Angels and Demons

Ron Howard's take on the prequel to 'The Da Vinci Code' resurrects the old 'science vs. religion' debate, but doesn't have much new to say.

A container of anti-matter has been stolen by an ancient sect of scientists persecuted by the Catholic Church for their beliefs. With it, they aim to destroy the Vatican. Only Robert Langdon can avert disaster by following a trail of clues across Rome.

Following the success of 'The Da Vinci Code', now comes 'Angels and Demons', the latest Dan Brown film adaptation. The movie sees the return of fictional Harvard Professor of 'Symbology' Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks).

A film conspiracy

The filming of 'Angels and Demons' could provide the plot for its own Dan Brown story. For fear of attracting opposition from the Roman Catholic Church (who didn't take to kindly to 'The Da Vinci Code') filming was carried out under the secret title 'Obelisk.' Yet the result is a surprisingly sympathetic portrayal of the Church. The film acknowledges the Church's attempt to create a better world. For instance, at the end of the film, a cardinal asks Langdon:

'When you write about us, and you will, do so gently.'

The film's view on religion is summed up by the line by a Cardinal:

'Religion is flawed because man is flawed,'

This realisation of fallen human nature is unlikely to draw criticism! However, the film does urge the development of a new version of Christianity based on co-operation between science and religion, and it implicitly marginalizes the unique truth claims of Christianity.

The Real Story

The real Illuminati were a secret society founded in 1776, many years after the death of Galileo Galilei in 1642. They were a movement of Enlightenment freethinkers. Writers at the time accused them of a number of conspiracies including the French Revolution. In modern times, they have been a popular part of 'New World Order' conspiracy theories (including those of David Icke).

Galileo did come into conflict with the Catholic Church over his theory that the Earth was not the centre of the universe. This was felt to be at odds with the Bible (for instance, 1 Chronicles 16:30 which states that 'the world is firmly established; it cannot be moved'). Although Galileo was a personal friend of the Pope Urban VIII, he lost his support and stood trial for heresy. Galileo spent the remainder of his life under house arrest. In 2000, Pope John Paul II issued a formal apology for the trial of Galileo.

Artistic licence

Although the book 'Angels and Demons' is a prequel to 'The Da Vinci Code' the movie is a sequel to the hugely successful 2006 film. 'The Da Vinci Code' was a huge box-office hit, but critics and audiences alike were generally left uninspired. Ron Howard's direction was deliberate and safe. He had little ambition beyond providing a faithful film adaptation that wouldn't alienate the book's cult following. The wordy conspiracies revealed so thrillingly in the book became dull in the film. In avoiding being either an Indiana Jones or Nutty Professor clone, Tom Hanks' portrayal of Robert Langdon was bland, if not boring.

In 'Angels and Demons,' Howard felt more able to make key changes from the book. This makes the film more entertaining than its predecessor. For instance, most of the first third of the book set at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN is cut while the ending becomes (slightly) less absurd. As a result, this movie is better than 'The Da Vinci Code,' although it isn't likely to be considered be a classic.

The Fictional Iluminati

The key theme in 'Angels and Demons' is the relationship between science and religion. The film juxtaposes the world's capital of science (CERN) with its capital of western religion, the Vatican. On one side, the (Roman Catholic) Church stands for religion, while on the other the Illuminati stand for science. In the film (contrary to the historical reality, as noted above) the Iluminati are a secret society with origins in the renaissance. As Robert Langdon explains,

'The Illuminati did not become violent until the 17th Century. Their name means 'The Enlightened Ones'. They were physicists, mathematicians, astronomers. In the 1500s they started meeting in secret, because they were concerned about the church's inaccurate teachings. They were dedicated to scientific truth. And the Vatican didn't like that. So the began to, how did you say it? Oh, hunt them down and kill them.'

The 'God Particle'

The message of 'Angels and Demons' is that science and religion would best serve humanity by joining forces; an undue focus on either leads to fundamentalism. The old Pope is murdered is because he would like to see greater cooperation between science and religion. He is fascinated by research into 'the God Particle,' and believes this should be amalgamated with Catholic Doctrine. Perhaps through science we can understand what we define as 'God'?

Of course this is nonsense. The 'God Particle' is a popular term to describe a theoretical particle - the 'Higgs Boson' - which helps explain why things have mass. The discovery of the Higgs Boson would be important, but it would hardly be the basis on which to re-write Christian doctrine or to understand scientifically the nature of God.

A 'Scientific' Religion?

'Angels and Demons' urges Christians to embrace science more fully. But scientists who are Christians (whether within the Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox tradition) would argue that their research is already compatible with their faith.

What is this 'scientific' Christianity meant to look like? The film makes a few suggestions. Firstly, there is a scene which discusses embryo stem-cell research. The Catholic Church is wary of such research, but the film suggests that if the Church was more embracing of science, it would remove its opposition. The second refers to the LBGT (Lesbian/ Gay/ Bisexual/ Transsexual) movement. In the film, onlookers in St. Peter's Square wave the rainbow flag of the movement prominently at various points. I understood the implication to be that this 'scientific' religion would take a different stance on issues of gender and sexuality.

Science versus Religion

Despite appearances, 'Angels and Demons' has very little to say about the age-old debate about the compatibility of science and religion. Moreover, as it focuses on the Catholic Church, it does not address the reliability of the Bible, which is one of the key points at issue in such discussions. However, the film may raise questions for viewers in this area, as many still feel that science and religion are incompatible. So although it is not ideal, the film could be used in an apologetic setting. For anyone interested in reading more about this topic, I strongly recommend the books of Alister McGrath, including 'The Dawkins Delusion.' McGrath is a highly respected professor and his work is very readable.

Discussion questions

Why do many people feel that science and religion are incompatible?
What would a Christian faith that is more embracing of science look like?
How much can we know God through science?
How does religion make the world a better place?

John Dray, June 2009

Postscript

CERN has launched a new web site to coincide with the release of 'Angels and Demons,' to explain the science behind the film: