Are the allegations about Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass) true?

Question

I bought my son Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy for his birthday. It had great reviews and was highly recommended for a 6th grade reading level by the Yahoo Answers community. Now I'm kind of second guessing my decision because of a review I read. It said that the books follow an Anti-Christian theme that concludes with the children killing God. Below is a link to the article. Are these allegations true?

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

Answer 1

Yes, it's true that this trilogy has blatant anti-religious themes, which might be somewhat subtle in the first book but are much more pronouned in the second and third books. Even some non-Christians have been put off by this and have said that by the third book they felt as though the author had abandoned the story in favor of "preaching" his views at them.

Despite what another poster said, Pullman most definitely IS attacking the Christian God in these books - not some alternate god in an alternate universe. He even referes to the Christian and Jewish God by some of His specific names listed in the Bible. God is depicted as being a feeble, fake, decrepit, old liar who is the source of everything that's wrong in the world, while the fallen and rebellious angels are depicted as being the "good guys." Aside from that, Pullman throws in sexual innuendo, homosexual angels, and a protagonist whose greatest talent is lying.

But don't just take my word for it, here are some reviews from readers who have read the trilogy: http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0679879242/ref=cm_cr_dp_hist_1/103-9792110-1496603?%5Fencoding=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar


"Pro:
Philip Pullman shows glimmers of brilliance as a writer. His characters are engaging, his worlds are vivid, his prose is delightful at times, and he occasionally produces lush and beautifully drawn descriptive paragraphs. His "science" is goofy but inventive, and without it his story couldn't work. He also demonstrates a good understanding of what appeals to an adolescent reader. I enjoyed the first volume, though my interest plateaued in the second volume and dropped like a stone in the third.

Con:
Philip Pullman is one of a growing group of authors who market their own controversial adult ideas and themes as juvenile fiction/fantasy. While I affirm his right to have, and to express his view of the world, Mr. Pullman's method of garnering an uncritical and captive audience for his intellectualist drivel is despicable. Pullman is a skillful and sometimes powerful writer who understands his audience well; sadly he uses that skill and knowledge to entice, seduce, and manipulate the immature reader."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"I started out with anticipation. The first two books were great. By the time this one ended I was very disappointed. I don't mind Pullman's anti-christian polemic so much, lame and contradictory as that is. The thing that annoyed me most is the portrayal of pre-teen infatuation and sexual discovery as the savior of the universe. Very silly and irresponsible. Let's tell kids that puppy love is the glue that holds everything together. I wouldn't put it on any recommended parents' list. "

------------------------------------------------------------------

"I do not think this book should be given to young children who are looking for a good read. The themes in this book include a nun who breaks her vow of chastity and counsels the two main characters to have sex. Additionaly, God is pictured as an old man locked inside a box. The messages in the book are subtle and not apparent in the first book. I liked the trilogy but find it disturbing that it is given a good recommendation by librarians and booksellers without any thought as to the content or the appropriateness of the recommendation. "

------------------------------------------------------------------

"No attempt is made to place any religious characters in a favorable light: they are unremittingly portrayed as either wicked or cowardly.
One other caveat: there is quite a bit of not-too-subtle sexuality in this book, more than I'm comfortable letting my ten-year-old son read."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"While this series is well-written and engaging, as a parent and educator I wish to caution parents and teachers alike that Pullman's expressed aim in writing this series is "to undermine the basis of Christian belief." This is not clearly realized until the second or third book when the reader is already engaged in the story line. It is not merely an anti-Christian book, it is an anti-GOD book and buyers should be aware of this. I read the series and enjoyed it immensely, but when I understood the basis of the story, I felt like I had been manipulated by this author and the publishers' agenda. To have this available to kids in some school districts could cause trouble from parents. As a teacher, I would definitely get parents' informed consent before allowing students to read this in class.

