LDS do not endorse claims in 'Da Vinci'

LDS doctrine does not endorse claims made in a popular book and movie that Jesus Christ was married.

"The Da Vinci Code," which opens today at the Cannes Film Festival in France, has evoked a lot of discussion from critics and Christians everywhere. The fictional story by author Dan Brown focuses on the premise that Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalene and fathered a child.

Dale Bills, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said in a statement released Tuesday:

"The belief that Christ was married has never been official church doctrine. It is neither sanctioned nor taught by the church. While it is true that a few church leaders in the mid-1800s expressed their opinions on the matter, it was not then, and is not now, church doctrine."

Professors of religion from around the state met earlier this week to discuss the story line, finding very little evidence within the Bible to support the book's storyline.