[[*---Don't Catch Me As I Fall---*]]

Friday, June 02, 2006

[[new blog]]

i've change my blog ( again ) to : http://the-un-forgotten.blogspot.com/

[[ Falling On ]]*|8:33 PM|

Thursday, June 01, 2006

[["I Died A Long Time Ago, Didn't You Know?(Touching Poem)"]]

There was once a small region,
And in the small region,
Was a school,
Covered in mist,
And the only light you will see,
Is the light coming from,
The moon.
There was a gravel pavement,
That leads you,
To a double metal door.
Inside the doors,
You will see a line,
Of classrooms.
And inside them,
In one thats located,
At the corner.
You will see a pale faced girl,
With long black hair.
Whos always staring,
At the boy infront of her,
Wishing he would smile at her.
But as always,
He would return a glare,
And shove her on the shoulder,
But not hard enough to hurt.
At least not hard enough,
To hurt here physically,
But hard enough,
To damage her mentally.
Though his rejections,
Had always felt so painful,
She is never angry at him,
Knowing that this is the,
Punishment to be such a fool,
To him when they were younger.
She knew she deserves this,
But she knew that one day,
He will feel the same.
That hope was,
What kept her alive,
She achieved honor role,
Got the highest grade in class,
Just because he called her stupid.
Sometimes she wonders,
Can a guy change so much of you?
Last year,
Her mother was yelling at her,
To finish studying for,
Her math test.
But she watched television instead.
While this year,Just because of a couple,
Of stupid comments,
She works herself to her bones.
Just to prove to him,
That she is not what he believes.
One day she was walking,
Through her crime filled hall,
Then she saw it,
Her life was hugging that girl,
With the great academics grades.
Her eyes felt,
Like they were about to explode,
With uncontrollable tears.
But she held on,
And went home.
Anger and depression,
Had fully consumed her.
What does she have,
That I don't?
Good grades I got that,
Is it because she got a 98,
While I got a 96.
Pretty face,
I look way better than her.
At least don't have glasses,
Or have freckled skin.
What am I missing?
She asked between sobs and screams
So she wrote a letter to him,
Saying that she had always,
Loved him,
What am I missing,
That she has but not me?
The boy took the letter,
Read it without any emotions,
Then threw it back at her face.
And said,
There is nothing you are missing,
But you have always,
Wanted more,
You have never realized,
The uglyness of your soul.
But that girl I love,
Will always be better than you.
He said infront of everyone.
The air was tense,
The girl felt as if she was dying,
Her heart felt heavy,
So she ran from the crowd,
Away from all,
The emerging laughter.
For once,
All her life,
She felt that she wanted,
The boy to die,
And that girl too.
So she took out a shiny knife,
One she had never noticed.
And pressed it lightly to her skin
Thinking that a little,
Won't be that bad.
But as she watched the blood,
Flow out.
Her anger increased more and more.
And the deeper it went,
From a thin line,
To a river on her wrist.
She felt weak,
And lost track,
So she fell with the knife,
Tightly in her hand.
She awoke in a hospital,
She looked around,
Her parents where now where,
To be seen,
And neither were her friends.
But her desk was filled with,
Get well cards.
But she saw a particular one,
It was from the love of her life.
In the card it wrote,
You are weaker than I thought,
Just because of a few comments,
You try to kill yourself,
This card is not a get well card,
This card is where I say,
We can never be together,
Because we were meant to be,
Not after how you used to treat me
So here is were I tell you,
My grudge for you,
Will never go away.
So after this,
Do me a favour,
And stop trying to get attention.
The girl dropped the card,
Tears were rolling down,
Her pale face.
And took out a piece of paper,
Then she started to write.
The only I treated you that way,
Was because I never knew,
The feeling love before,
So I replaced it,
With the feeling I have,
Expierienced the most,
In my life.
I am sorry,
But I can't change the things,
I have did to you,
In the past.
After that,
She ripped her bandages,
And let her life's blood drip out.
The boy got the letter,
The next day,
But simply did not care,
So he threw it in the trash can.
The girl went back,
To school a couple days later.
Everybody asked if she was alright
She smiled and nodded.
Years have passed,
The boy and his girlfriend,
Were going to get married soon.
The boy invited everyone,
Of his old classmates,
All except for her.
But the wedding news sliped out,
And to the ears of the girl.
On the night of the wedding,
Everything was cheerful,
Everything was great,
Until they heard the news,
That she was found dead,
She had killed herself,
In front of everybody.
It turns out,
That she silently snuck into,
The wedding church,
And onto the highest floor,
Then jumped down,
The exact time as her love's ring,
Was put onto his fourth finger.
In her hand,
Lies another piece of paper,
That wrote,
You never noticed me,you never cared,
Not even though I nearly died,
I still moved on,
After you left me in the cold,
Still hoping you will change,
Your opinion of me.
But I guess it was foolish for me,
To believe it.
So I am going to make you care,
I am going to be seen,
Lying in a pool of blood,
In front of all those,
You have dumped me infront.
Just on your wedding day.
You never noticed,
How much you have hurt me,
So I am going to be noticed today,
Right on your lucky day.
You may think I died today,
But in truth,
I died a long time ago,
Didn't you know?
It was because of you,
And the feeling called love.
The first time you killed me,
You killed my soul,
Now will be my body.
But I guess,
Some poeple will hold on,
To grudges forever.
The boy was shocked,
Not by her death,
But that someone died,
The day of his wedding,
And right infront the building.
So the girl was correct,
He had held on his grudge,
Not even the day till she died,
And the girl held on her love,
Not even till the day she died.
The next day,
The newspapers were flying,
On the front page it said,
Harvard student,
Found dead infront of,
Wedding church,
By suicide and depression.....
Though a long time has passed,
Since her passing,
The boy was often had foul luck,
And everytime something,
Horrible happens,
He sees the face of his,
Lover that he killed,
Both inside and outside......

