The Golden Compass?

Question

Is anyone else sick of hearing about how 'His Dark Materials' trilogy and the new film 'The Golden Compass' is an attack on christians?

The people who shield their children from alternatives to christianity are purely indoctrination them and brainwashing them into being scared of anything which isn't accepted in the Bible.

Answer 1

as a shaman i enjoyed the books even though they took some of the power out of SOME of the shamanic concepts but really - seeing as christians stole the concept of the underworld from my ancestors and called it hell, nicked all our festivals and customs and generally persecuted the hell, scuse pun, out of everyone who didn't sign up to the new cult and burned alive sooo many seriously good people...who CARES what they think about a lil film now? gives me hope, though, that they are such frightened lil bunnies. =)

not all christians are such divs but if you lie down with dogs then you get up with fleas - guess that's the problem with ALL these new cults, huh?

just wanted to add something as a kind of 'rebuddle' to squeegee. tolkein and cs lewis where very good friends and discussed ideas before they both published. tolkein was insensed by what he saw as lewis' theft of all his ideas made 'tame' in the narnia books. pullman merely uses the child-antagonist device from lewis in the system that tolkein believed had real power(the beliefs of the REAl middle earth - wiccan, western europe - only pullman kinda guts it of any real power) and points it at, not god, but CHURCH and the evil they have been guilty of and not been held accountable for...but omg she scares me! i hope the 7 and 14 yr olds are hypothetical!

and there's nothing anti-bible in there think of the supreme being as more like the pope - you know, like the one you have now who covered up all the child abuse in the catholic church before attaining power, THAT one.

ewwwwwww. organised religion sux.

=(
=(

Answer 2

Well I'm 16, a Christian, and I absolutely love the books!
Yeah, they offer an alternative view of religion, but if people find them offensive then they can just choose not to read or watch them!
I'm personally really annoyed that they're having to cut lots of the religious aspects of the second and thirds books out of the movies because they're considered against the Catholic Church; they're what makes the books!
So yeah I am kinda fed up of hearing about how 'His dark materials' are an attack on Christians. No they're not! They're just great books, and if people are going to take them seriously and start getting offended over a fantasy fiction book, then really they only have themselves to blame if they feel 'attacked'.
And I agree with 'sweet sunday', sooo annoyed they've changed the name. And the adverts for it, 'one compass that can has the power to rule the world', they've made it into some kind of star wars film!

Answer 3

The only place this seems to be an issue is within the "Bible Belt" of the USA.
The books, and the film, are just that. They are fiction.
So, if they are brainwashing children. What was Enid Blyton doing? Those children frequently went off on their own, and found themselves in "dangerous" situations, yet no-one accused her of encouraging children to disobey, or deceive their parents.
The world is getting silly. Fiction books are ways of exploring ideas, as are films.
Look what happens when a community bands together against fiction. The "Fatwa" on Salman Rushdie is an example of a things being taken too far.
His Dark Materials are clearly marked "fiction".
It's time to forget about stuff like this, and concentrate on the REAL issues.
That aside, I'm sure all the hype, negative or positive will only be doing sales of the books good. (And I agree, it should be called Northern Lights, the original and UK title.)

Answer 4

It's a sad fact that some people are not open minded enough to just enjoy a book/movie without believing that their religion is being attacked. What is worse is when they force this close minded-ness on their children.
Personally i don't believe that His Dark Materials or Harry Potter or almost any other books that are cosidered "attacks on Christianity" were intended to be taken that way by the people who wrote them.
Some people just can't handle the fact that other people can have different ways of thinking and that just because they think that way doesn't mean they are wrong or that they are trying to to prove something else false.

Answer 5

I've read all of the Phillip Pullman books and loved them. I intend to see the film when It comes out on DVD. (I'm too old to watch kids movies at the pictures. lol) The bible and Christianity was not in my chain of though at all while reading them and I don't think it would be in a child's mind either. I didn't know it was an issue.
I suppose the same could be said of other books like The Satanic Verses and The Da Vinci Code. (In the adult selection obviously) Publicity like this makes you want to read/see them all the more to see what the fuss is all about.

Answer 6

As a Christian, I can say that it isn't that at all. I am not an isolationist but any means. I have another reason for avoiding movies like this.

Frankly, I am sick of being the only group that it seems to be acceptable to ridicule - religious people. Sitcoms and movies make fun of members of the clergy. Christians are considered "bigots" or "radicals". The Bible is mocked and anyone who believes it is protrayed as an "idiot". If we object to the ridicule, we are labeled as having "a persecution complex".

At work, it always the same. I get along great with everyone. However, once people know that I go to church and am a Bible-believing Christian, I get teased, poked fun at, etc. No one would dare do to a minority or another group what is acceptable in some circles to do to Christians.

The fact is that some of us are just tired of being under attack or made fun of all the time. So, we are certainly not going to pay money to hear our views criticized.

If I want to be criticized or hear opposing views, I simply have to watch TV.

Answer 7

They've taken much of the religion side out of the film anyway, because it isn't Hollywood enough *rolls eyes*.

But yeah, i agree. They did that with Harry Potter - it's not like the authors are promoting other religions and are actively challenging Christians. Whatever happened to freedom of speech?

What I'm more sick of, however, is how they changed the title to 'The Golden Compass' when it was originally called 'Northern Lights'!!!

Answer 8

No, I'm not sick of it. This movie is oriented around killing the supreme being- aka "DOWN WITH GOD!". It was originally written as a rebuddle to the Chronicles of Narnia. I'm glad that I was warned beforehand about this movie. Movies are very convincing forms of media and, if aimed at young children, could brainwash them more than a parent shielding their children. If the kid is 14 and wants to see this movie, I wouldn't have a problem with it because, by this time, his or her beliefs are very well formed. However, if, on the other hand, a 7-year-old wanted to see it, I would be very lenient; that is the time in a child's life where parents SHOULD protect their children. They are only seven years old! That would be like telling a kindergartener that Santa isn't real! It would crush their dreams.

Answer 9

Principals in the Catholic schools in Halton Township, to the west of Toronto were ordered this week to remove copies of this book from school library shelves.
The book will be available by request only, until the school board rules upon its suitability.

Note: this action was taken as the result of a single complaint by an unnamed woman, that she understood the author to be an atheist.

There has not been a formal list of books that no Catholic is allowed to read since 1966, but busybodies are always going to call for the banning/burning of books that they have decided will corrupt Catholic morals.

My own approach to the matter is that we need to allow students to come into contact with a wide spectrum of views. If one is strong in his or her own faith, it will not be lessened by encountering other perspectives.

Answer 10

Yes I am. I mean, it's not like it's aiming directly towards Christians. I'm Christian and I don't mind it a bit. Don't let it get to you. It's not targeting the Christian religion it's just coincedence that the plot is somehow about different worlds and whatever it is.
Can't wait to see the movie.