Why are Christians raising a big stink over "The Golden Compass"? It's fiction, pretend, make-believe, right?

Question

It's a movie. A MOVIE. There's Chronicles of Narnia, Bruce Almighty, Passion of the Christ, Miracle on 34th Street, etc etc... all Christian themed films.

What's the problem with one explicitly anti-God themed movie? Anti-theists can't have their 15 minutes of fame?

Answer 1

I understand what you mean.

In my opinion, no one religion should be accepted by society more than any other should.

For instance, say I put a large statue with a pentagram on it in the center of Central Park.

I *GUARANTEE* that this would be complained about, until it was removed.

But.. if I put up a cross in the center of Central Park, it would be accepted. Right? Right.

Well, just as the pentagram offends Christians, the cross my offend atheists or satanists.

And yet, society feels that because it conflicts with *their* beliefs, it's "wrong."

Chrisians can certainly say that The Golden Compass offends them. Well, sorry to break it to you, loves, but maybe the Passion of the Christ, Bruce Almighty, or even Miracle on 34th Street, offend ME.

Does that mean I should start drama because of it?

No.

And neither should Christians, about The Golden Compass.

Answer 2

How on earth has Bruce Almighty gotten lumped into Christian positive movies.....thats just weird. Anyway.
People fuss over all kinds of movies....the vulgerness in those such as Knocked Up or the Forty Year Old Virgin, the boy loving cowboys in the Brokeback Mountains, the gore/religion/anti semitism in The Passion of the Christ, the consistant use of blacks or mexicans as thugs and gangsters in Hollywood.
Please. People *****. That's what we do. There have been anti God movies before-Dogma, The Last Temptation of Christ. It's not like The Golden Compass is the driving wedge of secularism here.....Everyone's defending the movie before it comes out like its some kind of atheistic flag. Would any of you really care if the Christians weren't making such a big stir over it? Is it just a must see movie for that?
I'm just fascinated by the fact that all anyone seems to do in this catagory is snipe back and forth over who is more ignorant. Christians or atheists.
Everybody just stay home and read a book already.
(and just to point out-people shouldn't dog the Davinchi Code for its religious themes.......but simply because it really was a dull pointless movie)

Answer 3

I got mad when I heard it described as "anti-family." Yanno, atheists *have* been known to reproduce...

I think the logic, such as it is, is that it's being released close to Christmas. And then kids might want the books it's based on, and get them for Christmas. Books that promote atheism, as presents on the Lord's Birthday! You can see where that might offend some Christians.

But I think they'd be offended even if it was held off until Valentine's Day.

PS--Miracle on 34th Street is strongly anti-atheist. It is presented as oh, so sad that the little girl has been taught not to believe in Santa or Christmas by her hardened, embittered single mother. The lawyer must love them out of their error and teach them to believe...

Answer 4

I read it and I was certain that I would've loved The Golden Compass when I'd finished it, I'll admit that in a heartbeat, despite the little nagging annoyance about the "demons" -- 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 midieval church .This book is not for children, not because of violence, abductions, or anti-God, which again I didn't find overly aggressive, but simply because it's not a good story, it doesn't work...at least right from the start. If you are willing to struggle through the first hundred pages with complete boredom then this is the book for you.

not interested in viewing the film

Answer 5

The thing is that Chronicles of Narnia, Passion of the Christ, Miracle on 34th Street, etc etc...are not anti anything.

These movies are not attacking, mocking or distorting anybody else's beliefs as the books in "His Dark Materials" blatantly do.

Answer 6

It's probably taken as propaganda.
(as though Narnia wasn't, to at least the same degree.
(Oh, *good* propaganda's ok?))

I haven't heard a major outcry about the magical/occult "Stardust", but it's probably only a matter of time.

I'm just worried about the distortion done to works when they're run through the film-making mill. Few books survive unscathed, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was butchered.

Answer 7

It's the same type of illiterate peasant who thinks The Flintstones movie was a documentary.

It's only a vocal minority and it's probably engineered by the publicity department for the movie anyway.

I'm waiting for the making of The Satanic Verses.
Now, that will 'force' some 'brave' Muslims do a bit of indiscriminate suicide bombing.

Answer 8

Yes, it's a work of fiction, which is why it doesn't bother me. (OBTW - it's actually a series of three books, collectively titled "His Dark Materials". You might find it interesting.) I think most of my fellow Christians who are upset about it don't like the depiction of God as a senile old angel, whose place has been usurped by a younger angel, who is now planning a war on all intelligent life.

I think they're overreacting. But I would like to point out that the overreaction takes the form of irritated posts on the Internet and calls for boycotting of the film and books. No riots. No bombs. No calls for the beheading of the author.

Answer 9

It's none other but the rejection of organized religion and the abuse of power in a (fictionalized) Catholic Church that made the Catholic League call for a boycott of the film.

Isn't it funny that those bigots think that a film that exposes the vices of organized religion intends to turn children into Atheists?

Since when should Theism be closely linked to religion??

Answer 10

the had the davinci code and various others. unfortunately, many others also take this nonsense as literal. look at the nuts who thought & think the davinci code is real. look at those who think the harry potter series is real.... .

there was plenty of enough people screaming about the passion of the Christ. there are enough people screaming about the pledge of allegiance and PLEASE do NOT classify Bruce almighty or any other stupid films like that as Christian films. they may be based on Christian elements but NOT Chritian promoting.