[[ Falling On ]]*|8:54 PM|

[[hearts <3<3]]

my heart has been sealed
for the wound in it will never heal
memories is only what i could hold
for it's me he chose to let go
life no longer shines without him
what's left is all but a dim
tears i shed for him but does he know?
i have turned into a lonely soul
his feelings has died is all i know
i love him but have to let go
tired of relationships is all i could feel
my heart will never be open but remain sealed

[[ Falling On ]]*|8:25 PM|

[[time to let go]]

It’s time to go
To forget this goal
To release this grip
That I have reap
And so I weap

Hard it seems
As my heart sings
Tears down my face
I lost my ace

Like a wild card on the loose
I felt like a goose
Funny you might think
Stupid I would say

Dumbness got me
Numbness found me

I sat here alone
In long noon
All the way so long
Thinking how wrong

Rivals mocking
Strangers laughing
Lovers thinking
And me weaping

Many questions
Endless answers
Many queries
With all worries

But where fore art thou
For it’s your love I need
And your heart I heed
Your arms I feel heat
Your hugs my heart beats

[[ Falling On ]]*|8:24 PM|

[[falling...]]

to fall in love is always easy
to start a relationship is always simple...
to build it, is always tough...
to maintain it, is 'better said than done'...
to break off, is 'easier said than done'...
to remain friends after u broke off, is never possible...
to forget the memories is 'always doing but never succeeding'...
to heal the pain within is hard and tough and never near simple...
but one has to try to heal your own heart...
the heart belongs to u...
if u don't heal it and have a space for someone to walk in,
the heart will always be sealed,
memories will never be forgotten,
the pain will never go,
and u will never move on from where u started...

people take wrong directions all the time..
if not,how do we ever realise our mistakes..
and make better choices..
late it might be for your life so far,
but it is never too late for your life ahead..
maybe through wrong directions,
you made the wrong choices..
but does it mean that through the right directions,
you would always make the right choices?
if everything seems like a big trial..
hold on to your faith..
for at least,you had a chance to live a choice..

