director Ron Howard appeared on Charlie Rose last night to discuss the “facts” rooted in their new movie. Compare the claims made by the A&D cast (see video clip) with those made by the publisher of Movieguide, Dr. Ted Baehr, who saw the film and refutes the movie's portrayal of Christianity and the cast's accusations on Charlie Rose.
Here is a sample from Baehr's column today:
For example, although (unlike the book) the movie's dialogue has some positive statements about faith in Jesus Christ, the person making many of these statements turns out to be the real villain, a mad clergyman who also is one of the most conservative Christians depicted in the story. Furthermore, when confronted by these various statements about Jesus Christ, the hero keeps his agnosticism. In fact, the movie's ultimate impression is that Christians throughout history are mostly a bunch of well meaning but bumbling fools with a few really bad guys and hypocrites included in the bunch. Also unlike the book, the assassin henchman of the mad clergyman in the movie is not a rabid Muslim as he is in the novel, but a very lapsed Catholic. He is not killing for Allah, but for money. [Emphasis added]
One of the biggest lies fostered by both the book and the movie, however, is the lie that science and religion are always at odds. In making this point, the movie clearly takes the side of an atheist definition of science that denies the existence of God.
For example, the movie alleges that the Catholic Church executed four scientists for their scientific beliefs or theories. It also alleges that the church condemned the astronomer/philosopher Galileo as a heretic because of his view that the earth revolved around the sun.
Both of these allegations are false!
Baehr concludes with this:
You don't have to murder somebody to know that it's wrong to murder. And, you don't have to read or see "Angels & Demons" to realize that Dan Brown and Ron Howard are grinding an ax, not only against the Catholic Church and Bible-believing Christians, but also against Jesus Himself.