The Golden Compass
So, it seems like we’re at the beginning of a whole new controversy involving books and a new movie. Remember several years ago with all of the garbage being slung around about Harry Potter??? It seems like there is growing controversy involving author Philip Pullman. I’ve been getting e-mail after e-mail about this new film…and frankly, it’s starting to get annoying.
I’ve not done enough research to come to a finalized decision about this controversy. And, in all honesty, I don’t know that I’ll waste my time. The basic premise of the Christian-right’s side of this is that Pullman’s books and the new film based on his writings are about killing God and getting children to stop/not believe in God.
Here’s what I found on Pullman’s website:
“Question: His Dark Materials seems to be against organised religion. Do you believe in God?
‘I don’t know whether there’s a God or not. Nobody does, no matter what they say. I think it’s perfectly possible to explain how the universe came about without bringing God into it, but I don’t know everything, and there may well be a God somewhere, hiding away.
Actually, if he is keeping out of sight, it’s because he’s ashamed of his followers and all the cruelty and ignorance they’re responsible for promoting in his name. If I were him, I’d want nothing to do with them.’”
“As a passionate believer in the democracy of reading, I don’t think it’s the task of the author of a book to tell the reader what it means. The meaning of a story emerges in the meeting between the words on the page and the thoughts in the reader’s mind. So when people ask me what I meant by this story, or what was the message I was trying to convey in that one, I have to explain that I’m not going to explain. Anyway, I’m not in the message business; I’m in the “Once upon a time” business. “
On Religion: Some of the articles and talks I’ve written are to do with the subject of religion, which I think is a very interesting one. The religious impulse – which includes the sense of awe and mystery we feel when we look at the universe, the urge to find a meaning and a purpose in our lives, our sense of moral kinship with other human beings – is part of being human, and I value it. I’d be a damn fool not to.
But organised religion is quite another thing. The trouble is that all too often in human history, churches and priesthoods have set themselves up to rule people’s lives in the name of some invisible god (and they’re all invisible, because they don’t exist) – and done terrible damage. In the name of their god, they have burned, hanged, tortured, maimed, robbed, violated, and enslaved millions of their fellow-creatures, and done so with the happy conviction that they were doing the will of God, and they would go to Heaven for it.
That is the religion I hate, and I’m happy to be known as its enemy.
From time to time I have a new thought on the subject. When I come up with something worth writing down, I’ll put it here.
Is there an underlying “anti-God” agenda in his books? I don’t know. But, it seems like this guy is interested in getting readers to utilize their imaginations, which isn’t a bad thing at all. Why? Because I believe Christians have to use their imaginations quite a bit (believing in things unseen???). The guy doesn’t believe in God…and the reasoning he gives are some of the things people of faith should be upset by as well. These injustices that have been, at times, done in the name of God could easily sway anyone from wanting to have anything to do with religion. To me, his beliefs should motivate Christians to live out lives of love. But, instead, let’s do all we can to alienate this guy for not believing the same thing we do (note…that last sentence is totally meant to be sarcastic).
Thoughts I found on the web about Pullman: Pullman is a supporter of the British Humanist Association and an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society.
The His Dark Materials books have been controversial with some Christian groups. Peter Hitchens has claimed that Pullman actively pursues an anti-Christian agenda.[4] Hitchens views the His Dark Materials series as a direct rebuttal of C. S. Lewis’s series.[5] Although Pullman has criticized C. S. Lewis’ series The Chronicles of Narnia as religious propaganda, the two series have several things in common. Both feature children facing adult moral choices, talking animals, religious allegories, parallel worlds, and concern the ultimate fate of those worlds. The first published Narnia book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, begins with a young girl hiding in a wardrobe, as does the first His Dark Materials book, Northern Lights (published as The Golden Compass in North America).
However, Pullman has found support from other Christians, most notably Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. These groups and individuals point out that Pullman’s negative portrayal of the “Church” in His Dark Materials amounts to an attack on dogmatism and the use of religion to oppress, not on Christianity itself. Dr. Williams has gone so far as to propose that His Dark Materials be taught as part of religious education in schools. Moreover, even authors of works dedicated to critical appraisals of religious themes in his writing have described Pullman as a friendly and generous debating partner[6].
Other Christian writers, such as Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware, while finding his anti-Christian position troubling, “also uncover spiritual themes within the books, which, like shafts of light, break through an otherwise gloomy universe—despite Pullman’s best efforts to keep them out. In the end, the authors argue that Pullman offers an unwitting tribute to the God he intended to discredit.”[7] in their book Shedding Light on His Dark Materials.
So, what will the Christian response be? Probably an organized protest and boycott of the movie. What will that do? Draw more attention to the film and the author. Production companies love this kind of attention. Why? Because people that would never have heard about this film have now had their interest perked.
Well, I’ll do some more research (maybe) and share some more thoughts on the topic (maybe). Let me just say, ones imagination is not the enemy.