[[ Falling On ]]*|8:23 PM|

[[fate]]

He once said Love comes with Fate,
And our Fate was a little late.
He has got his loving mate,
"But our Fate has not ended", that’s what he said.
“If you don’t mind, will you wait?”
Overjoyed, I agreed to wait,
Forgotten to ask, till which date???
Flooded with hopes, I sat at his gates,
Months and years there I patiently sat…
The gates remain closed.. i felt so sad
So sad,i could hardly rate..
Hence my Love became Hate,
Let Love be gone and off they fade.
As I live alone in this h*ll state,
You offered to be an angel soul mate,
So I told u what I’d learnt to say:
“Will you wait?
Yes?? ok,lets leave it to Fate.”

[[ Falling On ]]*|8:22 PM|

[[holding on]]

People thinks that I m silly,
To hold on something not so worthy.
They even think it’s a pity,
That I wouldn't face the reality.

It’s the feeling that I’m seeking,
If I deny my true feelings,
Then its me myself tat i'm cheating.
Hence… I keep on waiting…

Its true he once hurt me deep,
But he too gave me the love I need..
So I won’t admit my defeat,
Stand up,n dance with the music to the beat.

Yet autumn after autumns, spring after springs,
Time passes, just in a wink…
He was mine, only in dreams,
The dreams were sweet, like cookies n cream!!

One day he called, “its just another chat” I thought,
He said, “I feel for you”, THAT gave me a shock!!~
Was it April fool’s day? I realized its not,
I felt as if I’d conquered the mountain top!

He asked if I was willing to wait.
Leaving the relationship to the fate.
He hopes by then its not too late,
To make up for his past mistakes….

Dear fate, play me out not,
I really love him lots n lots...
give us the chance to b together again,
its the only cure to my greatest pain..

[[ Falling On ]]*|8:22 PM|

[[darkness]]

Night has fallen,
I sensed Darkness,
Along came Silence,
Acompanied by Lonesome.

Darkness, is there any end?
Lonesome, is it a friend?
Shh...Silence, ryhmns like a song...
Why does the night seem so long?

My lost soul wandered in Darkness,
Humming the song of Silence,
Every corner i saw Lonesome there,
Why does it follows me everywhere?

Thank God, he sent Daybreak,
fought away Darkness for my sake,
Silence song? it did not stay,
So Lonesome, too, went another way.

[[ Falling On ]]*|8:21 PM|

[[SPIRITUAL FREEDOM]]

From the beginningless time until now,

I have fallen into the realms of misery.

Again and again I have been born

Into a body of flesh and blood.

And again and again I have used it for

Meaningless work . . . .

I wander lost through the dark realms of ignorance;

Will you not guide me from darkness into day?

I stagger helplessly in the winds of confusion;

Will you not hold me in the palm of compassion? . . .

Lead me to spiritual freedom now.

Arrest and destroy all my fears;

Remove all adverse conditions from my life . . . .

Increase and further my life and work

And grant me spiritual insight now

Into the vision that transcends conception . . . .

This prayer I offer with concentrated mind,

And not in words empty of feeling.

Send your blessings to me . . . .

Help me to perfect my contemplation.

And help me to realize my nature,

Impermanence, love and compassion,

Faith, enthusiasm, renunciation,

The supreme view of voidness, the profound point;

Protect my practice and my life.

[[ Falling On ]]*|8:17 PM|

[[Freedom]]

As a tear runs slowly down my face,

I hope to die, not leave a trace,

Though birds fly across the sun,

I wish that I could leave and run,

I would run far away from this place,

These dreams, these hopes what a disgrace

I have done everything for him to set me free

Crying and begging on my knee

You don’t know how lucky you are, little bird

[[ Falling On ]]*|8:15 PM|

[[Free will: my choice, my way]]

Butterflies, all around me.

Embracing me with their kiss - like motion.

Filling me with joyful thoughts.

