist, my parents believe in God) I have never been to church. I had never owned a Bible until I asked a friend for one. I had to find God on my own. And I thought I was at peace with God until I read that awful book.

I know it is fiction, and even the non-fiction book the so-called history is based on (Holy Blood, Holy Grail) is a disgrace to history, and Christ himself! The man that presented the bloodline theory said in court that he had made the whole thing up! I hope to read the book Cracking the Da Vinci Code, but I don’t need that to realize the whole idea behind Holy Blood, Holy Grail is ridiculous.

You might think, "Well this guy obviously wasn't a 'true' Christian because a book wouldn’t damage my faith!"

Well, when I read that book I was on shaky ground with my faith as it was, I had just became a Christian and was very vulnerable to evil influence.

I can anticipate your answers. Go to church. Read Your Bible. Seek help from a pastor. I will be blunt; I have trouble understanding the Bible. I know there are answers within, but I have trouble unlocking them on my own.

And frankly, If I start going to church every Sunday (which I want to do) my parents will think I am crazy, and they will never let me forget that I am just another “religious freak” as they describe people with faith. I wish my parents would wake up and smell the coffee.

I feel stuck, all around me I see hypocrites. They are having premarital sex, doing drugs, going against God’s word and not thinking a second though about it.

I wish I could the peace I had with God before I was deceived by Satan.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Someone has to break the mold and do the right thing to follow God.  It isn't your parents or anyone else's aproval that you have to get but God's.  You have to choose wheather or not you want to please God or your parents.  Who cares what anyone else thinks of you.  When you stop careing and worrying what others think of the relationship between you and God is when you are going to feel closer to God.

As for the Da Vinci Code.  Maybe you could post what is bothering you and we could answer some of your questions.

Hi stealyourface89,

First of all I want to welcome you to Christians Unite. There are many wonderful Christians here that I am sure will give you some excellant support in words and in prayer. I will be praying for you.

The Bible assures us that Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us. He is our mainstay. It may seem that He is not answering your prayers but be assured that He will do so. We know that the words of the Bible are true. They have withstood the test of time, they are supported by a lot of evidence historically, archaeologically and spiritually. Rely on this word for assurance. Before you start reading the Bible ask God to show you His truth and to open your understanding of His word.

There is a lot in this world and there will be more that attempts to shake our faith in our Lord and Saviour. We all must turn to Him for that assurity and not waiver for only through His strength can we stand firm.

You said,


We must not allow others to come between us and the Lord not even our own family. We must put Him first in all things that we say and do. Remember He will not leave nor forsake us.

The most important thing is to stay in Hiw word and in prayer.

Stay strong in the faith and He will reward us in the end.

My prayers will stay with you.

I do have a problem with caring about what others think of me. Sometimes I just try to ignore it and say, "Thats just the way I am" but I really need to work on it.

I really do want to attend a local church.


I have a problem with making excuses, too.  :-X
But I take it everyday at a time and try to live my life like the Lord wants me to.


It was the theory about Constantine making Jesus seem divine to make Christianity a political power. The book explained that his miracles were fabrications to make the people follow Christianity. It made too much sense to me, and I guess it deceived my naive mind.


Thank You, I am looking forward to being a member here.

Hello StealYourFace89,

First, WELCOME!!


I look forward to reading your posts and having fellowship with you.

"Fellowship" is an interesting word that also applies to our personal relationship with GOD. Everything we do or say can have a positive or negative effect on our fellowship with GOD, and this is especially true with sin. When we pray, we must realize that we are talking to ALMIGHTY GOD - our CREATOR, and we must learn to wait upon the LORD when we pray or have problems.

If you truly accepted JESUS CHRIST as your LORD and SAVIOUR, you are still a child of GOD, and no power in the universe can separate you from the Love of GOD or pluck you from HIS Mighty Hands. What you are describing is a damage of your faith,  but GOD remains ever faithful and always keeps every promise. HE has already promised that HE will never leave or forsake you, so you have NOT been deserted by GOD, and you haven't lost your Salvation. YOU have partially deserted GOD, and you have done things that have weakened the strength you had in CHRIST. The HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD is still in your heart, but GOD is hurt by your doubts.

