Some Claim New Movie "The Golden Compass" Is Anti-God

[Ian David]

(CBS 11 News) DALLAS Some are wondering if the new movie "The Golden Compass" is a fun fantasy for children or a deliberate slam against religion.

The film focuses on a young girl's journey to free children from an evil organization. Critics claim the evil organization is a thinly-disguised comparison for the Christian church.

"The Golden Compass" is based on a children's book of the same name by author Philip Pullman. However, some fear the message is anti-God.

<snip>

Philip Pullman is a self-professed atheist. The author has gone on record saying his trilogy of books, called "His Dark Materials," promotes his lack of belief in God. He said it's his response to "The Chronicles of Narnia."

Dr. Bock said it was only a matter of time. "If you can have 'The Passion of the Christ' on one hand, then you can have 'The Golden Compass' on the other," he said. "The question is, what will be the cultural response that emerges from having movies with different viewpoints."

More:
http://cbs11tv.com/watercooler/local_story_310213053.html



See also:

The Official Golden Compass Movie Site:
http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/





Fantasy book draws fire in Grand Blanc
Posted by Sally York | The Flint Journal November 05, 2007 10:09AM
Categories: Breaking News, Top Stories

Its author said he wrote the book as a counterpoint to a popular fantasy series that teaches Christian values to children. The Catholic League has mounted a public relations campaign against an upcoming movie based on it.

And now, the book has been banned from a classroom at Grand Blanc West Middle School.

<snip>

The Catholic League has issued a 23-page booklet called "The Golden Compass: Agenda Unmasked" to warn readers. "The film is being sold as an innocent children's fantasy, but in reality there is nothing innocent about it: The movie is based on a book that was written to promote atheism and denigrate Christianity," the Catholic pamphlet says.

More:
http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/newsnow/2007/11/athiests_golden_campus_drawing.html


The Golden Compass
by Philip Pullman

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511RE7EZ55L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

ISBN13: 9780440418320
ISBN10: 0440418321

http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780440418320-0



The Subtle Knife: His Dark Materials, Book 2 (His Dark Materials #02)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TFT8DTZML._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

ISBN13: 9780440238140
ISBN10: 0440238145

More:
http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780440238140-0



The Amber Spyglass: His Dark Materials, Book III
by Philip Pullman

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41DHWVW98PL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

ISBN13: 9780375823350
ISBN10: 0375823352

More:
http://www.powells.com/biblio/2-9780375823350-1


Also available on OverStock.com:


His Dark Materials Boxed Set (Golden Compass, Subtle Knife, Amber Spyglass)
The Golden Compass/The Subtle Knife/The Amber Spyglass
by Pullman, Philip



This boxed set includes paperback copies of the complete His Dark Materials trilogy: THE GOLDEN COMPASS, THE SUBTLE KNIFE, and THE AMBER SPYGLASS.


http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Music-Games/His-Dark-Materials-Boxed-Set-Golden-Compass-Subtle-Knife-Amber-Spyglass/767477/product.html

[progressoid]

1. I think I'm buying that for one of my kids for and early Xmas present. n/t

[rexcat]

18. I bought the books for my 11 year old twins...

and one of them has read the triology and really liked them. The other kid has not started the books because he is busy with another project. He told me I could start to read them because he does not have the time so I will start them this next week.

[Az]

2. Its certainly anti CL Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia (spoiler)

And it was created with the idea in mind to champion a humanistic view of the world. And it does kill god in the end. So yeah. I can see where they get the idea from.

[Ian David]

3. That's why I'm buying it. n/t

[Deep13]

4. "...fun fantasy for children or a deliberate slam against religion..."

"Or?" Don't they mean "and?"

[Rob H.]

5. Just got the three-paperback set from Amazon.com today

I hope to start the first one tonight. :)

[Ian David]

6. Please don't buy from the right-wing Amazon.com

That's why I went to all the trouble of linking to Powells and Overstock.com, yet still stealing Amazon's bandwidth for the photos.

[funflower]

8. Why do you call Amazon "right wing"? I've never heard that. n/t

[Ian David]

9. They donate heavily Repuke and to pro-censorship organizations. n/t

[Rob H.]

14. Gah!

I'll probably start shopping elsewhere. I looked it up on the internets and Barnes & Noble donates 98% Democratic, so it looks like they'd be a good choice.

ETA: I couldn't find anything about Overstock.com or Powell's now that BuyBlue is offline--I did find out that BuyBlue is coming back, though. :)

[phantom power]

7. They say "slam against religion" like it might be a bad thing.

Go figure.

[moggie]

10. I'll have to give the books another try

I was given a set a few years ago as a gift, and I couldn't even finish the first volume: thought it sucked mightily, with unconvincing characters inconsistently portrayed. I realise I'm very much in the minority on that, though.

[charlie]

12. Make that two

I recently tried the first book and didn't finish it. But again, I've tried several times to get through LOTR and it was just too arduous, part way through ROTK was as far as I ever got (hobbits will sing about anything, including their damned bathwater, fer chrissakes). Coudn't do Dune, either. I guess me and epic fantasies will never mix.

[immoderate]

13. Dune was a challenge, but it got better half way through...

I still think it's the best introduction to understanding ecology.

--IMM

[PassingFair]

21. I liked the second one better than the first....

The last one the least....

[deepthought42]

11. That book has warped my fragile little mind...

:evilgrin:


And I'm not even half-way through it! tee hee hee

[and-justice-for-all]

15. As narnia and the like preach religion

THE GOLDEN COMPASS is completely the opposite and that is a good thing.