Free will, my way

As the winged beauties surround me

I feel as though my life is free

I could fly away and just be

Free will, my choice

As I calm down with butterflies on my face

In my hair I’m fully embraced

I’m filled with thoughts of joy

Skies in the early evening telling me choose

I say; free will, my choice

The butterflies embrace me once more

Covering my right eye and flying in my hair

I could shake and scream and flick at them

But it’s free will, my choice

[[ Falling On ]]*|8:07 PM|

Monday, May 29, 2006

[[rhythm of love]]

Someday, we will walk the same road,
shoulder to shoulder
We will surpass time and distance
Believing in our heated love

The Rhythm of love
Overflowing with kisses
This feeling will play forever,
the sweet Harmony will never end

[[ Falling On ]]*|2:07 PM|

[[friends are forever]]

In life, we face many obstacles, long and short, thick and thin, off and on. In our personal journeys toward becoming better people, we gain valuable friendships, lasting memories, and many other experiences which help us continue in life along the right road with the right people. These people are called friends. In good times, friends are easy to make and keep. If the world was pure and good, everyone would be friends, but that is not true. True friends are those that stand with you through good and bad, easy and hard times. A friendship without hard times is like a muscle without exercise. It can die out. A friendship which has endured the difficulties, odds, and ends of life will grow and affirm in strength. Remember that a best friend is one that will always listen and be ready to take the pain as well as the good in life standing by your side always.
~Carson Weber

[[ Falling On ]]*|12:16 AM|

Sunday, May 28, 2006

[[Forever Friends]]

Sometimes in life, you find a special friend: someone who changes your life by being a part of it.

Someone who makes you laugh until you can't stop; someone who makes you believe that there really is good in the world. Someone who convinces you that there is an unlocked door just waiting for you to open it.,

This is forever friendship...

When you're down, and the world seems dark and empty, your forever friend lifts you up in spirit and makes that dark and empty world suddenly seem bright and full. Your forever friend gets you through the hard times, the sad times, and the confused times. If you turn and walk away, your forever friend follows. If you lose your way, your forever friend guides you and cheers you on.

Your forever friend holds your hand and tells you that everything is going to be okay.

And if you find such a friend, you feel happy and complete, because you need not worry. You have a forever friend for life, and forever has no end.

[[ Falling On ]]*|11:56 PM|

Thursday, May 25, 2006

[[frenz 4eva]]

___________________0___________________ __________________000__________________ _________________00_00_________________ ________________00___00________________ _______________00_____00_______________ ______________00_______00______________ _____________00_________00_____________ _0000000000000___________0000000000000_ __00_______________________________00__ ____00__________Friends____________00__ ______00________Forever_________00_____ ________00___________________00________ __________00________________00_________ _________00__________________00________ ________00________0000________00_______ _______00_______00____00_______00______ ______00_____00__________00_____00_____ _____00___00________________00___00____ ____0000________________________0000___ ___000____________________________000__ __0____________________________________

[[ Falling On ]]*|2:39 PM|

[[frenship]]

The rain may fall, and I might too,
But I know you'll catch me when I do.
You're my shoulder to cry on,
And someone I can always rely on.
So to you I have to say,
That our friendship will always stay.
If I could have just one wish,
I'd grant you an angel's kiss.
And maybe then,
you'd really see,
Just how much you mean to me.
No matter what, I'll love you too,
And if I die before you do...
I'll go to heaven and wait for you.
I'll give the angels back their wings,
And risk the loss of everything.
Just to prove
Our friendship is true,
I'm thankful to have a friend like you!

[[ Falling On ]]*|2:15 PM|

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

[[TO THE SOUL]]

Is anyone there
if so
are you real
either way are you
one or several
if the latter
are you all at once
or do you
take turns not answering

is your answer
the question itself
surviving the asking
without end
whose question is it
how does it begin
where does it come from
how did it ever
find out about you
over the sound
of itself
with nothing but its own
ignorance to go by

[[ Falling On ]]*|10:25 PM|

Monday, May 22, 2006

[[]]

"The Da Vinci Code" - the hoax behind the code

The Da Vinci Code is a novel that was first published in 2003. As of May 2006, the novel reportedly has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and has been made into a movie. The Da Vinci Code presents a theory that Christianity is a lie and that the New Testament of the Bible is a forgery. This article is intended to show that the theory behind the Da Vinci Code is false. It is not our intent to bash the novel, the author, or the movie. Our intent is to provide answers to questions that people have asked us during the past few years.
1. Fiction: Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus.