Philip Pullman quote: "We're used to the kingdom of heaven; but you can tell from the general thrust of the book that I'm of the devil's party, like Milton...The king is dead. That's to say I believe that the king is dead. I'm an atheist." "

------------------------------------------------------------------

"I am not a religious person. I wouldn't say I'm an atheist, but I'm seriously leaning toward agnosticism. However, this series made me feel not just uncomfortable, but downright unclean because of how it dealt with religion. Mr. Pullman is an atheist, and I do not take exception with his right to his beliefs. I probably share some of them. The problem is, this series has been published and marketed as a children's fantasy novel, with no mention of the active dislike - hatred, even - in it's portrayal of religion. Mr. Pullman is free to believe what he chooses, and I'll defend to my dying day his right to do so. However, readers (and their parents) also have a right to their beliefs, and should not be blindsided by a seemingly harmless children's book. We label music with violent lyrics, restrict access to movies with adult themes, even rate television shows so parents have some idea of the content before allowing their children to watch. It disturbs me that this book is marketed directly to children, without any indication of its anti-religious themes.

This is not a series for young children, no matter how precocious they are. Religious issues aside, it's just too dark. Even young teens should not read this series without adult input. If your child wishes to read it, you should read it first and be prepared to discuss it with them. This is especially true if you are even casually religious because it's unsettling to have your beliefs twisted into something evil and spit back at you. Adults and older teens should be aware of the subject matter before reading it. If you don't have a problem with it, fine, enjoy the books. They're certainly well written. If I had been prepared for the subject matter before going into it, I might have actually liked the books. "

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Pullman is a master of story telling and imagery. The subject matter, however, is not appropriate for children depsite the book's cover which recommends the book for ages 10 and up. My objections? The heroine, Lyra, sets off to rescue her dear friend who has been kidnapped and is horrified when she learns that he was kidnapped for a religious experiment in which children are surgically separated from their deamons (external manifestations of their souls) which either kills the children or leaves them in a perpetual zombie-like state. The exiperiment has been performed countless times under the direction of . . . Lyra's mother. Lyra views her father with a mixture of admiration and fear. Her father never marries her mother even though he kills the man Lyra's mother is married to at the time of Lyra's conception. Until the end of the book he is portrayed as noble. His interests are similar to those of Lyra's mother, but his interest is portrayed as pure and academic in nature. In the end Lyra and the friend she rescued bring her father a tool they think he needs. In the dead of night he kidnaps the friend, and Lyra witnesses her father sacrificing her friend by separating him from his daemon to further his own scientific pursuits.

This is a book that will teach children to be fearful, not hopeful. It will teach them that they are alone, not part of a family or community. It will teach them to distrust the adults in their lives, not turn to them for advice or assistance. Because the imagery is fabulous, the lessons are more readily learned. "

------------------------------------------------------------------

"After a wonderful beginning in The Golden Compass, and a decent continuation in The Subtle Knife, the "Dark Materials" trilogy falls flat in its confused and unsatisfying end. Reading The Amber Spyglass made clear why its projected publication date had been delayed so many times -- Pullman had no idea how to end his tale and, after reading the book, I wish its publication had been delayed even further so that he might have gotten it right. Characters act completely out of character with no discernible motive; new contrivances are introduced without need and abandoned without explanation; even the Amber Spyglass that gives the book its title seems a meaningless afterthought. All in all, a confused ponderous muddle that, because of its lack of continuity with the prior books, overemphasizes what appears to be the only clear theme in this installment -- a vicious attack on Christianity and the Judeo-Christian God. Pullman's collapse as a storyteller is forgiveable; his waiting until the third volume of an otherwise engaging trilogy of books aimed largely at pre-teens/early teens to make clear the message he is delivering to them is not - Pullman's subtle knife in theology's backside"

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Having just completed Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy, I must say that I am impressed by the writing. The stories were engaging, the characters well-developed, and the plot kept me turning the pages. Philip Pullman is a very good writer.
However, I was very disturbed by the author's agenda; presented subtly at first and growing more pronounced with each book. Philip Pullman does not care for (or fear) God. I don't think that anyone who reads these books can argue that point. As we read through these books, we learn that God is, in fact, the enemy who has been repressing knowledge and love and freedom throughout the ages. His primary weapon has been The Church, and his agents are dark, evil people who do terrible things to children in order to repress knoweldge (and human sexuality.)