The anticipation of answers that you listed are correct and right. YES, you need to spend MUCH time in prayer and studying GOD'S WORD. I suggest that you study Ephesians, Romans, and Philippians as a start, and please take your time. You need GOOD AND HEALTHY SPIRITUAL food to nourish you and revive your strength. YES, you do need to pray and pray some more. Ask GOD to guide you and direct you in your study of HIS WORD. This is something you should do every time before you study the Bible. Whatever wrongs you feel that you have done, pray and ask GOD for forgiveness. Please don't even think about putting time limits on GOD, as HE is the one who is hurt and offended. WAIT, PRAY, STUDY, and keep doing this.

Now, you see what harm can be done to your fellowship with CHRIST by garbage and sin. It weakened your strength in CHRIST, and that is the nature of garbage and sin. Ask GOD to help you avoid things like this in the future, and listen to the voice of the HOLY SPIRIT in your heart when HE says "NO, this is wrong." When you hear or feel this, put it down and go eat some more Spiritual food from GOD'S WORD. If you really accepted JESUS CHRIST as your Lord and Saviour, you have already heard and felt the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD working in your life. YIELD and DON'T IGNORE HIM if you want strength in CHRIST!

Many here will be praying for you.

Love In Christ,
Tom

2 Corinthians 5:5-8 NASB  Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord -- for we walk by faith, not by sight -- we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

Hello Stealyourface89, and welcome to Christians Unite forums.  I will be praying for you. Satan is trying to mislead you right now. This is a test for you, so treat it as such. As blackeyedpeas said,..........

If you truly accepted JESUS CHRIST as your LORD and SAVIOUR, you are still a child of GOD, and no power in the universe can separate you from the Love of GOD or pluck you from HIS Mighty Hands. What you are describing is a damage of your faith,  but GOD remains ever faithful and always keeps every promise.

Something else you may want to read, is a topic on did on satan. since the search isn't working right now grrrrrrr....................
===============================================================

Satan, lying, cheating and stealing ways

Since we are renouncing the devil and all his works and all his ways, we should ask: "What are the works and ways of the devil?" The devil's works are hatred, bitterness, resentment, anger, arrogance, and above all the stubborn refusal to bow to the will of God. The devil's ways are deception and lying, cheating and stealing.

Temptation by its very nature is deception, a lie. What is evil is deceitfully presented as good, what is harmful as helpful, what is poison as antidote, what is enslaving as liberating, what is foul as fun. Temptation is what a trap is to an animal. It offers something good, but its true intent is to trap and kill. This is the background for Christ's statement about the devil in John 8:44 "When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

To be tempted is one thing, to sin is another. Jesus was tempted but did not sin. We cannot avoid temptation. Countless individual and corporate monastic attempts notwithstanding, there is no place to go to escape from temptation, for the devil and our flesh are always with us. We can't escape it, but when it comes, we are to resist it, that is, say "no" to it. We are to "resist him Satan and remain, firm in our faith" 1 Peter 5:10 and "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." James 4:8.

Vigilance against temptation is not merely a solo affair. It is a community affair, an affair of the Christian community, the Church. This is seen in Galatians 6:1-2: "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." This is also seen in the 6th & 7th Petitions of the Lord's prayer: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" Matthew 6:13. We pray in the plural. We pray this for one another not just ourselves.

The devil also often attacks with temptation following some spiritual victory on our part. Here again Elijah's victory over the prophets of Baal is a good example. This was Elijah's great spiritual victory. But soon after that he succumbed to temptation and fell into fear, depression, and fatalism. So it is often with us. When we have just shared the Gospel with someone, spoken out for the truth of God's word, have just started a new habit of Scripture reading or prayer, then we are attacked so that we might quit. Especially when we try to let our lights shine, to "go public" with our faith, we can expect the adversary to violently attack.

The devil often tempts us during a time of idleness. It has often been noted that King David was tempted to commit adultery with Bathsheba during a time of idleness. 2 Samuel 11, "Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out ((to battle), that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance." The words picture a scenario of idleness.

The devil is tenacious and persistent. It is one thing to say "no" to one temptation. It is quite another to continue to say "no" to a persistent temptation. As an example: For a time Samson withstood Delilah's temptations to tell her the secret of his great strength. But we are told that "It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death. So he told her all that was in his heart" Judges 16:16-17. Note that what won the day for Delilah was persistence. This is a picture of how the devil also works.