This claim is the backbone of the novel. The The Da Vinci Code claims that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married, that they had children, and that their descendants included a line of kings in France, as well as some of the main characters in the novel.

Despite the claims, however, there are no historical documents that claim that Jesus was married - not even the "Gnostic gospels" that the novel mentions. (The Gnostic texts were written a century or more after the New Testament. The Gnostic texts borrow some names and ideas from Christianity but the texts are not Christian and they are not used by Christians.)

The only specific evidence that author Dan Brown cites to support this claim of a marriage is a passage from one of the Gnostic texts - the so-called "gospel of Phillip." And that lone piece of evidence actually undermines Brown's claim.

The main problem with the "Phillip" passage is that it clearly shows that even in the context of this Gnostic text, Mary Magdalene and Jesus could not have been married. If you read the passage, as shown on page 246 of the hardcopy version of The Da Vinci Code, you'll see for yourself:

"the companion of the Savior is Mary Magdalene. Christ loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her often on her mouth. The rest of the disciples were offended by it and expressed disapproval. They said to him, 'Why do you love her more than all of us?'"

If, in the context of this Gnostic text, the Savior and Magdalene were supposedly married, then why would the disciples bother to ask why he loved her more than them?

Can you imagine a scenario in which a group of men would ask a married man, "Why do you love your wife more than us? And, for that matter, why do you keep kissing your wife?" Such a question wouldn't make any sense. In fact, it wouldn't make any sense even if the two were merely engaged or simply dating.

The only way that the question would make sense in the Gnostic text is if there was no reason for Mary Magdalene to be treated any differently than the men. And the only way that this could be true is if Mary Magdalene was supposed to have the exact same relationship with the "Savior" as did the "other disciples." In other words, only if she was not married, or otherwise intimately involved.

There are other problems with Brown's marriage theory:

• Despite Brown's "translation" of that key passage from the Gnostic gospel of Phillip, the word "mouth" doesn't actually appear in the original text. According to page 49 of The Da Vinci Deception, by Erwin W. Lutzer: "You should know that because of the poor quality of the papyrus, a word or two is missing in the original. The text reads, 'Jesus kissed her often on the [blank].' So scholars fill in the blank with the word mouth, face, or forehead, etc. Actually, for all we know the text might have said 'the hand' or even 'the cheek' since the statement implies that he also kissed his other students – presumably on the cheek as is still done in the Middle East."

• Brown claims that the Aramaic word for "companion" literally meant "spouse." That is not true according to various Aramaic scholars. And, even more importantly, the Gnostic gospel of Phillip was not written in Aramaic. It was written in Coptic.

• None of the Gnostic gospels ever claimed that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married. Even the so-called Gnostic gospel of Mary Magdalene fails to makes such a claim.

• Finally, consider this from page 41 of The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Code, by Richard Abanes, in regards to the Gnostic Phillip text: Ironically, if this text does anything, it cuts out the very heart of any assertion about Mary and Jesus being wed. It does so by adhering to one of the basic tenets of ancient Gnosticism, which declares that all physical matter was inherently evil. Consequently, sexual relations were intrinsically debasing! The Gospel of Phillip goes so far as to say that marital relations defile a woman.

2. Fiction: The Gnostic gospels and the Dead Sea Scrolls are "the earliest Christian records."

The The Da Vinci Code claims that the New Testament is a forgery and that the Gnostic gospels and the Dead Sea Scrolls are the original Christian texts.

This claim, however, is flatly contradicted by an overwhelming amount of scholarship by Christians and non-Christians. Many scholars believe that the New Testament was written during the first century and that the Gnostic texts were written no sooner than the second century. And, the Dead Sea Scrolls don't contain any gospels of any kind. In fact, the Dead Sea Scrolls do not contain any Christian writings of any kind.

