So I guess everyone's abuzz - well, somebody is, I'm told - about this new book, The DaVinci Code , which is kind of like The Omega Code for Rosicrucians, I guess. It's one of those books that are patently fiction that Certain People are far too eager to accept as truth (though, strangely, these same Certain People are equally unwilling to accept actual truths about Jesus Christ, such as His claims to divinity and exclusivity to the Father). Ho, hum - wake me when they get to the Gnostics and the Priure de Sion . As proof of this, let me quote this gem from Amazon.com, from the comments of a satisfied customer who's read the book:

"Is what "The Da Vinci Code" proposes true? Well, the research is correct. The historical events and people explored in the book are real. But no one knows the Truth...nor will we ever, probably. I think that some things are meant to be a mystery. With all the world's diverse religions and each individual's belief in what is Divine - the Truth would have to destroy the beliefs, hopes and lives of many of the world's population. So, perhaps, in the divine scheme of things, there are many more Truths than one."

Do I really need to elaborate on all the things that are wrong with this statement? Ignorance and illogical thought have never been so slap-in-the-face blatant... Yet people actually think this way! At least this person has the intellectual honesty to openly admit that an absolute, objective Truth would prove many - I say the vast majority, save for one (but you knew I'd say that) - religions false. But the conclusion dismisses the entire idea for reasons of emotional distaste.

It reminds me of a friend that my brother and I once had; they were the nicest couple, lived close to the University and had us over many times to play in their fantasy RPG campaign. It was one of the few times in my life when I was able to play the same character in an ongoing campaign rather than just playing a one-shot or a couple of adventures before our interest petered out and we played something else. I had a Hobbit character named Alfric Hollowdown, and...

Oh, yeah - anyway, the wife half of this couple was talking to me about Christ, and she said that she believed that Jesus had been married; she pointed to the wedding at Cana, when Jesus turned the water into wine. She thought it odd that the groom was never named, and that Jesus never did such a thing for anyone else's weddings or other occasions, so it seemed obvious to her - it was Jesus's own wedding!

At the time, it sounded like pearls of hidden wisdom, the kind of thing that Gnostic-fetishists get all hot and bothered about, but having said that, this was before I had recommitted my life to Christ, and was pretty wishy-washy about Christianity in general. I would have made an excellent Unitarian or perhaps Episcopalian at that point in my life. Anyway, now that I've actually read more of the Bible and take it seriously, I can easily see this as the poppycock it is. It's funny, because in so many other ways, the couple both seemed so intelligent and educated. Yet to come to this conclusion required a denial of so much common sense...

If Jesus were married, don't you think we would know it in no uncertain terms? Don't you think the disciples would have found it at least somewhat significant to write about? I suppose one could think that they wanted to keep it secret...but why? I mean, there's no logical reason I can think of.

It's pretty ridiculous to dismiss historical verification of the things Jesus said and did and at the same time add in any ludicrous theories about how He had a sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene or was genetically engineered by the Greys or enter-crackpot-theory-here. Not to mention the fact that such a marriage doesn't make any sense from a theological perspective, either - and I don't think Jesus said or did anything that didn't have purpose or meaning for us. Jesus's bride is the Church, as John's Revelation makes crystal clear.

There's your secret wisdom.

On the other side of the historical-veracity spectrum, away from wild speculations and toward documented proofs, I read a news article about the Ten Commandments monument in Alabama, and remembered listening to the radio long ago to hear a discussion by David Barton, a brother in Christ who is a scholar on matters historical; specifically, the Founding Fathers and the creation of the Constitution of the U.S. I found his website, WallBuilders, which is chock-full of interesting and relevant-as-you-please information about the beliefs and political philosophies of the Founding Fathers relating to State and Religion. I can't recommend this website enough - make sure you read the Issues & Articles section.

Not only is the entire concept of "Separation of Church and State" completely misunderstood by most political thinkers today (at least, the ones whose opinions we hear most often), but the Founding Fathers - every man-jack of them (except, possibly, James Madison, who may have changed his mind about everything later in life) - fervently believed that our government and Christianity (not Religion, not Deism) are inextricably intertwined, and one cannot exist without the other. All of this is supported irrefutably by extensive quotes from the Big Men themselves.

I can't tell you how glad I am to hear that.

I was also very interested to hear about Impeachment, and how it's classically been used to keep uppity Superior Court justices from trying to act as creators of the law rather than executors of the law. This is something that needs to have the dust and cobwebs blown off of it and brought out for use once again... I feel angered at the abuses of government we've so casually been accepting as if it were the legal way of things, and I feel sheepish for not having educated myself more about our government. It's all available for any knuckleknob to look up, if we'd just turn off "The Bachelor" long enough to do so.

Read it, I tell you - READ IT!