~The Golden Compass: All Christians NEED to Read this!~

[Michan Starweaver]

To the Christian Community of Gaia Online,


Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I come to you all with a plea, and I hope and pray you will listen. I know that I will be subjected to flaming and all sorts of hateful treatment for this, but I will not be silent. I am NOT afraid. This is too important for me to ignore

Do NOT go to see the movie "The Golden Compass." I know that Gaia has recently been advertising the film, and it has been portrayed as a harmless fantasy adventure. But the book series the movie is based on, His Dark Materials, created by millitant English atheist Phillip Pullman, was written in direct response to C.S. Lewis's Christian fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia.

These are a few sections from a report on the story, in which Pullman is interviewed about his intentions for the series. The article can be found here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,305487,00.html
"Pullman has not been shy in the past about verbalizing his beliefs — or, some might say, nonbeliefs — and his intentions in writing the "Dark Materials" novels.

The novelist has said they are in response to C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia," the popular children's fantasy series of which "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is the first book — written by Lewis to teach Christian ideals to kids.

"I loathe the 'Narnia' books," Pullman has said in previous press interviews. "I hate them with a deep and bitter passion, with their view of childhood as a golden age from which sexuality and adulthood are a falling away." He has called the series "one of the most ugly and poisonous things" he's ever read."

"Philip Pullman and I would say it is religion that poisons everything," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the atheist advocacy group the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and a co-host of Freethought Radio, a talk show that recently went national on Air America Radio.

Gaylor said her now-18-year-old daughter read the "Dark Materials" books "over and over" when she was a middle-school student about the same age as the heroine.

"What this book is about is casting off Church authority," Gaylor said. "I think it's very, very positive. There should be something for freethinking children. It's a very good yarn."



Fox News is not a favorite of mine, believe me. But you can also google "The Golden Compass" and "Christian" together, and it will produce some very interesting results, I assure you. Here's another interesting link: Urban Legends Reference Pages: The Golden Compass

I cannot make decisions for you. Some of you may flame me for this. But it is my deepest belief that it would be WRONG for me not to stand up and say something!

Children of God, please fight back! Don't be afraid to stand up for your faith. I truly believe that this movie poses a real danger to our children, because it is bait for them to read the books, which are vividly anti-God. Pullman even has God denounced as a fraud and killed at the end of his series.

Is this what we want our children to read and see? Our Lord Jesus Christ already suffered and died for our sakes. Don't let them try to kill Him again.

To those who would flame, revile me, and treat me with hatred for what I have to say:

I have many friends who are of different beliefs than my own, including Wiccan and Muslim. I love them all dearly, and we respect each other. NONE of us try to kill each other's God, Goddess, or spiritual figure out of hate. I would be just as angry if someone told my Wiccan or Muslim friend that they wanted to destroy their faith.

I have no quarrel with Atheists. They are entitled to their beliefs, and as long as they respect mine, we can get along. But when someone treats my faith, my community, and my God with hatred and intolerance, I will fight. And I will NOT give up. I would not be a true member of my faith if I did not stand up for it.

I am not sorry for standing up for what I believe in.

May the Peace of our Lord be with You,

~Michan



 

[dragongirl42391]

Here is how we, as Christians, should handle this situation. Yes this movie is geared towards children and has atheistic themes. This raises certain questions. Such as,
1. Should we, as Christians go see this movie? There is two ways to answer.
a: Yes: We Christians know we love God, and a silly little book or movie is not going to change that fact. We should prove that we are openminded enough and strong enough in our beliefs to go see this movie despite the fact that it is atheistic at times.
b: No: This book/movie is obviously anti-theistic, therefore, I will stand up for beliefs by not seeing this movie. If this movie promotes atheistic themes, then this not something God wants me to be tempted by. I want my life to be totally God-centered, therefore I won't go see something that isn't.
2. The second, maybe more pressing question, is should we let our children (if you have children) go see this movie? Again, there is two ways to answer.
a: Yes: It is a harmless fantasy film and I trust my children to able to tell the difference between fantasy and reality. I brought my children up well and have taught them about Jesus: They know God is real. This book and movie will not affect them and help them to be open-minded.
b: No: This fantasy film carries anti-theistic themes, wrapped up in a colorful fantasy candy like package. I don't want my children to be exposed to this film because young children are VERY impressionable, and even if this film doesn't have an immediate effect on my child's beliefs it could plant an unwanted seed in their mind.