There are four New Testament Gospels, which are named Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Many scholars believe that these were written during the century in which Jesus lived. The Gnostic gospels are generally believed to have been written later – about 100 to 300 years later. These Gnostic texts borrow some elements from Christianity, including the names of Jesus and his apostles, but these writings are not Christian.

There are major differences between the New Testament Gospels and the Gnostic gospels. The New Testament Gospels contain details about life in the land of Israel during the first century. They also contain several references to Old Testament passages, prophecies and theological concepts. For Christians, the New Testament is the continuation of the Old Testament. In contrast, the Gnostic texts contain very little detail to suggest that their authors had ever been to the land of Israel, or that they were even alive during the first century. And the theological concepts of the Gnostic texts sharply contradict those that are found in the Old Testament.

Consider this from pages 26 and 27 of The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code, by Richard Abanes:

"But were the Gnostic gospels written prior to the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Most scholars, Christian and non-Christian, would answer no. They date the Gnostic gospels (for example, those in the Nag Hammadi collection) to about A.D. 150 to 250. Although many of these texts are Coptic translation of earlier Greek texts (that are no longer extant), most scholars agree that the material itself still does not date previous to the mid 100s to the early 200s.

"In other words, the Gnostic texts were written after the books of Matthew (about 65 to 100), Mark (about 40 to 75), Luke (about 60 to 80), and John (about 90). They [the Gnostic texts] were late arrivals, which is one reason why church leaders rejected them. ... These Gnostic gospels not only disagreed with the older [New Testament] Gospels, which were already accepted by Christians, but they lacked authority since their authors were neither a) apostles of Jesus nor b) persons associated with apostles of Jesus. ... No one really knows who wrote the [Gnostic] texts."

As for Brown's claim about the Dead Sea Scrolls - these scrolls were found in 1947, not in the 1950s as Brown mistakenly claims on page 234 of The Da Vinci Code. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain copies and fragments of Old Testament books and various religious and secular writings. But they do not contain any gospels, and they do not contain any references to Jesus. In fact, many of the Dead Sea Scrolls were written centuries before the time of Jesus.

3. Fiction: Christianity stole its ideas and concepts from paganism.

The Da Vinci Code, on page 232: claims: "Nothing in Christianity is original. The pre-Christian god Mithras - called the Son of God and the Light of the World - was born on December 25, died, was buried in a rock tomb, and then resurrected in three days. By the way, December 25 was also the birthday of Osiris, Adonis, and Dionysus. The newborn Krishna was presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

This sequence of claims has puzzled many critics of Brown's book as to their possible origin, if indeed they have an origin outside of the author's imagination.

Serious scholars who have studied the Mithraic traditions, including Franz Cumont, paint a very different portrayal. They don't mention any death of Mithra, and they certainly don't mention any type of resurrection for Mithra.

Some Christians do celebrate Christmas on December 25 as a time of year to commemorate the birth and life of Jesus. But that doesn't mean that they believe that Jesus was born on that particular date. In fact, the Bible does not mention a specific birth date for Jesus.

For comparison, consider the American holiday called "Presidents Day." The holiday occurs on a day in February, but that doesn't mean that Americans believe that all presidents were born on that particular day in February. Of course not. It is simply a day that is set aside to commemorate American presidents.

As for the claim that the myths known as Osiris, Adonis and Dionysus were born on December 25, I have been unable to track down any scholarly source that actually makes that claim.

In regards to some of the other claims involving Mithra and Christianity, consider the following from page 87 of de-coding Da Vinci: The facts behind the fiction of The Da Vinci Code by Amy Welborn:

"Mithras was a god with many forms. By the centuries after Christ, his cult was primarily a mystery religion, popular among men, especially soldiers. Mithraic studies do not find any attribution of the titles 'Son of God' or 'Light of the World,' as Brown claims. There is also no mention of a death-resurrection motif in Mithraic mythology. Brown seems to have picked this up from a discredited nineteenth-century historian, who provided no documentation for his assertion. The same historian is the source for the Krishna connection to which Brown alludes. There is not a single story in actual Hindu mythology of Krishna being presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh at his birth (see Miesel and Olsen, Cracking the Anti-Catholic Code)."

