What is the big deal about the Golden Compass?

Question

I have been in a cave, training an army of roundhouse kickers.

Answer 1

it doesnt star chuck norris

Answer 2

Some people just got bent out of shape on account of the author being an Atheist. Big deal, the movie was lovely and the books are fantastic.

Answer 3

Some people mistakenly apply things that the author has said in interviews to the work itself. However, the work itself is NOT overtly anti-christian at all so perhaps people should read it before they decide to boycott and ignorantly screech that it's bad.

Peace,
Jenn

Answer 4

the catholic church claims that the golden compass is anti-christian because of the belief of daemons (spirits living outside the body) and also because of an evil, church-like governing body known as the Magisterium

I dont think the church likes to see how it might be truely perceived. The catholic church claims that the books and the movie are "anti-God, anti-Catholic and anti-religion,"

Answer 5

The Church is portrayed as extremely controlling and extremist, much as it was in the Middle Ages. It controls every aspect of people's lives and executes those who speak against it. God is also shown as not a being higher than other sentient life, merely the first organism to become conscious. He is basically shown as a kind of joke, and then he dies of old age (about 30,000 years old) in the end. Nobody ever actually kills him, as many accuse the book of saying. I haven't seen the movie, but the books are excellent.

I don't know why everyone makes such a big deal about such things. Like the book and movie The Da Vinci Code, it angers me when people claim it is "attacking" their beliefs. These movies do no such thing. They only present an alternate view. You could say that by the same argument, The Passion of the Christ is "attacking" Jewish beliefs, because they believe the Messiah has yet to come. I think that everyone needs to lighten up a bit.

I personally believe that Pullman's view makes far more sense than that Christianity teaches. Christians believe that God loves people more than other living things because they understand right from wrong and are conscious of themselves. However, the Bible says that it was in being tempted by Satan that led humans to eat from the Tree of Good and Evil, thus gaining understanding of right and wrong and becoming conscious. It also tells us that we should despise the devil for telling us how to become sentient, even though that is apparently why God loves us so much.

There are many parallels to this story. For instance, in Greek mythology, humans only rose above other animals when they were given the gift of fire from Prometheus. He, like Satan, was punished by Zeus for helping us. But in Prometheus' case, he was hailed as a hero by the people for what he did. We are taught that being God's mindless sheep is the only way and that Satan only wants what is worst for us.

What I like about the cause of the characters of the books is that they are trying to form a republic. Not an absolute monarchy (nice way of saying dictatorship), but a democracy. Which countries today are known as "free" countries? The ones that have a democratic government. There's a reason that monarchies have been steadily overthrown throughout history. Because the people wanted a say. That is what the books are all about, not killing God. And by the way, he isn't killed by the rebels. He dies of old age.

Another thing I agree more on with Pullman is his idea of what happens after death. I do not believe in souls, or anything separate from our bodies living on after we die, but I do think that the ecstasy of our molecules slowly dissipating into the environment makes much more sense. That is, after all, what happens to us. When we die, we steadily decompose, releasing the particles that make us up, be they molecules or mere atoms, into the soil. Some is let out into the atmosphere, only to be absorbed by plants again. The soil is compacted down into sediment, sinks into the earth, is expelled in the form of magma, is broken down again, and is then taken in once more by other organisms. These die, forming a complete and continuous cycle. I believe that my accepting of that fact has brought me to a greater level of understanding and connectedness with the world around me.

The reason I think that humans are so persistent in their beliefs in an afterlife is actually quite simple. All around us, we see cycles of life and death; life returning to an area devastated by fire or volcanic eruption, organisms dying and their offspring replacing them, etc. Such things are common in nature. However, humans fail to see themselves as only part of that cycle, but as a cycle in themselves. They don't want to accept that they personally will die, when it is their children that are the ones living on. I believe that this is just another component of our common belief in anthropocentrism.

Answer 6

Why do human beings save throwing around the Pullman "quote" that he's attempting to "kill God interior the minds of youngsters". the place and while did he say this? i've got been searching for a jointly as and the only source of this "quote" seems to be from the propaganda launch from the Catholic League--a launch that has a minimum of one occasion of dishonestly quoting Pullman out of context to "coach" their factor. Can somebody submit a link to the unique, unedited source of this so-talked approximately as "quote"?

Answer 7

There isn't one. Some Christians think its not cool for someone to make a movie about a different belief system.

Answer 8

People taking things out of proportion.
They WANT controversy.

I did an article for my local newspaper about this whole hype.

Answer 9

it's a great film! I took the kids to see it and they loved it, they even had me order the next 2 books and anything that gets kids interested in reading can't be bad!

Answer 10

Chuck Norris, babe.. forget about that and let's ccelebrate my birthday. Please roundhouse kick me 19 times. Once per year that you have allowed me to live.

Answer 11

AH! It has started again, and enough with the chuck norris.