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The Golden Compass: To Watch or Not to Watch… That is the Question

Wednesday, November 28, 2007 by Dan Miller 9 Comments

As the lather builds toward the release (Dec.7) of the movie, The Golden Compass there is a movement afoot to boycott the movie. First the background of the issue and then some questions to consider and contribute to in order to have an informed decision for you and your family.

The Movie

Pete Winn correspondent for CNSNEWS reports that the Catholic League group is urging parents to avoid a new movie coming out in time for
the holidays – one which has all the fantasy appeal of “Harry Potter” and “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,” as well as the special effects wizardry of “The Lord of the Rings.” But the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights said “The Golden Compass”” is not the harmless fantasy it appears to be. It is an entree to the anti-religious writings of its avowedly atheist creator. “We’re not saying picket this movie, we’re saying don’t go to it, and certainly don’t buy the books as Christmas gifts for your children,” said Kiera McCaffrey, director of communications for the Catholic League.

The group’s objections center not on the film itself, McCaffrey said, but on the now 10-year-old trilogy of books from which “The Golden Compass” is taken, titled “His Dark Materials.” “The three novels are extremely anti-faith in general, anti-Christian and anti-Catholic in particular, and pro-atheism,” McCaffrey told Cybercast News Service. “In each successive book, the anti-God agenda gets progressively stronger.” She said the New Line Cinema movie is designed to suck unwitting kids and their parents into the atheistic agenda of the books’ British author, Philip Pullman. “This man has been on the record for the last 12 years saying things such as, ‘I am all for the death of God,’ and ‘My books are all about killing God,’ and ‘I am of the Devil’s party and I know it,’ ” McCaffrey said.

The Story Material

Indeed, the overarching story behind the award-winning “His Dark Materials” (which includes “The Subtle Knife” and “The Amber Spyglass”), involves a battle against God, who is conceived of as an illegitimate usurper of authority, and the central good is individual autonomy. Anything that places itself over individual authority is considered villainous.

“All of the believers are shown to be cruel, horrible men who do things such as kidnap children and murder people,” McCaffrey said. “They perform torture on a mass scale – all to keep everybody oppressed and under this fake God.”

Throughout the books, which are more popular in Britain than J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels, Pullman refers to the Magisterium – a term real-world Catholics use for the teaching authority of the Pope and the bishops of the Church. “These aren’t throwaway lines in the novels – they are integral to the plot,” McCaffrey said. “The Church is portrayed as a totally corrupt, oppressive institution – all churches are. There is no God. It’s just an idea that’s been concocted to keep people in chains.”

Kurt Bruner, co-author of the book, “Shedding Light on His Dark Materials,” said the Pullman books are extremely well-written but are definitely anti-religious. “Pullman is brilliant at creating worlds, and he is brilliant at fantasy writing, but he is also the village atheist. He’s got an agenda he’s driving – a very overt agenda,” Bruner told Cybercast News Service. “The agenda is less overt in the first book. By the third book, however, it just overwhelms the story – and his craft as a writer, at times.”

Both the film and the books are set in a universe of alternative worlds where people’s souls are mirrored in animal companions, called daemons. The novels derive their title – and their impetus – from a line in John Milton’s classic poem on Satan’s fall from heaven, “Paradise Lost.” “In many ways, Philip Pullman has taken Satan’s side of the argument and has created a world and a story which is all about Satan overthrowing the authority of God,” Bruner said.

Bruner said Pullman sees himself as the antidote to the theistic fantasy worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. “He’s using fantasy to ‘free’ children from the ‘oppression’ of belief in God.”

Time magazine has favorably compared “His Dark Materials” with J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels, and in Britain, they are more popular than Harry Potter. But they are far from alike, Bruner said. “I would call Harry Potter harmless fun,” Bruner said. “This is more like Harry Potter meets ‘The DaVinci Code.’ It is a direct assault on the church, but it is greater than that. It is a direct assault on God himself – his existence and his legitimacy.”

Pullman, for his part, denies he has written an anti-Christian polemic. But the well-known atheist and humanist has been widely quoted for his views. “When you look at organized religion of whatever sort – whether it’s Christianity in all its variants, or whether it’s Islam or some forms of extreme Hinduism – wherever you see organized religion and priesthoods and power, you see cruelty and tyranny and repression,” Pullman said in a 2002 British interview. “It’s almost a universal law.”

The Real Issue?

The producers, meanwhile, acknowledge that they have scrubbed many of Pullman’s more anti-religious elements. But that is part of the problem, according to McCaffrey.

“Our concern is that, even though many of these elements have been scrubbed from the film, it’s going to serve as bait for the books,” McCaffrey said. “An unsuspecting parent may not know what these books are about – they take their kids to see the movie, right before Christmas, the kid likes the movie, and the parent thinks -‘Wow, what a great Christmas gift to pick up the trilogy for my kid!’ What parent wouldn’t be thrilled to have their children reading something exciting like this?” she added.

The movie is co-produced by Scholastic Books – a major publisher of books aimed at young people!

Question(s)
So, for a Christian, do you engage and see it in order to help equip your child? Do you boycott the movie and thereby take a stand by drying up the money that films like this are built on? Do you see the movie in order to be informed and use it as a way to discuss God with friends and family? Other alternatives?