No matter which option we choose, I think we should stand up for our beliefs and tell people that we don't believe in the themes that the movie is portraying. I think we should state this gently and firmly, but not condem people or shout at people or be hateful towards people who do choose to go see it. Simply we should state what we believe calmly and explain in a LOVING way why we are not goin to see the movie. This way, when they do choose to see the movie they well have the seed of what we said to them also planted in their head. Protesting loudly and angrily will just make people hate the whole idea of Christianity even more.

WWJD people.


I am choosing not to see the movie because if I am going to explain why I don't believe in what the movie is teaching, I would feel like a hippocrate saying "I totally don't believe in what this movie is saying, but I'm going to go see it anyway." I also would not take a child to see it because children are impressionable. But, I would properly and clearly explain to the child why he/she is not allowed to see it. If I thought they were old enough and wise enough, I might consider renting the movie and watching it WITH the child, then discussing with the child why they weren't allowed to see it in the first place.

But either option you choose please remember what I said up above!  

[ryokomayuka]

I've heard about this. I probably won't be seeing it. At least in the theaters. When it comes on Dvd maybe. There are other movies I would rather see. I was looking at the message boards at Imdb and saw some interesting post. I was a wikipedia and saw some interesting stuff. I haven't read any of the books.  

[Lethkhar]

I absolutely loved those books as a kid...Even before I was an atheist.

I really need to reread The Golden Compass before the movie comes out. They're fantastic, and Phillip Pullman is an amazing writer.

You do realize, of course, that the bigger a deal you make out of this the more people will get curious and go see it? This always happens when a controversial movie/book comes out. The DaVinci Code shouldn't have been nearly as popular as it was, and it wouldn't have been if a bunch of Christians hadn't decided they wanted to boycott it, which got everyone else really interested...In fact, I'd bet that Phillip Pullman is only stressing this part of the series just to pull your beard and give him that free advertisement that controversy always brings with it.

I'm also willing to bet that they're going to remove the whole Republic of Heaven thing from the movies because they're too hard to understand for the average kid and they're too controversial. To quote from a website you yourself provided,"The film itself is unlikely to offend — because New Line Cinema has tried to keep religion out of it, focusing on the story of a little girl named Lyra and her journey within a strange, parallel universe."

Do you even know what the books are about? Have you read them? I'm willing to bet not. You're just taking those websites' words for it. Before you judge whether it's bad for your children or not, maybe you should read it yourself, hm?

They're wonderful books. I don't even remember the part about overthrowing God, at least not until my brother mentioned it to me. All I really remember was the armored polar bears...Awesome books, really. Definitely one of my favorite series.

They're great. The whole anti-religious thing is only one of the themes. Most of it, from what I remember, was a sort of coming-of-age story. How the protagonist changed throughout the series is profound. She goes from an immature tomboy to a young woman. From indoctrination to free-thinking...It's incredibly intelligent and really is more about maturity than anything else. And Will was always cool...

Yeah, I really need to reread them.  

[Lyneun]

*sigh* It's just a fantasy book, people.  

[Lindpen]

I'm in the process of reading The Golden Compass. So far I have only a few literary nitpicks. I've heard that the books become progressively anti-theistic, and while I do think (from a literary standpoint) that injecting one's beliefs into one's work for the sake of it can be damaging to the story, I haven't had that problem with Pullman yet. That's not to say that Christians should never write Christian characters, etc. Far from it. Bits of an author and his worldview are bound to be discernible in his works, of course, but tearing down others as one's driving force can be a little...immature and wish-fulfilling. I can't say whether that's true for Pullman; only he and God (I believe) can.

I'm not trying to be politically correct. As a wannabe writer with characters from all ends of the spectrum, I can honestly say that most characters will not bother me if they're developed well. It's when the author pushes--and I haven't read far enough yet to determine whether or how much Pullman does--that I'm bothered.

That said, I agree that children are impressionable, and if something went against my beliefs then I would not let my child(ren) take part in it until he/ they were older.  

[A Different Light]

If you're worried about the religious aspects of the story, it's really just in the last book that it gets more anti-theistic. They were awesome books, and I should reread them.  

[x unobstructed pencil x]

I totally agree with Michan Starfire! I will not be watching that movie! It's motives are to turn children away from God! Of course, it you want to think of it as a fantasy, then okay. However, if you know it will start to make you stray, don't watch the movie, and don't read the book. Simple as that! If you can handle it, go ahead.  