Well, I guess there isn't the freedom of choice in this country since people will turn into cowards at he slightest whimper from a religious sect who's entire religious bases is nothing but A FANTASY!!

[goddess40]

16. Get them the books on CD or tape

they're fab - as good as or better then the Harry Potter books on tape.

[TZ]

17. Okay, my curiosity has been aroused....

I went out and got a copy of this trilogy today and am about to start it. I love epic fantasy (Harry Potter etc) and I actually like the Narnia books (does that make me a bad atheist?;-) ) so I expect I will like these alot.....

[deepthought42]

19. No, it doesn't...

I've read the first couple of books. I love fantasy (and those books are all fantasy, religious imagery and all).

Maybe we're both bad... :evilgrin:

[hyphenate]

20. The one problem with anything literary

is that you can write religion or anti-religion into any or all of it, regardless if it exists or not.

As a child, I read all of Narnia, and never saw the Christian allegory it was claimed to be: you don't analyze text at the age of 12 or so.

The same holds true for every piece of writing out there--from Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings, to Philip Pullman's series, or anything else, including the bible, which, to a child is the same as Grimm's Fairy Tales or Mother Goose. Whether they were written deliberately as one or the other is completely irrelevant.

Many of the so-called Xtians out there--meaning those who say they are, but have never acted like it--will see anything not conforming to their narrow-minded expectations as anti-Christian. And since they're the ones who are the most anti-Christian "Christians" in existence, that means almost anything existing. Never mind that anything might stretch a person's mind--they don't mind questioning the intent behind existing literature, but they must never question their perceived god's plans.

[funflower]

22. I just started reading The Golden Compass. Can't put it down.

Extremely well-written. Pullman is in a whole different league than (snore-inducing) Lewis: like Harry Potter meets Tolkien but more sophisticated than either. Really good and fun to boot. No major theological implications that I can spot yet, except that the bad guys are connected to the church.

[TZ]

23. I'm almost through with The Golden Compass

I thought it started slow but its gotten much better--I can definitely see where he is going with this series. Its a children's primer on quantuum mechanics and I think, its an attempt to show how religious woos misuse it to promote the existence of God...

[ozone_man]

24. Seems I have to play catchup.

My wife read all three about five years ago and had my younger boy read the Golden Compass about three or four years ago. At the time it was easier reading for him than some of the other fantasy books like Margaret Weiss Dragon Lance series. I loved those so much! As a parent you get to have a second childhood. But as they find themselves "too old" to read these books, I find that I'm still not too old.

My younger boy did get me to read the Douglas Adams books though. I'm on book five of the "trilogy" right now, and helplessly addicted. Another great source of inspiration for the atheist.

[deepthought42]

27. Don't worry, it's Mostly Harmless...

;)

:rofl:

Yeah, I'm a nerd.... I LOVE that series... started reading it back in high school, but didn't finish it until a few years ago, but it was well worth going back to the beginning.

[TZ]

28. "So long and Thanks for All the Fish.."

I looove that line..and speaking of that is the 42 in Deepthought42 Hitchhiker's inspired (wondered for awhile actually), since us nerds know that the answer to life, the universe and everything is 42!!

[deepthought42]

33. Who wants a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster?

C'mon... it's harmless... ;)


I started reading Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, (read The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul year ago), but I got distracted...


Crap! I forgot The Golden Compass comes out soon! I need to finish it....argh.

[ozone_man]

29. You taught me froody.

Imagine my surprise when I came across that!

I miss Deep Thought and Marvin though. :cry:

So, I still have Dirk Gently and The Salmon of Doubt to look forward to still. :P

But I may try to squeeze Golden Compass in there before I see it in the movies.

[RebelOne]

25. These nut jobs think it is an evil movie and are boycotting it.

www.rr-bb.com/showthread.php?t=19028

[muriel_volestrangler]

26. Church of Scotland rejects Golden Compass boycott calls

The Church of Scotland said she is “one of the powerless who turns out to be a saint, and so the film is an invitation to dialogue on human purpose and destiny, the abuse of power, the making of choices and the meaning of life”.

Rather than boycotting the film, the Church of Scotland is planning to publish a leaflet to mark its release, which will be made available to Church of Scotland congregations, as well as other denominations all across Scotland.

The Golden Compass “will enable congregations to engage with young people, and adults, in terms with which they can relate”, the Kirk’s Mission & Discipleship Council believes.

“Far from condemning the film, the Kirk looks forward to its release and the opportunities that it presents,” the Church of Scotland concluded.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/kirk.rejects.golden.compass.boycott.calls/14996-2.htm

Sounds far more sensible, from their point of view. The anti-church stuff seems to have been almost entirely taken out of the film, and there's no mention of God in it at all, apparently.

[moggie]

31. Obviously those are not true Scotsmen n/t

[frogmarch]

30. Those who propose banning it

or any other book are attracting readers.

When my son was in the seventh grade, his science teacher made the students staple shut the chapter about evolution. My son said they all obeyed but not before reading the chapter on the sly. The order to staple had made them very curious about that chapter.

(I complained to the school board about the order to staple, but to no avail. Half the board members were fundies.)

[sss1977]

32. yup, definitely seeing this movie!

I knew nothing about this story until recently when I saw the first preview for it. No wonder I found it so interesting looking, it was calling out to my atheism.