The Satanic Verses

Remember the Satanic Verses controversy with Salmon Rushdie?

Well, if not, here is the quick overview: An author of middle-Eastern dissent that writes a poetic book of fiction. Groups of Islamists, most who didn't read the entire work, found some of the content blasphemous and offensive to Islam, and called for Mr. Rushdie's death. It sent such a maelstorm of controversy and fervor throughout the world that Rushdie had to go in hiding. Even today, Mr. Rushdie has to live wondering what will happen when he turns on the key to his car.

Let's fast forward to today:

Returning from the gym tonight, I stopped to pick up my mail from my complexes mailroom. On the bulletin board, slick and shiny; shaped like a ticket to some cool event was a small flyer emblazoned with the words, "EXPOSING The Davinci Code."

One of our local churches in Williamson County, TN (The Oasis something or other) is having some speaker in for an event refuting the Davinci Code.

I'm not going to make this a long post, because I really don't want to rehash my thoughts about the collective consciousness of insanity, our culture's penchant toward leasing out our thought processes, and just simply put: the lukewarm timidity of "the church" and their paranoid fear of anything that doesn't square concretely with everything they believe, resulting in a morbid defense of the truth. And, after all, I simply believe that the Truth needs no defense.

I write about all of these in earlier Winchell World posts.

Back to the subject: Like millions, I read the Davinci Code. I loved it. At no point did I believe that the history of Jesus and the validity of the church was being raped. As a matter of fact, I think the book is a great WORK OF FICTION

Here's a guy literally criminalized by extremists, most who haven't read the book, just for simply writing a novel. It is the new, "Satanic Verses." Except this time, it is the Christian extremists trying to kill the author. Not with guns and knifes, but with uninformed, well-organized and methodical insanity.

Rarely do I write so quickly and bluntly without elaborating. But, tonight I do.

Why aren't the authors of all the Christian fiction books being pointed out? Why aren't the writers of "Left Behind," being ripped apart in seminars? I'll tell you why: They fit the Christian Industrial and Distribution complex. They met the criteria. Although those books are no more truthful than the "Davinci Code," they fit the mold.

Well, there's a little rant for the evening. Enjoy life. Happy Thursday.

Thank You,

Scott