There is a great war going on throughout this work, and we learn that the characters we know and love are on the good guys(which also happens to be the side of the angels who were cast from Heaven during the 1st rebellion.)Sexuality also receives some glorification in the final novel as a nun confesses that a sexual encounter made her realize that her devotion to the church was empty and Will and Lyra, the main characters, help save the universe with their love (and sexual consummation of their relationship.) This type of content strikes me as very inappropriate for the adolescent reader. In the third novel, Pullman becomes very brazen in his assault on God and the church. In case others would refute this, I qoute from the final novel, "The Amber Spyglass", "...all the history of human life has been a struggle between wisdom and stupidity. She and the rebel angels, the followers of wisdom, have always tried to open minds; the Authority and his churches have always tried to keep them closed." God is finally presented in person near the end of the final novel as a frail and confused old man who falls from his throne and dies, a pathetic victim who has been manipulated by his power-hungry arch-angel. As an adult, I read these books with interest, humor, and some appreciation for Pullman's writing style. I am well-grounded in my religious beliefs and no novel is going to change my convictions, though I find the intellectual engagement stimulating. However, as a mother, I would be appalled for my 12 or 13 year-old to read these books. I think Pullman has stepped over the line in creating such a work with children as his intended (or at least marketed) audience."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"I just finished book 3 of the trilogy, and I have to admit I'm quite disturbed. All three are extremely well written. The characters are fully realized. There were a few brief moments where I felt the "hand of the author" tweak the plot to make something happen, but for the most part I was convinced by the world the author had created. However, PARENTS SHOULD BE WARNED BEFORE LETTING THEIR CHILDREN READ THESE BOOKS! Pullman has been compared to C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Lewis and Tolkien write from and use metaphor to express their Christian beliefs. Pullman blatently attacks all religion. Parents should be aware of the following (Normally I would never give away plot points in a review but in this case I feel I have to make an exception): In these books God is senile, the blblical Enoch is now a power mad angel who lusts after women and is trying to take over all worlds, the afterlife is depicted as a prison camp, and the only way for the world to be saved is when two twelve year old children become lovers. Depending on how you feel about things you may also be shocked to find the two main angels who help our hero and heroine are gay. Pullman's point, ultimately, is that you can take one of two paths in life: Religion, which is followed by the "stupid" (his words, not mine) and Wisdom. In Pullman's world the two aren't compatable. I give it three stars for the writing, though I completely disagree with the message. "

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mr. Pullman has every right to express his opinions about religion. He has every right to hate religion as well. I can not deny him that. However, I call into question his right to present his views not to his peers and equals in knowledge and experience but to disseminate this fodder to those whose worldviews are not as mature or as stable as his own.

The hatred that is put forth in this book is disturbing and in the second book it only accumulates. I can not recommend this book, not for young adults and especially not for children. For adults it is entirely up to you. But do not be fooled by the wrappings. This is not a happy tale of adventure and fantasy. It is a deliberate attack on Christianity."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mr. Pullman sadly mars his richly-textured work of fantasy by a barely-masked antagonism towards what one must suppose is Roman Catholicism. The climax of his book is disrupted by an extended diatribe against the Church, which I found gratuitous and frankly, bad writing. It was just as contrived as having to endure a monologue by the hero of the book on why you should accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, mid-climax. "

------------------------------------------------------------------

"This trilogy overflows with an undisguised loathing of religion. I would not give this book to any child or teen you want to have a tolerant attitude toward other's beliefs. The author also has some very odd ideas about the types of relationships that 12 year olds are likely to have. The idea of a deep, committed, erotic, and mature relationship forming between a couple of this age seems very far fetched. Pullman seems blinded by his vision of the way the world should be. It seems he feels that God, and much of the morality that religion teaches, should be dead."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"I bought this based on some of the reviews I read which compared it to the Harry Potter series. That's pretty misleading as far as I'm concerned. The problem here is not really with this first book of the series. It's actually pretty enjoyable and well written. The real problems start to develope in book two and then become full blown in book three. If I were interested in blasting these from a religous standpoint, I'd say that portraying god as a senile, drooling idiot incapable of even walking on his own may be in poor taste for younger, impressionable readers. But I will leave that to others to debate. My complaint is that the first book draws you into what appears to be an interesting story and then steadly becomes increasingly boring, confusing, poorly written and just plain stupid through the next two books in the series. Unfortunately, you can't just read the first book on it's own. "

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mr. Pullman, while gifted as a writer, seems to see himself as a prophet of atheism. Do I have a problem with this? No! Mr. Pullman can preach whatever he believes. Do I have a problem with this trilogy? Yes, and emphatically so. These books are NOT PRO-athiest. They are ANTI-Christian/Judaism/Muslim. They don't attack the idea of God, they attack these faiths specific views of God; a very important distinction.

