Honorable Mention
Letters About Literature 2004
Level III

Dear Mr. Brown,

Your book, The Da Vinci Code, changed my view on Christianity, and religion in general. After reading your book, I had to check some of the facts that this book said. Then after I saw that these facts were correct, I came to the realization, that Christianity, over the years, has been changed and corrupted so much that it now is a very different religion than what it started out to be. Though I already had my own suspicions I was astounded at how much Christianity had changed over the years. Some changes were made to fit politics, some were made because it was thought that it would make the religion stronger, the Catholic Church even changed traditions and picked up on other religions to encourage converts. The church also hid true facts about Jesus Christ and his life, to further empower the Catholic Church, and prosecuted anyone that might try to reveal those secrets. Your book showed me that all religions aren’t just about beliefs and hope; they are like empires, with power struggles, politics and a government of their own.

Your book also showed me about how the Catholic Church was able to create rumors about many things that were thought to weaken it. One of these being other religions, especially pagan religions, they changed innocent symbols such as the pentacle, which once stood for female perfection but now is a symbol of the devil; it showed me that all that the church really cares about is power. I know I oughtn’t judge the people of the church, but there were those men in power that wanted more power rather than spirituality. I now know that I can never be a modern Christian, I can’t ever truly believe in everything that the bible or the priests say, for now I know that what they say may not be what God or Jesus originally created, they may be tainted by the men that they passed through before coming to me. But then I think that even if I heard what exactly was intended me to hear, I would change or interpret them wrong, because I’m only human and cannot begin to comprehend God. As you see, your book has started a chain reaction of realizations that I doubt will stop any time soon. Not only did it change my beliefs in God and religion, it showed me that I really actually enjoy philosophy, theology/religion studies, and history. I realized that if I could ever manage, one of these types of job would be perfect for me in the future.

I now know that to be religious one does not need to join a church, or regularly attend mass, and to be religious, one has to truly believe in everything that they worship, if you doubt your religion, then don’t worship it, change it to what you actually do believe. This is what I did because of your book, and that’s the way it will be for the rest of my life.

Sincerely,

Erick Reitz

Erick Reitz
10th Grade
Chugiak High School, Eagle River, Alaska
Teacher: Martin Lang