4. Fiction: The sacred name for God has a paganistic origin.

The Da Vinci Code, on page 309, claims: "The Jewish Tetragrammaton YHWH - the sacred name of God - in fact derived from Jehovah, an androgynous physical union between the masculine Jah and the pre-Hebraic name for Eve, Havah"

This is perhaps one of the most embarrassing errors within Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. The word Jehovah isn't the name for God. In fact, that word doesn't appear in the Bible in either the Hebrew text of the Old Testament or in the Greek text of the New Testament. The word Jehovah is a made-up English word.

The ancient Jews began a tradition that they would not pronounce the name of God (YHWH), as a way of showing respect. Instead, when they read aloud from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), and they came across the name for God (YHWH), they would substitute another word – the Hebrew word for "Lord," which is "Adonah." This is similar to the practice of addressing a king as "Lord," rather than as "king."

Over time, the vowel sounds for the Hebrew word "Adonah" were fused with the consonants for the name of God (YHWH), and a new word was created - "Yehovah." (This hybrid word, which didn't exist until roughly 500 years ago, was often mistakenly pronounced by English speakers as "Jehovah," even though there is no J sound in the Hebrew language).

Therefore, any theory, however ill-intentioned or well-intentioned, that involves either the word "Jehovah" or the word "Yehovah" is completely meaningless, because there is no such word in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament or in the Greek text of the New Testament.

Brown, however, isn't the first person to mistakenly think that Jehovah was an actual word. And given the popularity of his novel, he won't be the last.

5. Fiction: The Vatican killed an "astounding 5 million women" during the witch hunts

This is important to the The Da Vinci Code, because in order for novel's storyline to work, the Catholic Church must be portrayed as an evil, oppressive institution that hates, oppresses and feels threatened by women.

But, despite Brown's claims that there were 5 million women burned to death by the Vatican, the fact is many scholars, including those who are not Christian, say that the witch hunts were generally done by local governments and individuals. Many scholarly sources estimate that the number of people killed by the witch hunts is between 20,000 to 100,000. And, some sources estimate that 20 to 25 percent of the victims were men.

Here are some additional details from page 36 of The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code:

It also should be noted that these persecutions were actually "a collaborative enterprise between men and women at the local level." Adam Jones, professor of international studies at the Center for Research and Teaching Economics (Mexico City), has cited many sources showing that most of the accusations of witchcraft "originated in 'conflicts [that] normally opposed one woman to another.'"

For instance, Jones quotes Robin Briggs (author of Witches & Neighbours: The Social and Cultural Context of European Witchcraft) as saying that "most informal accusations were made by women against other women." In Malevolent Nurture, Deborah Willis of the University of California, Riverside, confirms that "women were actively involved in making witchcraft accusations against their female neighbors." She adds, "To a considerable extent, then, village-level witch-hunting was women's work."

6. Fiction: Emperor Constantine shaped the New Testament.

This is essential to the plot in The Da Vinci Code because it requires that the reader can believe that Constantine replaced the Gnostic writings with what we now call the New Testament. But, Constantine could not have had a hand in shaping the New Testament for two reasons: He wasn't born soon enough and he didn't live long enough. Based on writings from early church leaders, which date from the year 96 through the year 112, 24 of the 27 books that are part of today's New Testament were already regarded by early Christians as being authoritative, a full 213 years before Constantine convened the Council of Nicea. And, the Council of Nicea didn't canonize anything. The canonization process occurred a full 70 years later, on a different continent. In addition, there were several writings by early church leaders, who died long before Constantine was even born, that collectively quote thousands of New Testament passages.

7. Fiction: The Vatican demonized pagan worship.

The Da Vinci Code claims "As part of the Vatican's campaign to eradicate pagan religions and convert the masses to Christianity, the church launched a smear campaign against the pagan gods and goddesses, recasting their divine symbols as evil.... Venus' pentacle became the sign of the devil."