These books were written for children--and written in such a way as to try to guide children into agreeing with Pullmans beliefs. He does not come out and say what he thinks until the end of the trilogy, by which point the children have come to identify with his characters. Mr. Pullman is taking the only audience he can find that are impressionable enough to do damage to, and trying to influence their thinking. He compares himself to CS Lewis--an anti-CS lewis if you will--this is fine (if incorrect, as Lewis is promoting a belief, not attacking one). However, the subtle nature of his work and the fact that his books are not advertised as anti-Christian is where the problem comes in. If he wants to write to influence people, he is welcome to do so (and even should do so if he has strong beliefs), however, he shouldn't try to sneak his ideas past the guiding influence of parents. Mr. Pullman is an ethical coward--one who will not try to sell his ideals to completely rational beings, for fear of rejection and low sales.

To conclude, Mr. Pullman should either write books without his moral slant, or declare their moral slant early (on the cover!)so that parents can more easily understand what the book is about and what the author is trying to convince their children of."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Just read all three and sorry, but this is pretty blatant plagarism, and not very good plagarism at that. Just a re-telling of "Paradise Lost". Sure, it makes you think. You think, "Why did I waste my time reading these"? Not exciting or interesting, the kid is obnoxious, and lots of filler. Also, definitely NOT for kids. If you are religious, it will offend you, probably because the author is not just satisfied presenting an alternate view of creation, he spews his hatred of religion in the guise of fiction. I read to be entertained and this was not entertainment in any way."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"By the end of the book, Pullman outright changes and distorts the the book of Genisis and includes his new version. He makes abominable interpretations of verses, such as Genisis 3:19, his character says "it really means that God's admitting his own nature to be partly sinful"(Pullman, 373)."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"The plot starts off really slow. It does eventually develop into a good and exciting book. In fact I was thinking I really liked the book despite the beginning, until I got to the end. The book ends with a sad, pointless, dispicable ending. It just made me mad that such good potential could be butchered in such a terrible way. I'm returning the book. "

------------------------------------------------------------------

"This book doesn't deserve 5 stars. The beginning was good, but after that, it went downhill. When i first read it in 5th grade, i had nightmares for weeks because of what they do to the children. Now that i have forced myself to reread it, i found this book disturbing in more ways than one."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Truly one of the worst "children's" books ever written...unless, that is, you like to read stories in which parents are portrayed as child-torturers and murderers, the "Church" is a mysterious, fascist agency that promotes the child-murdering program (among other wholesome activities), children speak with odd, stilted grammar, and several of the main characters just...disappear in the middle of the story without further explanation. Nice stuff to read to your kids. Oh, did I mention that this book has possibly one of the most inept and unsatisfying endings ever to make it into print?"

------------------------------------------------------------------

"This book is not appropriate for children! I am very open-minded but my (very advanced) 10 year old read this book and was really bothered by it - I took a look and my 10 year was right! This had horrible underlying themes - don't waste your money on a series that is titled "His dark materials". I took for granted since had won several awards it was ok - it's not. "

------------------------------------------------------------------

"This book had cuss words that could have easily been avoided as well as many other inappropriate things..don't waste your time on this book. The even altered the BIBLE in this book. STEP AWAY."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"I was certain that I loved The Golden Compass when I'd finished it, I'll admit that in a heartbeat, despite the little nagging annoyance about the "daemons" -- I mean, how close can you get to saying the kids are followed by demons, even if they aren't like demons at all? -- and also Lord Asriel's declaration at the end that God was stating his tendency to sin in Genesis. What?! Even in the revised version of the Bible quote in The Golden Compass, I couldn't make sense of where he got that.

