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Add to FavoritesWhen I watched the Golden Compass, the film, I knew nothing about Philip Pullman, or his "Dark Materials". I had never read his first book, Northern Lights (Golden Compass in the US), so I was oblivious to any prejudice that seems to have been formed by some people today.
I did not see the links to the church at all, only to an authoritative body, which could have been political, religious, big business, or whatever. The fact this Magisterium group were supposed to control an alternative universe suggested to me there would be differences, which is why the long gowns did nothing in my mind to suggest religion. Why should it? A politician in another world might wear long gowns!
The film is anti-authority, but then there are many people today who are just that, anti-authority! I certainly am, in many ways, despite being at the latter end of my life. I don't like the way our present authoritative bodies are determined to impose ideas on us without proper thought out explanations, or reasons, especially when those ideas are detrimental to the way we live our lives!
Anyone who protests against a fictional account is showing their own limitations in their belief system. Fiction is the format used to work out ideas that it would not normally be possible to explore without offense. Many fictional ideas are soon dismissed as implausible, unworkable, unrealistic, impossible, not worth considering. But first someone has to look at the idea being expressed. In this controversy too many people are seeing things in the books or film and considering them to be real, not imaginary. Could it be that stories in films and similar media like TVs, are now considered to be TRUE? At least, it has been said for many years now that a lot of people who watch certain drama programmes believe they are real simple because they have been put on a screen for the general populace to view. As we also use these same screens to broadcast REAL news, REAL ideas, REAL speeches, REAL actions, perhaps it is not surprising that some people confuse the fictional stories with real ones!
As it is, the Golden Compass was written by someone who admits he is an atheist, but actually that leaves him in a great position to explore other possible worlds, imaginative ones that may not be real but are different, interesting, and thought provoking. These stories are no different to fairy tales which generations of children have heard for centuries, many of them following a particular religious persuasion, but have these stories stopped these same children from following a particular religious belief? NO, and neither will films like this. At no time does Pullman mention Jesus, so he is not against Christianity as such. He does mention the word Almighty, but considers this God person to be no more than a fallen angel.
The word God is used as a general term for a being with power, but to consider this god to be the overall Creator of our universe is not the same at all. We use the word God because we have no other name for this creator. But the word god has been given to other religious beings such as Odin, Allah, Jehovah, Zeus, etc, and there are even female forms under the term Goddess.
All people who believe in some form of creator should not be limiting this great entity to that of a human being, or even looking like one.
God is the creator of the universe, but a man and a woman can create a new human, and two birds can create an egg which will make a new bird, and the same goes on in every other part of nature. God, the creator, the controller of our universe, cannot be seen in the way so many of our orthodox religions view this entity. Pullman puts his own interpretation on this, but he is exploring ideas, and doing it in a fictional story. Perhaps that is how all fictional books and films should be viewed. Any similarities to reality is just coincidence.
Learn more about this author, Carol Noble.
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Yes
"I am a story teller," declared British author Phillip Pullman. "If I wanted to send a message I would have written a sermon." Pullman struck back at critics who have accused his trilogy "His Dark Materials" as being "candy-coated atheism." He declares that such accusations are "absolute rubbish." But are they?
Pullman's own web site states his thoughts that it is "perfectly possible to explain how the universe came about without bringing God into it." The third book in his trilogy, "The Amber Spyglass," portrays the "Authority" to be a senile pretender who falsely proclaims to be God, the creator of the universe. The reader finally discovers that he is not who he claims to be but is rather one of the first angels who is extremely aged and quite weak.
Compare this to the biblical account of a powerful God who spoke the worlds into existence. One of his angelic creations, Lucifer, the morning star, tried to lead a revolt to overthrow God, only to be cast out of heaven with one-third of the angels. These became Satan and his demons.
In the Garden of Eden, (Genesis chapter 3), Satan takes the form of the serpent, and tempts Eve by twisting God's word. He asked her, "Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
Eve replied, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
Satan's reply through the serpent was "You shall not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Adam and Eve ate of the fruit. They disobeyed God. These are the "ancestors" referred to in the Golden Compass, who "disobeyed the Authority."
This is a small sampling of the atheistic threads woven through Pullman's trilogy. The film maker's toned down the atheistic content of the movie to the point that secularists are complaining that there isn't enough anti-religious sentiment.
Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society has complained, "We think this is a great shame. The fight against the Magisterium is the whole point of the book. Take that away and the most original and interesting element of the story is lost."
Pullman denies the accusation of "candy-coated atheism." However, both secularists and the religious community recognize the symbolism and the weight of the issues contained in "His Darkest Materials." Meanwhile, The Golden Compass presents to the world a Pandora's Box, encouraging its viewers or readers to reject the "Authority" and discover the personal demon who will guide them through life.
The official website promoting the movie invites the visitor to "Meet Your Daemon." When you follow this link you will read:
"To discover your very own Daemon, look into your heart, and answer the following 20 questions openly and honestly. Your true character and the form of Daemon will be revealed, ready to be taken with you into your virtual world."
Upon answer these questions the name of the child's personal demon is given as well as the animal shape that it resides in. Each child is then encouraged to call upon their personal demon.
This is my greatest concern. What are we opening our children up to? The Bible says in Romans 10:13, "Call upon the name of the Lord and thou shalt be saved." Calling on demons will not lead to freedom, but bondage. Evil is plentiful in this world, and when we call that which is evil good, and good evil, we start down a slippery slope that leads to destruction.
Learn more about this author, Jeffrey Kimble.
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