Press Releases
2009-05-20'Angels & Demons' Sees Disparity Among Scientific, Spiritual Response
Westminster Theological Seminary Fills Gap with www.TruthAboutAngelsAndDemons.comPHILADELPHIA, May 20, 2009 – While the scientific community has initiated a strong response to separating fact from fiction in Dan Brown’s best-selling novel and newly-released movie adaptation “Angels & Demons,” there seems to be a limited response among faith-based organizations and audiences to the theological assertions in the film. Westminster Theological Seminary is seeking to provide answers to the religious questions the film evokes with the new site www.TruthAboutAngelsAndDemons.com.
“Just as academic institutions and other groups are using the momentum of ‘Angels & Demons’ and the scientific issues it highlights to provoke discussion, Westminster Theological Seminary stands strong and is committed to educating individuals about spiritual and historical truths, in addition to science, as it relates to the book and film,” said Dr. Vern Poythress, professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster and an expert on the intersection of science and religion.
Numerous universities around the nation and overseas are launching discussions to address the truth behind the scientific claims central to the suspense in the book and film. Several organizations have created resources and lectures series affiliated with the movie to discuss the real science behind antimatter, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and particle physics, all key to Brown’s plot. In addition, the National Science Foundation hosted a live media briefing on May 19 for world-renownedparticle physicists to share their expertise about antimatter.
On May 13, Westminster launched www.TruthAboutAngelsAndDemons.com, an online resource designed to help individuals sift through the mix of fact and fiction woven into the novel and film and encourage conversation. The site contains scholarly articles on issues related to religion and science and seeks to provide answers to such questions as: “Is the Bible true?” “Can science answer the ultimate questions?” and “Is there evidence that God created the Earth?”
“In addition to physics and bio-ethics, much of the church history and theology in the movie are exaggerated,” explains Poythress, who is also the author of “Redeeming Science: A God-Centered Approach.” “The danger is that the film presents them as truth, causing confusion among audiences.
The movie “Angels & Demons,” which premiered May 15 and made $48 million in the U.S. and Canada and over $104 million internationally during its opening weekend alone, thrills audiences with a story based on the Illuminati, a legendary underground society, and its attempt to destroy Vatican City, the epicenter of the Catholic faith, with a highly explosive substance called antimatter.
“The Da Vinci Code,” another runaway best-seller by Brown and the subsequent novel following “Angels & Demons,” saw a significantly stronger response among the faith-based community with organizations rallying to debunk its claims about the supposed relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene when it debuted as a motion picture in 2006. Similar to www.TruthAboutAngelsAndDemons.com, Westminster launched its first online cultural apologetic response www.TheTruthAboutDaVinci.com in preparation for “The Da Vinci Code” film, which has had more than 5.6 million page views to date.
While some critics are saying that “Angels & Demons” is a harmless movie when it comes to religion, Westminster hopes www.TruthAboutAngelsAndDemons.com will be a trusted resource for correcting the many falsehoods related to the history and theology of the Christian faith that the film subtly and dangerously propels.
“Westminster commends the scientific community for its strong response and conversation surrounding the film and joins in the pursuit of truth,” said Dr. Peter Lillback, president of Westminster. “We hope our site is a catalyst for people of faith to be better equipped to engage in spiritual conversation generated by this significant media and cultural event.”
For more information or to request an interview with Dr. Poythress or Dr. Lillback, please contact Jodi Phillip at 972.267.1111 or via e-mail at jodi@alarryross.com
