November 8, 2007 4:29 PM
The Golden Compass
I've received warnings about this new movie - coming out in December - from at least a dozen people. Here's one I'm passing on for your consideration:
A new children's movie out in December - The Golden Compass - has been described as "atheism for kids" and is based on the first book of a trilogy entitled "His Dark Materials" by Phillip Pullman.Pullman is a militant atheist and secular humanist who despises C. S. Lewis and the "Chronicles of Narnia". His motivation for writing this trilogy was specifically to counteract Lewis' symbolisms of Christ that are portrayed in the Narnia series.
Clearly, Pullman's main objective is to bash Christianity and promote atheism. Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview that "my books are about killing God." He has even stated that he wants to "kill God in the minds of children". It has been said of Pullman that he is "the writer the atheists would be praying for, if atheists prayed."
While The Golden Compass movie itself may seem mild and innocent, the books are a much different story. In the trilogy, a young streetwise girl becomes enmeshed in an epic struggle to ultimately defeat the oppressive forces of a senile God. Another character, an ex-nun, describes Christianity as "a very powerful and convincing mistake." In the final book, characters representing Adam and Eve eventually kill God, who at times is called YAHWEH.
Each book in the trilogy gets progressively worse regarding Pullman's hatred of Jesus Christ. "The Golden Compass" is set to premier on December 7, during the Christmas season (and staring Nicole Kidman), and will probably be heavily advertised. Promoters hope that unsuspecting parents will take their children to see the movie, that they will enjoy the movie,
and that the children will want the books for Christmas.Please consider a boycott of the movie and the books. Also, pass this information along to everyone you know (including church leaders). This will help to educate parents, so that they will know the agenda of the movie.
The Point reported on The Golden Compass 10/24:
At HisDarkMaterials.org (via Cinematical), Golden Compass director Chris Weitz reports to fans,
I have decided, along with Scholastic and New Line and, most importantly, Philip Pullman, to shift the concluding three chapters of Book I of His Dark Materials to the beginning of the second film of our trilogy, The Subtle Knife.To me, this provides the most promising conclusion to the first film and the best possible beginning to the second.
Smart move. You wouldn't want to end your trilogy-opening film with an act of child sacrifice, committed by one of the trilogy's heroes. Might leave a bad taste in people's mouths, and cut down on those sequel dollars.
What's also disturbing is the connection between Scholastic and these - well, these dark materials. Remember Scholastic when you were a kid and could order books cheap? Well, it's not the same old Scholastic anymore. Yes, there are good materials, but there are a large percentage of dark, doomy offerings as well.
Shame on Scholastic - which scrupulously avoids any Christian material, but finds anti-Christian material okay!
Comments
We saw a commercial for this movie last night. The movie really does look good on the surface unless you know the meaning behind it. It resembles The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe very closely. When the promo first came on, I thought, "This looks like a good movie". Then I saw the title and realized what it was. I had heard about it just a couple of weeks ago. Make sure everyone you know is aware of this movie. It's scary to think what impact this would have on our kids. Our home will definitely be boycotting this movie.
Posted by: Joani | November 9, 2007 9:16 AM
While I am very upset by scholastic carrying the His Dark Materials trilogy, they do not completely avoid Christian books. They have an exclusive line of Veggie Tales books as well as The Chronicals of Narnia. I will definitely express my disapproval of their willingness to carry this book, but will also give credit where it is due.
Posted by: lauren | November 9, 2007 1:34 PM
Our local Wal-Mart has a big display at the front of the store with the 1st book as the Book of The Month.
Posted by: Joani | November 9, 2007 2:16 PM
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for the post. I agree that it's important that the Christian community understands the message behind the movie. I'm not sure if boycotting the movie is the wisest advice though. I think that doing this would a) prevent Christians from having a meaningful conversation with atheist friends and neighbors and b) cause Christian's to miss out on an excellent opportunity to train our children. We must not be afraid to introduce them to critical thinking at an early age. Otherwise, they won't know how to properly respond to culture when we're not around any longer. Just my two cents. Regardless though, thanks for pointing out the message behind the movie!
Posted by: Glenn | November 9, 2007 3:31 PM
Hi Barbara,
i totally agree with you on this post you had written. I too have wanted to post about this on my blog to get the word out. I am a Christian, who strives to encourage uplift others on my very own web~site; Love Conquers All.
Would you mind if i posted this post of yours onto mine, you have worded this very perfectly and so profoundly. Out of respect to you and your own material, would it be OK?
If you feel like stopping in to visit me first please feel free. Found you through my family friend Beth Lambdin, from Monday Motovation & More.
"Thank you very much, and thank you for posting such an important issue!!"
Hugs,
xo Jeannene
Posted by: Jeannene | November 10, 2007 12:05 AM
Thanks very much for the mention, Barbara. Here are some more Point materials on the books and the movie that might be of use to your readers.
http://thepoint.breakpoint.org/2007/10/a-pullman-colle.html
http://thepoint.breakpoint.org/2007/11/tone-matters.html
Posted by: Gina Dalfonzo | November 13, 2007 5:08 PM
