‘The Golden Compass’ Points Straight to the Bank

Did they stop their campaign against The Wizard of Oz? It too is anti-God

Yet another example of the church being horrified that anyone could think differently than they do. The fear that children might get a message other than dogmatic Christianity is a palpable one, and frankly, the church does far more to shoot itself in the foot by making it an issue. They bring attention to it and legitimize at least the strength of its message by being so flagrantly against it.

You don't see the atheist league protesting Prince Caspian or The Lion, The Witch, etc. Is it because atheists are open to different messages in their films? They enjoy broad ranging debates and promote myriad ideas instead of just one of hellfire and damnation? No. It's because they are lazy and unorganized.

However, my pro-mop/anti-horse agenda has been apparent for some time.

I must be one of a kind.

I am a christain, and yet, I cannot wait until these movies come out. If you ever get a chance to read the books, check them out. They are exciting, full of adventure, drama, and an overall C.S. Lewis feel, despite the attempt to say these books are anti-narnia.

Let me first start off by saying that the way the church is portrayed in these books is no different then the humor expressed in oh let's use that old movie with Whoopi Goldberg for an example. "Sister Act" I believe is the name, and basically its saying to break from traditions and liven things up a bit. No more on that, but what I do feel like sharing is this.

The overall message that Paul and the other apostles were trying to establish after Christianity began to surface was that we need to stop taking the letter of the law so seriously...become followers of Christ, not the church. For in the end the church will be gone, and whether you attended or not, you will know where you stand with God. Ok, now let's tie this in with the Golden Compass Franchise.

We have an action story which has little hints of the church being corrupted. This church has lost focus on "The Authority" and have started becoming obsessed with their own power. As the opposers of the Magisterium (church) begin to rise, you start to see the church fight against them, not calling upon the power of the Authority, but using power of their own. Once again, being consumed with their own power and traditions.

Now we take Lyra who is the main character, and sort of oblivious to all the happenings around her about the churh and its war. Her overall goal is never to singlehandedly bring down the church, kill God, and all other accusations which have been hurled at her. In the very first book Lyra loses a friend, a very close friend, and she spends the majority of book 2 and 3 searching for this friend, with the help of her comrade Will, a boy who has accidentally stumbled into a world unknown, but only after accidentally harming a man who was after his special needs mother. Both characters are innocent, and even when Will obtains the subtle knife, a special tool which can literally cut through anything, even heaven, the idea of "killing God" has not occured to him. As the story ends, the two kids who have been tangled up in all this war unwillingly do not go and kill God, but instead release Lyra's friend from the clutches of death. This idea that death is escaped and we are somehow spread back into the world as being a part of the enviorment's spirit differs from my view point, but regardless, it is part of the story and I read it how it comes. After all, I do not rebuke star wars because after a powerful jedi dies they become one with the force, and can remain in the netherworld of it. It is a fantasy, not to be taken literally.

Now for the main subject....this killing of God. First let it be known that this God which phillip pullman describes greatly differs from the one discussed in the bible. Biblical God is wise, all powerful, and while he does get angry at sin, he loves us, so much he sends his son to die on the cross for us. Regardless your belief, I'll now talk about the God in philip pullman's book. Old, I believe even forced to retire, stingy, angry, and in the end does not even make an appearance. He is instead replaced by the evil metatron, an angel who was once man(supposedly elijah) and now he seeks global domination. This is where I really have to understand my faith and the book I'm reading. This book God is not the one I serve, it is an idea created by pullman, who regardless of being athiest, has been given limits, unlike the God in the bible. And in the end of the third book it is Metatron who is killed, not by Will and Lyra, but by Lyra's own parents. This is the way the book goes, and it kind of gets me angry that so many people are ready to accuse these book before even getting a chance to read them. And remember guys, incase I haven't stated it before, I am christain, and yet I love these books.

As far as the faith of the writer goes, he has none. He is a declared athiest...ok. Regardless of what he has to look foward to in the morning is of his own concern, not mine. If he has truly expressed that these books are about killing God in the imaginations of kids, then that is what he said. I do not know if this is true or not, but this is what is being said. Myself, I find these books to be a fascinating read, and I constantly prayed that if they were bad that I would be convicted. Alas, I am not. And that is why I'm writing this. While its true that even in his books there are some declared athiests, these books come off to me as fantasy, never to be anything more then this. And I accept it as an adventure, and regardless of what the author may say in his own life, the books have become a joy in my own mind. It reminds me of J.K. Rowling's speech the other day when she declared that the beloved Dumbledore of her children's books "Harry Potter" was gay. Regardless of her comment, the character which I had absorbed in my reading of the material is the one that will remain with me. Same to be said of the Golden compass trilogy. And this is all I have to say to that.

The word daemon actually has nothing to do with demons. Demon refers to a disembodied spirit. Daemon is actually the first word used to describe the soul. It was used by Socrates to describe the voice that told him when he was doing something wrong. It did not infere with his actions or inform him when he was doing the right thing. This is where we get the first idea of the soul.
Strangely enough, St. Augustine was greatly influenced by Greek philosophers. St. Augustine wrote "The Confessions of St. Augustine" which is considered to be one of the most influential books in Christianity. As my Catholic English teacher says, "When in doubt, return to St. Augustine--for Catholics."
If authors really wanted to undermine religion wouldn't they deny the existance of a soul? Instead the series His Dark Materials accepts the idea of a soul, the author just displays in a different form.