But anyway. It wasn't The Golden Compass that bothered me, except for those things and the glaring disgust of the church -- but face it, I've got a little disgust for the medieval Catholic church too -- It started the Inquisition and the Crusades and such things, didn't it?

Then I read The Subtle Knife. Aspersions on the church I can handle, but declaring war on God Himself? And WINNING? Er, that's a little much for me."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Lyra started out all right, as a fun loving, spunky tomboy. But she quickly lost her sparkle and faded to an unremarkable character. I ceased to care that much about what happened to her. That was the problem I had with most of the characters. They all had some defining traits, yes, but were not nearly as varied and diverse as in other books. And as for Lord Asriel- he's consistently portrayed as being noble and honorable, with pure and academic motives. yet he conceives a child with a married woman he never weds, murders her husband, conducts hideous experiments on children, betrays his daughter, and kidnaps her friend. What's wrong with this picture?"

------------------------------------------------------------------

"I bought this book after seeing the movie trailer and seeing that it had been voted the best fantasy book in the UK. I will say that Mr. Pullman is a very good writer and is very good at creating an imanginary world. The other reviews have described the plot and it is a good one. What distrubed me, and makes this book unsutable for children, is the dark turn that takes place at the end. The book progresses from being a adventure story about a young girl to a eugenics/progress of science/religion as repression plot. The change happens quickly and is decisive. Suddenly, the young girl is thrown into a very cruel and very adult world complete with very adult themes. Now, there is nothing wrong with that, many fantasy books deal with adult themes, but what is wrong is that this book is being marketed at young children. My nine-year old was looking foward to reading this book but, it will be a long time before she is ready for it. The book is strongly anti-religious (the Church is the great Evil). There are no good characters with sincerely held religious beliefs. If you are looking for a good fantasy book for children, look elsewhere. "

------------------------------------------------------------------

"We saw the "10 and older" on the cover of these books and thought it sounded perfect for our ten year old son. It was, until children started having their psychic/spiritual animal "daemon" CUT from them from the "bad guys". My son burst into tears and vowed never to read another book by Pullman. A bit extreme, yes, but I can't believe these books are listed as ok for kids this young. They are too dark and frightening. My son doesn't need to know about castration yet (the next book also includes a mention of sexual organs of children being cut off in some countries.) I read this one and the next and enjoyed them myself (age 52) but I was really angry that the publishers consider this appropriate for a 10 year old."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"I am a middle school teacher so I read a lot of children's books. In my opinion, this book is too deep and dark for young children. It discusses issues such as being split from one's soul, original sin, and experiments on children. Also, I did not appreciate the misquoted Bible scripture at the end of the book. Again, this book is OK for adults, but it will not be on the shelf in my sixth grade classroom. "

------------------------------------------------------------------

"When I first read this book, I liked it a lot. So a lot of you may like it too. The book tells of a girl named Lyra and her daemon, her animal companion who shares adventures with her in the Arctic. However, Some parts of it made me feel uncomfortable, because I am a Christian. The book seems to hint that the Church is evil, and it re-words the Bible. It also has stuff about witches and ghosts. Otherwise it seems fine. However, I don't recomend that you read it. Although it seems okay, it leaves you wondering what happens and wanting to read the next book. And I was majorly disapointed with the Subtle Knife. It trashes God and says he is evil, and it encourages rebellion. It says that God can be destroyed with a knife. If you are a Christian, or any other person for that matter, I would say stay away of the other books. "

------------------------------------------------------------------

"'Start with a character, and you'll find you've got a type. Start with a type, and you'll find you've got nothing.'
In "The Golden Compass" Philip Pullman writes 'types', not characters. I struggled through hundreds of pages wondering why in the world I was supposed to like Lyra. I didn't, and I still don't. Why? She's a type, not a character. She's an icon of childhood ideals of sorts. A spritely, lively, free-spirited, exuberant thing. ie.) Moderately uninteresting caricature of childlike innocence.

Pullman writes children like somebody who's studied them in psychology texts in order to write for them, but has never spoken to one. The writing otherwise is solid, and locales are nicely rendered, but I got bored fast with the use of his characters as nothing but wooden puppets to hang his pseudo-spiritual/metaphysical ideas and gadgets on. His personal philosophies are the real star of these stories, and it quickly becomes tiresome. Good essay material, yes. Compelling storytelling? Not really.