Many people might not realize this, but there is a great deal of historical evidence that shows that pagans tried to eradicate Christianity and that pagans copied Christian symbols and ceremonies in the hopes of surviving the rapid spread of Christianity, especially during the first three centuries after the time of Jesus. During that era, the pagans had tremendous resources, including the support of emperors, who by default, where designated as high priests of pagan religions. Their efforts to eradicate Christianity were remarkably unsuccessful, and Christianity was able to become the first religion to spread to followers worldwide. Even today, it can be argued that Christianity is still the only worldwide religion.

As for Brown's claim about the pentacle, even that contradicts historical evidence. The fact is, many Christians actually embraced the pentacle! "The truth is, during the later medieval era (the 1100s to the 1500s), Christians used the pentagram and pentacle as a reminder of Christ's five wounds (hands, feet, side, back, head). They also used it as a symbol for "the five books of Moses" and "the five stones used by David against Goliath," according to page 32 of The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code.

There is nothing about a symbol, such as the pentacle or pentagram, that is inherently good or evil. Its meaning depends on who is using it and for what purpose they are using it. Some school teachers will mark a student's homework assignment with a star (a pentacle) to show that the student did excellent work. In this context, there is nothing demonic about the pentacle, it simply represents "stellar" work. But, when the founder of the Church of Satan needed a symbol for his religion during the 1960s he chose to use a pentacle, which he turned upside down. A pentacle, then, is what one makes of it.

So who "demonized" the pentacle? According to some scholars, and according to some modern pagan sources, it was a French occultist who lived during the 1800s. In other words, it was a pagan who "demonized" the symbol.

8. Fiction: Constantine and the Vatican demonized Mary Magdalene and sought to degrade women as part of a "power grab."

These claims are very important to the storyline. The historical evidence, however, strongly contradicts them. Mary Magdalene is held in special regard by the Catholic Church, in part because she was the first person to witness the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If the Catholic Church wanted to tarnish the image of Mary Magdalene, and if it was willing to rewrite scripture to do it, then why would it allow Mary Magdalene to be the first person to have witnessed the most important event in all of Christianity, which is the resurrection?

Another problem for Brown's theory is that the Vatican exalts Mary Magdalene – as a saint! In fact, several churches are named in honor of Mary Magdalene, who is also honored with an annual celebration by Catholics.

And if someone can still think that Brown's theory is somehow true, that the Vatican allegedly hates women, then consider its regard for another woman named Mary – the mother of Jesus. And when you're finished contemplating that, apologize to yourself if you even momentarily thought that the Da Vinci Code was on to something.

9. Fiction: "Christianity's weekly holy day was stolen from the pagans."

Da Vinci Code claims that "Christianity's weekly holy day was stolen from the pagans. Christianity honored the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday, but Constantine shifted it to coincide with the pagan's veneration day of the sun."

Actually, long before Constantine was even born, there were Christian writings that made it clear that there was a Sabbath, which corresponds to Saturday, and a "Lord's Day," which corresponds to Sunday. Since the early beginnings of Christianity, Christians had an affection for the first day of the week (Sunday) because this is the day on which Jesus was resurrected. Early references to the "Lord's Day" include Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:2, which are books in the New Testament. These were written during the first century and predate the birth of Constantine by more than 200 years! Outside of the New Testament, there are early Christian writings that confirm that Christians celebrated a "Lord's Day" (Sunday). These writings include those by Justin Martyr and Melito of Sardis. Both lived during the Second Century (during the 100s), and both had already died before Constantine was even born.

As a side note, there seems to be a general confusion about how Christians view the Sabbath. Christianity has always regarded the last day of the week (Saturday) as being the Sabbath. That has never changed. But, Christians often go to church on the first day of the week (Sunday) because that corresponds to the day on which Jesus was resurrected. In other words, Christians didn't "move" the Sabbath to Sunday. They didn't move the Sabbath at all. The Sabbath always was, and still is, Saturday. Christians do not view Sunday as being the Sabbath. They never did. They view it as a separate day, the Lord's Day.

As for the claim that Sunday was tied to pagan worship of a pagan god, please, be aware of the fact that each of the days of the week - all seven of them, whether it's Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday - were tied to the pagan worship of various pagan gods.

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