The devil leads us to doubt, then deny God's goodness or wisdom. This was his approach with Eve as recorded in Genesis 3. He injected doubt in her relationship with God: "Did God really say . . ." Then he openly challenged God's goodness and integrity. "You will not surely die . . . For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." This is often his technique with us. Often through other people he injects doubt of God's Word into our minds. Having then weakened us, he openly challenges God's goodness or justice, leading us to rationalize and justify saying "yes" to the temptation.

You know his schemes against YOU! Or as Peter puts it "Be on the alert" 1 Peter 5:8. Know what temptations are used against YOU. It does no good to be vigilant toward temptation if we are totally ignorant of the ways that we are most easily tempted.

So we're in a battle. Because even though we really have renounced the devil and all his works and all his ways, we find ourselves doing them too many times. It's a battle... a battle that started in the Garden of Eden, a battle that continues to rage on not only in this world but especially right in our own hearts. When a person is baptized into Christ, when they are declared beloved children of the Father in heaven, a new heart is planted within. A new self is created. And that new heart and new self rejoice in Jesus works and ways and totally renounce the works and ways of Satan. But the new self exists right alongside the old self; the new heart beats right next to the old heart. A Christian is by definition a conflicted personality.  And so the battle within is inevitable. It's the battle Paul was talking about when he said: "For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want!" Galatians 5:17 It's a battle he was talking about when he cried out: "I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want to do." Rom. 7:19

Jesus knew enough of Satan's works to know that he only wanted to destroy in Jesus the light of faith. He knew enough of Satan's ways to know that the devil is a liar whom you can never believe. In the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus succeeds in doing what Adam and Eve failed to do. He turns His back on Satan's deceits and empty promises and He clings to God alone.

The sign of spiritual life within us is actually the raging battle within. To give up the fight against evil is simply to renounce everything Jesus would give us. In mercy, the Word of God is spoken to us to strengthen us. God's Word does not promise an end to the battle in this life. In fact, God's Word assures us that the Battle will go on until the day we die. But God's Word gives us the courage and strength to fight this life-long battle. It does so because in speaking truth to us, it unites us to Jesus: it tells us that we are children of God, holy and beloved. It points us for the proof of this, not to any successes we have in the battle against evil, but simply to the cross. There the Word teaches us to see the true tree of life: where Forgiveness wipes out sin, where Love defeats evil, where Life destroys death.

Do you renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways? I hope so. You said so, at baptism. You can't have it both ways. Yet the devil tries to make us have it both ways because in doing so he's really winning us to his way. The power to continue the battle is God's Word and sacraments. The more of God's power we take in, the harder the devil works on us. And the harder the devil works on us, the more strength God gives us. And when it comes to the direct battle between God and Satan, we need only look as far as the cross and empty tomb to know who the real winner is. Jesus is the winner. And He gives you the power to be the winner, also.

When Paul describes the full armor of God we need to withstand the devil's attacks, the only offensive weapon he mentions is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" Eph. 6:17. Whether Paul was thinking of Jesus when he wrote this, our Lord Jesus is the greatest example of using God's Word as a weapon to defeat Satan. In the Gospels Matthew 4:1-11 we learn that when the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus fought Him with the Word of God. Three times he was tempted and three times Jesus quoted Scripture to drive off the enemy. What catches my attention is that each passage Jesus quoted was a passage that confronted the specific temptation. In the same way, we should confront whatever is tempting us, with a passage that speaks to the sin we are being tempted to commit. For example, if we are being tempted to cheat, we should confront the devil and our sinful flesh with the 7th Commandment: "It is written, "You shall not steal."
 
cont'd next post.

Part II

Another way to use God's Word as a weapon is to be so immersed in the Word that you know right from wrong and therefore know when you are being tempted. Here I have in mind passages like Psalm 119:11 "Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You." If we don't have a clear understanding and memory of what God says is right and wrong in His Word, we will not know when we are being tempted.

Prayer is a second, and an extremely important, weapon, that God has given us to fight off temptation. Jesus made this clear already in the Lord's Prayer. The last two petitions are devoted to praying against the devil and temptation: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." We also remember Jesus' words to Peter, James, and John and the garden of Gethsemane: "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak" Matthew 26:41. Of course this means praying both when we are being tempted, that God might help us say "no;" and it means praying daily that God might keep us from succumbing to temptation.