[Lethkhar]

Thing is, it isn't even really anti-theistic. Sure, they overthrow "God", but all they really overthrow is someone who claims to be (but obviously is not) God. So if anything it supports the whole "thou shalt not worship any other gods before me" thing or whatever that commandment is...

What it's really about is growing up and becoming an individual. At least that's what I remember getting out of it. That and it's just an awesome fantasy series...  

[Asuma542]

I heard about that. I was a bit skeptical at first but then I was showed the artilce snopes.com had on it and was convinced. I thought it looked good until I saw the theology behind it. It really is a shame though, thats a prime way to target young people, but luckily it got a PG-13 rating so maybe some parents won't take their children to see it.  

[Lyneun]

Quote:

It's motives are to turn children away from God!

And the author has said this? Through all of this, I have seen no one quote the most important source in this topic: the author! So let's see it. Give me a damn interview, people. scream  

[Lindpen]

Lyneun

Quote:

It's motives are to turn children away from God!

And the author has said this? Through all of this, I have seen no one quote the most important source in this topic: the author! So let's see it. Give me a damn interview, people. scream

I'd like some direct quotes as well (excluding Pullman's venom toward Narnia); things specifically about "killing God." Even before this thread, I've only gone by hearsay. I'm too sleepy and lazy right now to research for myself, but maybe I can find some things in the morning and post them.  

[Lethkhar]

Lindpen

Lyneun

Quote:

It's motives are to turn children away from God!

And the author has said this? Through all of this, I have seen no one quote the most important source in this topic: the author! So let's see it. Give me a damn interview, people. scream

I'd like some direct quotes as well (excluding Pullman's venom toward Narnia); things specifically about "killing God." Even before this thread, I've only gone by hearsay. I'm too sleepy and lazy right now to research for myself, but maybe I can find some things in the morning and post them.

Well, it's technically illegal for me to give you a quote directly from the book, but here's the essential gist of the whole "killing God" part *SPOILER ALERT*:

There is an entity known as The Authority. This entity created himself from Dust (A magical substance) before any of the other "angels". He tricked all the other "angels" into thinking he had created them, when they had really created themselves. Having done this, The Authority proceeded to take control of the entire multiverse. In many universes, he is known and worshipped as a deity. However, over time The Authority becomes weak as it gets old. It places one of its lieutenients in charge of the "Kingdom of Heaven", since its failing health does not allow it to do so.
One of the characters of the book, Lord Asriel, puts together an army and overthrows The Authority, proclaiming it a false god. He actually executes the lieutenient, not The Authority. The Authority actually gets away inside a crystal box thing (I can't remember what it is...basically, it protects its frail body from the outside world). The main character, Lyra, opens this crystal box thing to let him out, but the exposure to the outside world accidently kills him, and he disperses back into the Dust that he started as.

More information here.

I don't think Pullman hates Narnia because of its Christian references, but because of its depiction of childhood. Since, as I have already said, his trilogy is really about growing up, this is understandable.  

[Lyneun]

That could be about any god, I think. It reminds me dimly of Danu creating Brigid and The Dagda, and following, the Tuatha de Dannan. But it could remind anyone of any creator god and their created servants (angels).  

[Fushigi na Butterfly]

I'd had no idea about any of this stuff regarding The Golden Compass until just now. Unfortunately, PluggedIn doesn't have a review of the movie yet. But good points have already been made: if you're likely to stray because of the themes of the movie or book, then stay away. If you are strong enough in your faith to just enjoy the book and/or movie as fantasy, knock yourself out. It's like all the hype over Harry Potter being from the Devil. rolleyes Sit down, have a talk with God, and if you feel it's okay to watch/read The Golden Compass then go for it. You can enjoy a book without agreeing with all of its themes. For example, the book Good Omens is a great book. It's hilarious and totally satirizes religion and the Apocalypse. I was able to enjoy it for its witty humor and the authors' opinions of what would happen if an angel and a demon did in fact try to stop Armageddon (and if the Antichrist got accidentally misplaced xd ). Did I agree with the idea of an angel and demon going against God's plans? No, of course not. Doesn't mean it wasn't funny. xd

It's just like that. Personally, a movie or book like that is not going to sway my faith. I know what I believe; I'm strong in that belief. I'll probably read the book and then rent the DVD. Hopefully neither will be a waste of my money.

Also, I'm going to leave this thread here for another day or two and then move it into the movie discussion subforum. 3nodding