Fiat Justitia- Ruat Caelum

I went to see Da Vinci Code the day it opened and enjoyed it immesely. I loved the book too so I was rather surprised that I enjoyed the movie as much as I did. Of the people who did not like the movie, I find that they fall into one of two camps. 1- They thought the movie departed from the book in significant way and didn't do the chracters or plot justice. 2- They disagreed with the movie on religious grounds. I'm not here to discuss the quality of the movie as a movie. I don't know anything about film so I'm hardly qualified. I can only say that I liked it enough that I would pay 10 bucks to see it again. What does interest me is all the religious opposition this book and the movie has caused. As far as I can see, the question is about the divinity of Christ.

Christ's divinity is not something that is written in stone as far as my reading goes. Whereas the Christology of the Gospels of John and Paul are high, it is decidedly not so in Mark, not to mention Thomas if you want to include that. But more than that, a thing cannot validate itself. People who point to the Bible itself as proof of its own accuracy are making a very poor argument and one that would be thrown out of any serious discourse.

But his bring me to where I am now. Does it really matter if Jesus Christ was a divinity? If he wasn't, does it make his lessons any less true, his example any less inspiring? I don't think so. I have never understood why people so violently defend something they cannot prove and has no empirical effect on their lives. Whether or not Jesus was the actual Son of God changes nothing in my life. If tomorrow, I were to receive unimpeachable testimony that Jesus was, in fact, a divinity, it would not make me instantly become a member of his congregation. I will not join anything simply because it is is powerful- even the most powerful.

Ever since I was a little kid, I always understood the importance of free will. I knew early on that good deeds could be performed at the point of a bayonet or in my case, a serious beating with various implements. I also learned that intentions matter for nothing if you cannot act in accordance with them. Integrity- consistency in thought, word and action- is the only thing that matters and raises Man above the base.

A very dear friend of mine told me recently that the way I move through the world and the intensity with which I live my life makes many people around me uncomfortable. I wasn't sure if it was meant as a compliment or an insult but I suppose I can see the truth in it. But how can I live any other way? I don't ask anyone to live up to my standards which I reserve for myself. I may demand that they interact with me a certain way but no more so than anyone with a sense of Self would. Mediocrity doesn't work for me and if pursuit of excellence distresses others, then we must simply agree to disagree. Fiat Justitia- Ruat Caelum.

I remember watching the movie Amadeus as a kid. Soliere said something in that movie that I think about everyday without fail. "The cruelest joke God can play is to give someone talent but only enough to be mediocre." Mediocrity terrifies me and much of my life has been spent trying to alleviate that terror. And I pray that God is not playing a joke on me.