Using the Gospel as a weapon means confessing your baptism and faith in the Gospel as Paul outlines in Romans 6. It means affirming your new identity in Christ in the face of whatever is tempting you. It means saying, for example, "Devil, you who are tempting me, you have no power over me. I am a Christian. I have been baptized. Through baptism, I have died to sin but am alive to God through Christ Jesus. I belong to Jesus Christ, who, by His perfect life and death, has saved me, forgiven me, and set me free from slavery to you, sin, and death. Sin has no power over me for I am under grace. I believe that Jesus Christ lived and died for me. I now dwell in His kingdom, not yours. Therefore, be gone satan”!

The fourth weapon I believe God has given us is a matter of common sense - but it is also found in the Scriptures. We are to fight temptation by avoiding it and fleeing from it. By "avoiding" it, I mean not foolishly putting ourselves in a position or place where we will be easily tempted. For example, Psalm 101:3 “I will set before my eyes no vile thing." We will be tempted far less, if we avoid situations and places that tempt us. We will be tempted far more, if we willingly invite things that tempt us into our lives.

We are also to flee temptation. When we find ourselves in a situation where we are being tempted, we should flee, run away from it, rather than foolishly think we are strong enough to withstand it. In this spirit, Paul writes in 1 Cor. 6:18: "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body." And Joseph is a great Old Testament example. When Potiphar's wife tempted him he fled out of the room Genesis 39:1-20.

Christian fellowship. When it comes to resisting temptation, there is strength in numbers. We are stronger together than we are apart. Christians who are being tempted should seek the help of other Christians

Resting in the hands, of the Lord.
Bob

That is what sin does isn't it? And things like this instill doubt about the true nature of Christianity. It is nothing more than the will of Satan, deceiving all that he can. Or possibly the Antichrist, waiting for the Tribulation, gathering followers.

I used to think that little voice inside me that told me something was wrong was only my conscience or intuition. But now I realize that it is the Holy Spirit, guiding me through life, and hopefully closer to God.

Thanks for the Article, DreamWeaver.

I'll copy + paste it into my database of text files.  ;)

Your welcome to copy it syf.  I pray that it can help you learn the tricks of satan. And how to fight against his tricks.

Hello Hopes_Daughter,

I could easily be wrong, but I think that 'Cracking the Da Vinci' code is a book that shows how false and foolish the Da Vinci code is. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm almost sure I read some news about this.

Love in Christ,
Tom

John 10:11 NASB  "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

You're not wrong brother. Cracking the Davinci Code is a book that shows how false the Davinci Code is.

Thanks Pastor Roger!

I get 1 positive memory point to begin the day with. Now, let's see if I can keep it.  :D  I would at least like to keep it till noon.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Proverbs 14:26 NASB  In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge.

 ;D ;D ;D ;D

Yes, that is why I want to read it. Why would I read something I knew would damage my faith?  ::)

 ;D ;D ;D ;D

(I like smilies)   ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

I do understand what you are meaning hopes_daughter and I agree with you completely in the matter of this book. There are those that are new born babes in Christ that just might easily be deceived, those that will be deceived because they don't know our Saviour to bgin with but many people that are fooled by this book will be because they want to be in order to give credence to their own worldly desires.

The book is very clear and anyone that knows the Bible as the word of God and just an inkling of what it says will know the Da Vinci Code for what it is.

I didn't think it was anti-christian because my sister-in-law who goes to church every sunday and claims to be christian BOUGHT the book and let me BORROW it. I thought it would be safe since i know a couple Christians who have read it and were not offended. Excuse me for being ignorant.

Brothers and Sisters,

We are really talking about a book and movie that are objected to by most Christians because of false information designed to deceive people about JESUS CHRIST. Here, we have a perfect example that it did deceive and harm faith in JESUS CHRIST. That is generally the work of the devil and is the way most Christians view the Da Vinci Code book and movie.

It is presented in such a way to make people think it is being presented as facts, yet it is completely fictional and false. The primary focus of the book and movie is JESUS CHRIST, Very GOD, our Lord and Saviour, and the primary purpose is to defame HIM. Those who lack a strong Christian foundation wouldn't know this, so the deception is more easily achieved. I and many other Christians object in the strongest ways possible to anyone making money with lies and blasphemy of JESUS CHRIST. Only the devil would make such an attempt, and that's exactly my view about the Da Vinci Code book and movie. It's the devil trying to drag the Holy Name of JESUS CHRIST into the sewer. I would and do view the people who are doing this as evil agents of the devil. They are no better than Judas who also sold JESUS CHRIST.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Psalms 103:1-5 NASB  A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

Ok hopes_daughter,

It's all my fault. I decided to read the book, it's nobody's fault but mine. You know what? I deserve to be apart from God. In fact, I should get leprosy and loose all my money to a scam artist. While I'm at it, I might as well quit school while my skin is falling off and die in a gutter.

