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actually have the actors speak in the ancient language Aramaic, a large percentage of the audience could not see past the violence. There was picketing and protesting all over the country. An edited version eventually found its way into theaters as a result, and both are now available for purchase on DVD. At the same time, the majority of Christians embraced The Passion as a well-made and very accurate depiction of events. It was nominated for many prestigious awards including three Oscars and earned over $600 million worldwide. Still, taboo subject matter always garners lots of criticism, even when the production value is top notch. In this case, the Jewish community appeared to have the most room to complain since Jesus was not only Jewish himself, but also apparently betrayed by his own people. Few can argue these points, but it seems that bringing the story to light in such a dramatic and realistic way was just too intolerable for some.

Two years later, Dan Brown's groundbreaking bestseller about the alleged secret of Christ's lineage was released to poor reviews and a predominantly disappointed audience. Meanwhile, The Da Vinci Code was already one of the most controversial novels of all time long before it became a film. Based on several non-fiction books that came before it - notably Holy Blood, Holy Grail, written by researchers Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln - The Da Vinci Code immediately became a target for authors as well as for Christians of all sects all over the planet. Rather than being based on the Gospels which all Christians accept as the basis for their faith, the story defied traditional thought about Jesus by claiming that he had conceived a child with friend and possible wife Mary Magdalen. This idea generated fear among Right-wing conservatives who knew the level of spiritual and financial strain the film could bring upon not only individual congregations, but the Church as a whole. Perhaps by the hand of God himself, the Code was a disaster from start to finish and all but demystified the controversy that had spawned it.

In both The Passion of the Christ and The Da Vinci Code, people were forced to confront their beliefs and discover precisely how well their faith would stand up to debate. These films were tests. Experiments, really. That is not to say that others won't follow their cue in the future because surely they will. The bottom line once again is that people are made secure through tradition. The household where a person is raised determines greatly what religion or lack thereof one will seek. With so many conversions and renouncements of the different faiths taking place every day, it is crucial for followers to set the proper examples. Each time something comes about to challenge the beliefs of millions or even billions of people, there will be massive concern. Remember that these are the issues that bring about most wars. People accept what they were taught and react harshly to any deviation from those teachings. It happened to the Jews when Jesus came, it happened to the Christians when Muhammad came. It will happen again.

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