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Filed Under: News

Dan Miller

About Dan Miller

Pastor Dan was part of the core group that started Grace Fellowship in 2003. Pastor Dan is our primary teaching pastor, leads the staff, and oversees the vision and strategy for our disciplemaking philosophy of ministry. Dan married Vicki in 1993. Together, they enjoy their seven children – Benjamin (married to Courtney), David, Alexa, Zachary (married to Ginna), Nathan, Ana, and Autumn, along with one grandchild - Lucy.

Comments

  1. CAN says

    Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 11:38 am

    ……Or is this just another overreaction to a “fantasy” movie by overzealous believers looking to “clean up the world’s morals” with outcries like this?

    Remember how the Harry Potter books and movies were criticized for promoting witchcraft? This is some of the same people for sure.

    For me and my family, we can distinguish fantasy that is not “Rah Rah God” and humor that pokes fun at Christians over truly hateful people that are out to destroy and defame Christians. Michael Moore and atheism activists come to mind.

    You can say the same for much of today’s pop music so do we stop listening altogether?

    I will shield my family from real threats and blatant negative influences for sure. On this I am not too sure how scared I am for my family or society if we see this movie. The initial reviews were good, and the special effects are supposed to be amazing, and you know what a techno-freak I am. πŸ˜‰

    The truly hateful ones are the ones to avoid the works of IMO, but still to find ways to demonstrate our genuine faith and love for one another in Christ instead of looking more and more like nut jobs as some of this groups do. Trying to give moral arguments to this world just will not work, though we should stand up on blatent immorality, while demonstrating Christ in us.

    I will again quote the verses I did in a previous blog that sums up where we stand in this world if we love Jesus, and the balance we must find in all things we choose to watch and that we let influence our lives. More than just movies.

    (John 15:18-19 CEV)

    “If the people of this world hate you, just remember that they hated me first. If you belonged to the world, its people would love you. But you don’t belong to the world. I have chosen you to leave the world behind, and that is why its people hate you.”

    Reply
  2. guiroo says

    Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 8:43 pm

    Yet another gray area of personal decision.

    I already know of another family that has bought the books for their kids thinking they are harmless β€” it’s just a story. I do believe that is dangerous.

    I will be going to evaluate after it’s been in the theater for a while so my dollar will not be counted toward the initial box office release. I also plan on reading the books to be able to compare and contrast the world-view with Narnia with my children as they get older and to be able to critique the film for myself.

    When it comes down to it, the message is no different from what Disney pumps out every day … believe in the goodness and power in yourself and don’t let “the man” keep you down.

    Reply
  3. C.A. Nix III says

    Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 11:29 pm

    Disney? Southern Baptists? Can you say “boycott”?

    That went really well for hte cause of Christ. πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  4. Dan MillerDan Miller says

    Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 11:05 am

    David, well said. As a matter of fact, did you know that Robert White was given a family trip to Disney World in honor of White’s 15th anniversary as Executive Director of the SBC for Georgia. I guess the boycott is officially over.

    Reply
  5. Hugh Williams says

    Saturday, December 1, 2007 at 3:03 pm

    There is a fantastic article in Christianity Today discussing the whole Golden Compass controversy and how Christians ought to respond.

    I encourage everyone to read what film critic Jeffrey Overstreet has to say and take it to heart. It’s a very balanced perspective that is a much-needed breath of very fresh air.

    To quote one recommendation he gives:

    …don’t behave in ways that the Magisterium in Pullman’s books would behave. You’ll just make his stories more persuasive, by confirming for the culture around us that Christians only really get excited when they’re condemning something.

    Reply
  6. CAN says

    Sunday, December 2, 2007 at 10:49 pm

    Uh….I thought that is kind of what I wrote above though in less eloquent terms about us over-reacting to all this.

    Though after more reading on this I would put Pullman closer to someone like a Michael Moore and atheism activists that I mentioned previously. Closer but not as blatent.

    I still struggle though whether this guy really has an agenda with these movies, or is just writing books based on his belief system that is askew, and wanting to make money.

    I described John Lennon and his song “Imagine” in a previous entry in a similar light.

    Maybe he does have an agenda to promote atheism and brainwash all the kiddies out there with the book he hopes they will buy.

    I am not 100% convinced, though as the 8 old ball games can say when you shake it “Signs point to maybe”.

    Reply
  7. CAN says

    Sunday, December 2, 2007 at 10:53 pm

    To clarify for my lacking grammar checker on my PC that’s the “Magic 8 Ball Game” and it never ready had the results for “signs point to maybe”. It just fit the moment. πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  8. Hugh Williams says

    Tuesday, December 4, 2007 at 8:28 am

    Al Mohler weighs in:

    Having seen the movie at an advance viewing and having read all three books of His Dark Materials, I can assure Christians that we face a real challenge — one that will require careful thinking and intellectual engagement.

    …The Christian faith is not about to be toppled by a film, nor by a series of fantasy books. Pullman has an agenda that is clear, and Christians need to inform themselves of what this agenda is and what it means. At the same time, nothing would serve his agenda better than to have Christians speaking recklessly or unintelligently about the film or the books.

    Reply
  9. guiroo says

    Friday, December 7, 2007 at 4:28 pm

    From the horses mouth:

    This Week’s Broadcast (Saturday, Dec. 8th 2007)
    Guest: Philip Pullman
    Author of The Golden Compass

    Mr. Pullman will discuss what the books are about, what he thinks of the movie version, and what his views on religion are.

    http://ffrf.org/radio/

    Reply

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