Because we all know that everyone should be perfect and not make mistakes. And if they do? Oh, they deserve to suffer.

It's people like you that make me wonder sometimes.


I realize that now. Thank you for being supportive and giving POSITIVE feedback.

Look, I knew that the book had ideas in it that contradicted the scripture (greatly) but I was ignorant to the fact that the book would damage my faith.

Of course you should find a way that this is my fault. Go ahead.

Brothers and sisters this is not something that we need to get heated over or to give cause to attack one another nor to put others down over it. None of us are perfect and are capable of making mistakes and to have moments of weakness. We should be supporting one another in Christ not being judgemental.

I guess someone doesn’t grow up overnight. I still have a lot of growing to do, and learning. I recently listened to a sermon by Jim Berg entitled "Anxiety, The Silent Killer". This sermon is one of the best I have heard in a long time, I could relate to the sermon as I listened to it. I found myself going, "Wow, this really correlates to my situation and attitude." The sermon doesn’t specifically talk about not blaming others, but it does outline several problems with most people "these days". I recommend it to anyone dealing with anxiety or depression. That sermon and "More Than Enough Hope" are available on Sermon Audio.

But I digress.

The Christian life is one of facing problems, not running from them. In our greatest moments of trouble, we need not fear nor panic because the power of God’s Spirit will enable us to endure the crisis.

Your crisis will help you discover who you really are. What comes out of an orange when you squeeze it? Most of us would say, "Orange juice." But the truth is, whatever is in the orange is what comes out-seeds and all!

Whenever we are squeezed by life’s pressures, whatever comes out of our lives is evident of what is within. In a moment of crisis, we either rise to the occasion, or collapse under the pressure. The crisis has a way of helping us understand who and what we really are. It forces us to take a more honest look at ourselves than we normally would. And it also encourages us to realize that whatever our inadequacies, God can meet our needs.

In life’s trying moments we gain a greater insight into our own strengths and weaknesses. If your struggle reveals an area of need in your life, don’t run away from it. Face it, as you have done stf.  Determine to profit from your mistake. If the crisis strengthens your faith and gives you a greater determination to serve God, despite the troubles, thank Him for it!

Your crisis will force you to God.  In every time of trouble there comes a point of decision that determines our future destiny. We can either allow our problems to make us better or bitter—the choice is up to us.

I can’t help but think of Job. He never once turned away from God, though he was bombarded with one crisis after another. Who among us has ever had the kind of problems he had? He lost all of his children and all of his possessions in one day. If that were not enough, he lost his health the next day. But despite the circumstances, Job’s faith remained steadfast. Job 13:15. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.

When the greatest difficulties of life confront us, they will always remind us there is a source of strength beyond ourselves. The power of God is far greater than we ever imagined to meet our needs. When the difficulties come, turn your attention heavenward. And our faithful God will make a path and show you the way.

Your crisis can become a testimony of God’s grace. Whenever we face the difficulties of life, others are watching us. Husband, wife, child, friend or relative someone is watching your life right now! They may not always notice your reactions when things are going smoothly, but when you remain faithful to Christ—even when everything has gone wrong you will get their attention.

While we should never try to bring such difficulties upon ourselves, we must recognize that when they do come, God can use them as a testimony to speak to others. Our faith in Him says to them: "God brought me through my difficulties, and He can do the same for you!"

Our lives are not lived in isolation. We are like an open book being read by those who know us best. It is then, and especially then, that God speaks the loudest. In the crucible of human relationships in our moment of crisis. God is speaking through us by the very way that we respond to His grace which enables us to endure the crisis and rise above it!

Jesus has already dealt with the greatest crisis in our lives. He died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the dead to give us eternal life.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ are not the enemies of each other. The adversary is the devil, and we need to remember that.

Some Christians read the book or saw the movie of the Da Vinci code to educate themselves and help those who were negatively impacted. Other Christians, like me, decided not to give one penny to the devil and simply denounce the Da Vinci code for what it is: garbage and blasphemy of JESUS CHRIST. I'm not saying that other Christians did wrong in trying to educate themselves to combat the devil, but I felt like I was already prepared for the fight.

