- Foucault's Pendulum- the intellectual's Da Vinci Code- though that description doesn't do it justice. The story is based on those elements of historical and mythological motifs, but the subject addressed is much deeper- going into what it means to believe- religion and magic and mystery- mystery which has more meaning when still left unresolved than when it reaches that final solution when it becomes comprehensible to all- the power that mystery gives- to the person with the so called solution, as he shares it with the select- what happens to that person when the solution bursts into light, no longer requiring a teacher or a priest to initiate others into it?
What if there was no mystery? Only a made up fantasy- put together as a prank and then took life of its own- the elementary plot of an Enid Blyton maybe - but bringing together disparate people determined to destroy those who would bring their secrets- or lack thereof- to light.
And all of it addressing that deepest mystery of all- is there a God? What is God? How does he reveal himself? Or is God- and the questions surrounding him- the invention of a fevered imagination? If God did reveal himself- would we believe? Or has he already done so- if he did, do we know? Do we believe the things we do because we know them to be true- or because to believe otherwise would shake the foundations of our world? If enough people believe in something, does that qualify as proof... how far will people go to prevent their beliefs from being upended?
The pieces of our history- of religion (which is inseparable from history)- that we put together as well as we can- and believe in them. That we are good, god-fearing (loving) people- that what we believe, we know- that what we know is right. And these pieces could so easily be put another way- like some three dimensional object seen from a different point of view- and come to mean something entirely different.
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