How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
Teabing chuckled. "The ivory towers of Harvard have made you soft, Robert. Yes, the clergy in Rome are blessed with potent faith, and because of this, their beliefs can weather any storm, including documents that contradict everything they hold dear. But what about the rest of the world? What about those who are not blessed with absolute certainty? What about those who look at the cruelty in the world and say, where is God today? Those who look at Church scandals and ask, who are these men who claim to speak the truth about Christ and yet lie to cover up the sexual abuse of children by their own priests?" Teabing paused. "What happens to those people, Robert, if persuasive scientific evidence comes out that the Church's version of the Christ story is inaccurate, and that the greatest story ever told is, in fact, the greatest story ever sold."
Langdon did not respond.
"I'll tell you what happens if the documents get out," Teabing said. "The Vatican faces a crisis of faith unprecedented in its two-millennia history."
(62.53)
This is the whole crux of the problem. Faith is a delicate subject, no matter what church you believe in. Some people have an elaborate system of cognitive dissonance or a suspension of disbelief in order to have faith in their own religions. For example, most people today believe that walking on water is an impossibility.
Do they then believe that Jesus really walked on water by some miraculous process? Or is it merely a metaphor for his divinity? Believing in that particular story isn't necessary for them to believe in Jesus himself, or be "good Christians." But for some, learning that he had a wife and children would bring about a massive crisis of faith that the Catholic Church may not be able to survive.
Quote #11
Langdon smiled. "Sophie, every faith in the world is based on fabrication. That is the definition of faith—acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove. Every religion describes God through metaphor, allegory, and exaggeration, from the early Egyptians through modern Sunday school. Metaphors are a way to help our minds process the unprocessible. The problems arise when we being to believe literally in our own metaphors." (82.58)
Boom. Shut it down; Langdon just won the argument for religions all over the world. Take that, Teabing.
Quote #12
Aringarosa leaned across the table, sharpening his tone to a point. "Do you really wonder why Catholics are leaving the Church? Look around you, Cardinal. People have lost respect. The rigors of faith are gone. The doctrine has become a buffet line. Abstinence, confession, communion, baptism, mass—take your pick—choose whatever combination pleases you and ignore the rest. What kind of spiritual guidance is the Church offering?"
"Third-century laws," the second cardinal said, "cannot be applied to the modern followers of Christ. The rules are not workable in today's society."
"Well, they seem to be working for Opus Dei!" (100.37-39)
This is actually a pretty big problem for a lot of churches, and it's really especially bad news for Bishop Aringarosa, because Opus Dei wishes to propagate some of the oldest and most conservative religious rituals.