This thread is a perfect example of how successful the devil was in using this book and movie. NOW, it's up to Christians to turn this into something positive and help those who were hurt. I don't put any blame at all on the lost or the babes in Christ who were hurt by this book and movie. I put all of the blame where it belongs - the devil.

It should now be the job of Christians everywhere to tell the TRUTH about who JESUS CHRIST was, what HE accomplished on the CROSS, and what HE means to us as a living Lord and Saviour.

1 - JESUS CHRIST was and is Very GOD, the CREATOR. HE had no beginning and HE has no end.

2 - JESUS CHRIST humbled HIMSELF and took the form of a man by being born of a Virgin and ministering on this earth as a man.

3 - JESUS CHRIST was perfect, HOLY, without sin, and was the rightful KING OF THE JEWS, but they rejected HIM and convicted HIM of crimes HE didn't commit.

4 - HE was crucified and DIED on the Cross as a perfect sacrifice, dying in our place for our sins and taking the punishment that should have been our punishment.

5 - HE was buried, but HE arose from the dead on the third day. Many witnesses knew that HE did DIE, but many witnesses also saw HIM and talked with HIM after HE arose from the dead.

6 - HE ascended back to Heaven, HIS rightful place, and HE is our LIVING LORD AND SAVIOUR today.

The devil wants us to believe that JESUS CHRIST was just a man, or just a minister, or just a prophet, or just anything other than VERY GOD of eternity past. The devil would also like us to believe that JESUS CHRIST didn't die on the CROSS. WHY?: the devil wants us to believe that no sacrifice at all took place, especially a PERFECT SACRIFICE that defeated the curse of sin and death. The PERFECT SACRIFICE of JESUS CHRIST on the CROSS was and is the devil's worst nightmare because the devil was defeated at the CROSS. The devil doesn't want us to know about how to claim that victory by accepting JESUS CHRIST as our Lord and Saviour.  The devil wants to twist and distort who JESUS CHRIST was, and the devil especially wants to twist and distort what happened at the CROSS.

The Da Vinci code attempts to do exactly what the devil wants done. In fact, the devil did get it done with many people. It is now up to Christians around the world to tell the TRUTH and fight the work of the devil. We don't do that by telling someone they are ignorant for believing the lies of the Da Vinci code. We do that by doing what we've always done: share the GOOD NEWS of the GOSPEL of THE GRACE OF GOD with everyone we can. This is the TRUTH and nothing but the TRUTH. This is the same TRUTH that has resulted in Salvation for thousands of years. Our message hasn't changed, and GOD'S WORD hasn't changed. The devil hasn't changed either - he's still the old serpent who attempts to deceive. There isn't anything new about the Da Vinci code, nor will there be anything new about what is yet to come from the devil. We MUST know and remember that the WORD of GOD has the greatest POWER, and it's still sharper than any two-edged Sword.

Brothers and Sisters, let's use the Gospel of the Grace of GOD as our weapon to fight the devil. It's always worked and it will continue to work. The devil can't stand up against the WORD of GOD not now and not ever. The WORD of GOD exposes the devil, tells the devil's history, and tells of the devil's END. JESUS CHRIST Himself will completely defeat the devil at GOD'S appointed time. REMEMBER: what the devil fears most is the TRUTH, especially the TRUTH about JESUS CHRIST!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Romans 4:20-21 NASB  yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

Colossians 2:13-17 NASB  When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day -- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

Romans 8:26-27 NASB  In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Philippians 4:19-20 NASB  And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Hello Stealyourface89, I haven't had a chance to welcome you to CU, so welcome.   :D

SYF, first of all I want to let you know that first of all God is not mad at you, He has not abandoned you, you are not a bad person, you realize that you may not have been as stong in the faith as you may have thought you were, and since you look up to your sister in law, you thought nothing bad about reading the book. I hope I got this all so far. Please bear with me a little as I have not been in the forum as often as I usually am in the last few days.

SYF: Please understand that you are not the only Christian that has read the book, some may have read it  because they want to know what is in the book so that they would be better able to defend their faith, some as yourself SYF, have read the book and have either, been confused by it, expierienced a wavering of their faith, felt guilty, or are completely lost because they were not spiritualy prepared to be able to prove with the Bible or historical material the lies and blasphemies in the DaVinci Code.

As a babe in Christ, by this I mean someone who is new to the faith, you did not understand everything, but the important thing here is that you do realize that you read that book and were not spiritually prepared to deal with the consequences.
My advise to you is 1. go to God in prayer, ask Him to reveal His truth to you. 2. Read the Bible everyday, always ask God to guide you and to help you understand it as you read His Word, this is the way to grow and become a more mature Christian. 3. Forgive yourself, you seem to think that God has left you because you read this book.  4. Realize that no one is perfect, God does not expect us to be, that is why He forgives us, when we repent and ask Him to forgive us.

SYF, there is a book written by Josh McDowell tittled The Davinci Code a Quest for Answers, this book was written to show where fact and fiction begin and to prove the errors of the book the DaVinci Code, and to show the truth. However I want to point out the the very best Book is God's Word the Holy Bible.
Also please keep in mind the devil is not just God's enemy, but because we are God's children, and because he cannot defeat God, he tries to hurt Him by deceiving God's children, and all the lost that he may keep them from coming to Christ.

SYF, brothers BEPs, DW, and PR have given you some very solid, strong, Christian advice.
One more thing I would like to touch on is this: you are a child of God and you shouldn't fear what anyone says if you go to church, God did not give you a spirit of fear, He gave you a spirit of love, power and of a sound mind.
2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
 Pray about which church to attend and do not fear what anyone will say about you or to you when you do attend church. And finally always remember the Jesus warned us that we would face persecution for His namesake. He Himself was turned away by His own people/
Your friend and sister in Christ,
Maria.

syf,

I think everyone else has done a great job of providing scripture and encouragement for you.  Let me take a moment to talk about Da Vinci Code.

I am about 100 pages short of finishing the book.  A book that has wasted much of my time :)  550 pages worth of a thriller that could have been put into 150 pages.  The rest was Dan Brown trying put his theory out there, one that is founded on nothing. 

What he states as fact even in the front of the book is fabrications.  Do a google on Priory of Sion and you will find it is a social group started in 50's by Pierre Plantard.  Les Dossier Secrets mentioned do exist and are in the National Museum of France in Paris.  However they have been found to be fraudulent.  Their author even admits them to be falsehood.  Who is the author?  Pierre Plantard.  For those that do not know what the Dossier entailed...the royal geneology of France basically...a lost blood line of the royal family.  And who did they say was one of two current members?  Pierre Plantard...imagine that.

So right off the bat there is falsehoods in the book.  Which sets in motion the doubt behind everything else that one may debate.  One issue is Leonardo's Last Supper.  The theory being that the person sitting to the right of Jesus is Mary Magdelene.  And the story states that Mary was the wife of Jesus and bore him a child.  She was to be the true leader of the church.  And that it was Constantine during the Nicean council that altered the course of religion.  During this council the book states, the Sacred Feminine was removed from scripture and all aspects of Christianity.  That Christ was a man and not divine until then as well.

Now some problems with this entire story.  The book would make you think that Constantine had such power that he not only altered Christianity, but also Judiasm.  A religion that had been around for quite some time.  Although it focuses only on what Constantine did to Christianity, but fails to take into account the Jewish faith and how they have never had a Sacred Feminine.  However Dan did mention this once in the book that even the Jews had a male and female and that was what was in the Holy of Holies in Solomons Temple.  But if that were the case then by the time Christ came about they would have had to have already gotten rid of the feminine.  There would have been no way for Constantine to not only change the New Testament, but also change the whole of Judiasm as well to fit the aspect of the book.  And if Teabing (the historian of the book) could come back and state that the Jews had already moved the feminine out, then there would have been nothing for Constantine to have done, Jesus was a Jew and would already have been establishing a faith built on masculine and not feminine.  So that is out.

Even ignoring the above and looking at other aspects of the story.  The Last Supper painting.  Yes the figure to the right of Jesus is feminine looking.  However even in Leonardo's notes which have preliminary scetch of the painting with names above the figures, states that is John.  John was considered the youngest of the Apostles and thus was painted in a very youthful appearance.  And young boys have fair complections and smooth skin, as do all young people.  The story brings in the Holy Grail legend here as well.  By making people toss out their common sense.  There is nothing Biblically that mentions the Holy Grail, or that if there was a sacred cup at the last supper that it was something extravagent.  The book points out that there is no one cup on the table that is super duper or anything, that there are 13 cups on the table.  Well DUH, 12 apostles, 1 messiah = 13 cups.  It was dinner, the host would have either had 13 of the best cups out there for their guests or they would have all had 13 regular ones.

You could go on and on about the errors in the Code.  But it is pointless because once you start on one piece, quickly do the rest fall apart.  Dan Brown said in an interview that he spent years researching this book.  He could not even get the dates on the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls correct...5 seconds on Google brought that up.  Let alone he said there were Gospels found there....NOPE it was a Jewish sect and had Jewish writings and such, not one NT piece of literature.

So please just put the book down and pick up the best book there is to read (The Bible).  Continue to do the will of God and your faith will be bolstered.  James teaches us that as we continue to do things in accordance with God's will, then God will bless us.  The more we are blessed by God the more our faith grows.  It is a circle of building.  Pray and be thankful that God loves you so much He is always willing to take time from His day to listen to you talk about how your day was.

Sincerely
Brother Jerry

I have already told myself not to read anymore of Dan Brown's books. Or anything like Holy Blood, Holy Grail. I am reading The Bible. I just finished reading Romans. And I think Romans 3:23 says it all, that is the golden text of Romans.
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Remember that.

Steal...you did nothing wrong...except maybe the timing of reading the Davinci Code.  You are young in the Faith for now, but you wont allways be if you stay in the Word as recommended by others who posted above.  Use your doubt / confusion to your spiritual advantage.  Isolate, and identify your questions that the book raised for you, then research the Bible, and ask your Brothers here.

I was raised in a 'christain' home, attended church regularily, attended a christain elementary school all 8 years, and memorized many Bible passages...BUT, I never learned as much of what the Bible actually said untill I had mormons come to my house and give me their shpeal, for about 8 weeks.  Each time I learned Bible truth, it began with doubt.  I thought that maybe what the mormons said was true, because it sounded reasonable, and I went back to the Bible to research what IT said (Acts 17:11).  The authority I chose to believe was not what a man ( or boy) said, but what the Bible said.  Because of that, I found the answers to the questions the mormons raised in my mind...and grew.

I tend to learn better if the question exists in my mind before the answer does, maybe that is the path you are beginning right now.


I have since read all the Mormon "scriptures".  Since I had a good foundation in the Word first, I see the lies easily in mormonism, but even now, if I read too much mormon doctrine, it begins to create questions in my mind...but greater is He that is in me, than he who is in the world.  The same can be said for anything, TV, novels, CNN, whatever music you listen to, all of that stuff can cloud our minds so Jesus is faded....back to the Word we must go.


Let Jesus answer the questions in your mind now, through prayer, reading His word, and hanging out with christian friends and e-brothers, and don't sweat the doubts, answer them.

"doubting" Thomas believed Jesus was God.  He said, " my Lord, and my God"
Paul believed Jesus was God, read 1 Tim 1  (Is God the Savior or is Jesus the Savior---yes)

These two lived 300 yrs before Constantine,  Not to mention the entire OT that identifies Jesus as the Messiah  (the OT was the scriptures referred to in Acts 17:11--thats all they had)

It isn't wrong to have questions, unless you don't look for the answers.

Hi 1Tim,

Welcome to Christians Unite. I hope that we will be seeing more of your here.

You said:


Amen to that but I must add that one must look in the right place for those answers as you also said:

Hello Brother Jerry and 1Tim,

I don't think that I've had a chance to welcome you yet, so WELCOME!


We are very happy to have you with us, and we hope that you enjoy the Christian fellowship here. I look forward to reading your posts and having fellowship with you.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Revelation 1:7-8 NASB  BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Thanks guys, a friend of mine e-mailed me this link, and the site name caught my attention...we gotta start showing up to the fight.

Just as after the Civil War ended there wer guerrilla groupes still fighting and taking prisoners (metaphorically), so now, Jesus won the war, it is finished, but there is still guerilla warriors out there wrighting books, going door to door...takeing prisoners.  They run away when we show up to the fight. Not because of who we are, but because of the One standing beside us, who sent us.  So if I see a brother in need of some strengthening nurishment or encouragement, I'll rise to the call, to the degree Jesus calls and equips me.

Andplusalso, I need some sharpening too.    ;D

Hello 1Tim,

Brother, I think that all of God's children are in the same boat. We all have our ups and downs, our trials, times that we need encouragement, and times that we can give encouragement.  We're a team when things work right, and GOD will help us work like a team if we just pray.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Ephesians 4:4-6 NASB  There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.