Too much is arbitrary or unexplained besides. Why are there talking bears in a world otherwise grounded in realism, when other animals are just that? What IS dust anyway? You'll be three hundred pages in before you realize not a compelling word of explanation has been offered yet. String a reader along long enough, and he'll just stop caring. I was waist-deep in this story when I just stopped caring. The longer it got, the more acutely, annoyingly aware I became that this story was subdivided to cover three books for commercial reasons. The Golden Compass is, putting it simply, chock full of filler meant to spread the narrative thin enough to sell two more episodes. What ARE daemons? What about Iorek and the bears? Dust? Mrs Coulter? Ultimately, a lot more questions are raised than answered, but I simply stopped caring about the outcome. I don't think I'll be purchasing the next two books.

Pullman is popular because his themes appeal to the present social/philosophical prejudices of the literary establishment. But that really doesn't change the fact that it's all pretty hamfisted, archetypical, and just plain uninteresting as a story. Neat ideas (though admittedly, blatant propaganda) marred by very average storytelling and one-dimensional characters. Stick to Rowling, Tolkien, and Lewis, not necessarily in that order."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"This book effectively holds your interest throughout although the subject matter of torturing and killing children is disturbing. The ending is a disappointment with no resolution, no emotional release. The author clearly has one thing in mind, he wants you to buy part two. I think I'll pass. "

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Lyra superficially resembles the impulsive and tomboyish heroines of Joan Aiken (WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE, BLACK HEARTS IN BATTERSY, NIGHTBIRDS ON NANTUCKET). But Lyra does not benefit from the comparison. Aiken's recurring themes included friendships between stronger and (seemingly) weaker children, resulting in empowerment for the weak child. Aiken's boys, like her tomboys, were as gentle to the weak as they were courageous and clever. By contrast, Pullman's recurring themes are the matter-of-fact destruction of the weak, and the author-approved triumph of the brutal. Lyra may pityingly accept the "devoted slavery" of a mere beta male like Roger, but gives her true love to the ruthless and mighty. The shocking climax of Volume One deluded me into thinking she might grow out of this fault, but it actually gets worse.

In fact, GOLDEN COMPASS is by far the best in the trilogy. It starts out plodding, but picks up in the latter half. It has some stretches of lovely language and vividly horrific imagery. The improved second half gave me hope for good things. But HIS DARK MATERIALS, supposedly Pullman's best work, declines after Book One. His many vivid passages prove him a good writer and will make this series a natural fit for Hollywood, which excels at stringing together stirring set pieces, if nothing else. But despite his talent, Pullman has consistently let me down as a storyteller. He has no interest in fleshing out the potentially interesting World he creates, betrays an outright distaste for the humble task of fantasy storytelling, and is shockingly careless with good ideas deserving of better treatment. In Book 3, he springs on us his Agenda, which dominates and derails the series, and leads to one of the most memorably moronic conclusions in literary history.

The popularity of the series could stem from Pullman's refreshingly different fantasy setting, intriguing metaphysical concepts, and the lip-service paid to certain humanistic notions such as feminism, homosexuality, anti-authoritarianism, and scientific progress. But considering that the setting is so sketchily realized, the concepts so clumsily trashed, the humanist pretensions so completely undermined by the story, the "daring" conclusion such a copout, and the Enemy such a strawman, that a cynic might suspect that HDM's popularity in certain quarters really stems from its ultimate descent into a virulent hate screed. Readers who like the first book should be cautious about spending hard cash on the series until they have finished it.

The blurb on my copy recommends this to children as young as eight, but I recommend parents take this with a heavy dose of salt. Book One contains much to stimulate the imagination, and children will love those "daemons". But the best parts of the story are horrific scenes, usually involving the victimization of children, for which the later books no justice and no comfort. For children who are old enough for the horror, you might want to discuss with them the fact that in later books the heroes are mostly amoral, the author shows clear contempt for the homosexuals, women, and even the child victims he pretends to champion, and the series ultimately confuses nihilism with depth. "

Answer 2

I received an e-mail about the movie coming out in time for the Christmas season this year, that included that link. Scopes is usually reliable, so I would consider it. Philip Pullman thinks The Chronicles of Narnia are bad for kids and that C.S. Lewis was the most dangerous of all English writers?!?

I don't care how good the story, if it's an attack on Christianity and it's about fighting God, I want no part of it.

My suggestion to you, since you've already given your son these books: read it with him and discuss the ideas being presented.

If you want to go further, after you read this series together, read The Chronicles of Narnia series with him, too. Then discuss the ideas presented in C.S. Lewis' books with him.

This way you won't be depriving him of reading books he's looked forward to reading, but you will be able to show him what you believe to be right and wrong and explain any faults you find.

History is replete with men who use the very talent God has given them to fight Him. They haven't won yet; nor will they! I wouldn't worry about it, if I were you. God is certainly bigger than a book....even a series or a movie!

Let me emphasize: READ IT WITH HIM!!!

BTW: I just remembered something. Years ago I read that Voltaire said that in 100 years the Bible would be extinct. A 100 years later, the biggest Bible publishing company in the world was being run from what was once Voltaire's property. Talk about the last laugh...

BTW2: As a Christian, I don't have a problem with the Harry Potter series. I only have a problem with books that push an anti-Christ theology.

Answer 3

If you are worried about how your son will react to these stories, I would suggest that you read them yourself before you give them to your son. I am a Christian, and, frankly did not care for the books at all. While the series has a fairly blatant anti-religious bent in the last two volumes, this really had nothing to do with why I didn't care for the story. As others have suggested, talking to your son about some of the more challenging aspects of the book is a great way to approach it.

On another note, I have found snopes.com to be a very objective source of information. Generally speaking, you can trust what they have to say.

Answer 4

I would have to say having read the books that I would not recommend them for a child who is not old enough to be philosophically grounded in his faith simply because some of the stuff in these books is very subtle. It is also important that you know he portrays the Christian heaven as a lie.
Here's a quote of his about C.S. Lewis's Narnia
"I think he (Lewis) was actually dangerous because these books celebrate death."

He has a very twisted outlook on a series that is beloved by generations of people so for me his intentions are a wee bit suspect.

All that being said, my honest advice for you is to read these books yourself and then decide if they are something your son should read.

This article gives a clearer picture of the author himself.

http://www.licc.org.uk/articles/pullmans-purpose

Answer 5

that's what people have been telling me... i read the books a few years ago, i didn't notice anything bad, i'm a christian, but i really didn't delve that much into those books, i only saw it as a story. but i do know that philip pullman did not like c.s. lewis' books at all and wrote the trilogy almost as a response to narnia, but yeah, i suppose everything you heard is true, but if you are a christian and you are strong in your faith i don't think it can affect you.

Answer 6

Nobody would claim that Pullman believes in God. As for being anti-Christian, I don't believe so. Pullman criticises Christianity but not in a bigoted way.

I am a Christian and I don't read his books because of his anti-christian beliefs. I think these things are a matter of degree.

Answer 7

The second and third books do feature a war against God as one of the major plot points. The main characters do not kill God, and the leaders of the anti-divine campaign are depicted quite indisputably as evil characters. I don't think the books are specifically anti-Christian, though they do use religious themes in a way that would be considered heretical by most Christian churches.

Answer 8

I am a Christian and I have read his trilogy. The books are well-written and very enrapturing--essentially they are everything an exciting fantasy novel should be. They definitely have non-Christian themes, but by no means are they anti-Christian. Really, it's just a book, and a good one at that. The people who are all in a fuss about it are likely the same people who think Harry Potter books are evil--just a bunch of jackasses with too much time on their hands.

Your son will love the book. So will you.

Answer 9

They're such good books, it would be a shame to deprive your son of the story. Maybe you can explain to him that it takes place in an alternate world, a different universe. (It really does!) It's a completely different "God" than ours, and there are fundamental differences in the people. For example, each person is born with their own alternate self. It's hard to explain!

However, if you don't want your son to read the Harry Potter books, then you won't want him to read these.

Answer 10

i dotn know if u belive u should give it to him give it if not dont !