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In the past couple of years, moviegoers have been caught in a phenomenon that I like to refer to as "The Passion of the Code". In this discussion of the emotional impact of two recent movies that rely on key Christian concepts in their plots, the two key words that we'll want to examine are "passion" and "code". These are two powerful words that are key to the strength of the emotional impact of these two movies.

The word "passion" is part of one of the movie titles that I'll be discussing in this article. "The Passion of the Christ" was a highly successful, yet controversial movie that portrayed the various types of suffering that Jesus endured in the hours prior to and during his crucifixion. This event is also referred to as the Passion of Jesus. The movie was a lightning rod for criticism due to its graphic depiction of Jesus's suffering and the acts of his tormentors in torturing him both prior and during the crucifixion. The movie was also controversial in its depiction of the Jewish community at the time of Jesus's crucifixion, with some viewers being left with the impression that the Jewish community somehow contributed to Jesus's death. Some groups disagreed with the representation of Biblical events in this movie, as well as perceived messages about Christianity in general. The Passion of Jesus seems equally intense as the passion of the film's viewers and critics. In this case, passion is a very strong feeling about something; the feeling can be positive or negative.

The word "code" is part of the other movie title that will be discussed in this article. "The Da Vinci Code" is an adaptation of a popular novel of the same name. The novel is part mystery, part thriller, and part history lesson that revolves around the fate of Jesus and a mysterious artifact called the Holy Grail. The protagonists in the movie are on a form of scavenger hunt to find information about the Holy Grail and, as the story unfolds, they learn things that seem to contradict some of the underpinnings of Christianity, particularly the beliefs around the death and resurrection of Jesus, as well as his relationship with Mary Magdalene.

The controversy in this movie, unlike "The Passion", focuses on questioning the validity of key Christian beliefs. By contrast, "The Passion" dramatizes and possibly enhances the story of the Passion of Jesus just as "The Da Vinci Code" throws it into question. Moreover, "The Code" is either directly or indirectly critical of certain branches of Christianity,

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