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Submitted by Emily Snyder, Children's pastor at Christ Community Church in Roseville, Michigan.
The Wrong Direction
The Golden Compass is a children's movie set to be released this Christmas season. The movie is based on the first book in a trilogy called "His Dark Materials," which was written by Phillip Pullman. Pullman, a proud atheist, wrote the books as a response to C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. The movie, which is not yet rated, stars Nicole Kidman and is due in theaters on December 7. Pullman hopes the movie will be a hit at Christmas, with children wanting to buy video games, toys, and the "Dark Materials" trilogy. The books have anti-religious themes, which get stronger with each book. The movie is said to be a watered down version of the first book, removing all religious material so not to offend viewers. However watered down the movie may be, it is based on an anti-Christian book and it is important for parents to understand the author's intentions and the underlying story.
In a 2003 interview, Pullman was clear about his intentions when he said, "My books are about killing God." Pullman wrote the books in response to his hatred for C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. Pullman has said, "I loathe the 'Narnia' books. I hate them with a deep and bitter passion, with their view of childhood as a golden age from which sexuality and adulthood are falling away." Pullman has a right to not like Narnia; it's just a book. The problem lies in his view of childhood and the loss of innocence, which is the theme of "His Dark Materials."
I must warn you, I will be spoiling the plot and ending of these books, but that is why I read them. It is important for parents to completely understand the entire story before making the mistake of allowing their children to see this movie.
The Golden Compass follows a young girl, Lyra, on her quest to overthrow the Magisterium. Pullman describes the Magisterium as the Catholic Church, whose "power over every aspect of life has been absolute" (pg. 30) . The Magisterium kidnaps children and performs operations called "severing" children from their daemons. In the books, every person has a daemon (pronounced DEE-mon), which is an outward manifestation of the person's soul in animal form. For children, daemons constantly change form because a child's nature is ever changing. In adulthood, daemons take on a permanent form that reflects the person's nature. The book explains that when children reach puberty, their daemons are more likely to lead them to sin. Their daemon takes on a permanent form when innocence turns to experience. Adults are then covered in "Dust." Dust is a poetic word for sin. Lyra's father explains that the word comes from Genesis 3, "for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." He explains that while some believe dust means ground, others believe it means God is admitting to be partly sinful. No one can know for sure because "the text is corrupt" (pg. 373). The Magisterium is severing children from their daemon before puberty, to prevent them from sinning. It is spiritually castrating the children. While Lyra's parents agree with this, she feels it is wrong because Dust is a good thing and people should be free to make mistakes and to experience life. Therefore, she betrays her parents and begins her quest to overthrow the Magisterium.
The second and third books are even more blatantly anti-Christian. Pullman compares Lyra to Eve saying "The child, then, is in the position of Eve…the cause of all sin…If the child is tempted, as Eve was, then she is likely to fall. And if this temptation does take place, and if the child gives in, then Dust and sin will triumph" (pg. 68) . The temptress is an ex-nun, named Mary. She tells Lyra of love (lust) and how wonderful it is. She calls the Christian religion "a very powerful and convincing mistake, that's all" (pg. 441). The final temptation happens when Lyra and her friend Will are in a forest looking for the daemons. Lyra feeds a small red fruit to her friend Will and kisses him. When they return, they are covered in dust and "seem to be made of living gold. They would seem the true images of what human beings always could be, once they had come into their inheritance. The Dust pouring down from the stars had found a living home again, and these children-no-longer children, saturated in love, were the cause of it all" (pg. 470).
The greatest act of anti-Christianity in the book is when Lyra and Will kill God. An angel describes God as "The Authority, God, the Creator, the Lord, Yahweh, El, Adonai, The King, the Father, the Almighty – those were all the names he gave himself. He was never the creator. He was an angel like ourselves – the first angel, true, the most powerful, but he was formed of Dust as we are" (pg. 31). The angel's companion later explains that God has retired to live in a Crystal and no longer runs daily affairs of the Kingdom. He has given this power to Metatron. Metatron is actually Enoch, who God brought to heaven to be Regent of the Kingdom. However, Metatron is corrupt because as an angel he still longs for the flesh. Lyra's parents kill Metatron to save Lyra and allow her to complete her mission. Soon after, Lyra and Will come across the Crystal with God in it. Pullman describes the "ancient of days" as an old man who is "demented and powerless," "having no will of his own "and" crying like a baby"(pg. 410). By helping God out of the crystal, the children end up killing him because he cannot last in the open air. And while Jesus is not mentioned in the trilogy, Pullman has hinted a Jesus-like character may be in a forthcoming sequel, "The Book of Dust"i.
While the trilogy obviously follows an anti-Christian storyline, with characters such as daemons, witches, spirits, and ghosts, they are also filled with violence and sexuality. There is a lot of blood and killing described through the book as well as castration, severed children, and decapitation. Sexuality is subtle because of the use of daemons, but it is there. Being a human's soul, daemons come with rules. A very important one is no one is to touch another person's daemon. In The Golden Compass, a man grabs Lyra's daemon. "She felt those hands…It wasn't allowed…Not supposed to touch…Wrong…" (pg. 275)iii. This act is rape. Then, in The Amber Spyglass, Lyra and Will feel a shock of excitement when they carry each other's daemons (pg 418).
The movie The Golden Compass may be watered down, and may have the religious themes taken out; however, by viewing this movie, children will be open to Pullman's books and lies. Right now, these books are popular in England but not in the United States. If this movie makes money, the books will gain popularity. They may even be read in your children's schools. If these books gain popularity, the rest of the trilogy will be made into movies, which will not be easily watered down. Because the movie is being released at Christmas, there are already video games, action figures, and even stuffed daemons in the works. We need to teach our children the truth. Sin is wrong. It is not magical, beautiful, or fun. Christianity does not take away free will. In fact, God gave us the freedom to make choices and to choose what is right. Right now, choosing not to support this movie is what is right.
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footnotes
i www.snopes.com/politics/religions/compass.asp
ii Donaldson-Evans, Catherine. "Christian Groups Claim Pro-Atheist 'Stealth Campaign' in Nicole Kidman Fantasy Film." www.foxnews.com. Oct. 29, 2007.
iii Pullman, Phillip. The Golden Compass. New York: Knopf. 1995.
iv Pullman, Phillip. The Amber Spyglass. New York: Knopf. 2000.[b][/b]
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| The Golden Compass came out today. Please be praying that it would get a bad review and that God would prevail in this case. God Bless, Josh T. in Ohio
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| Thank you for the info! We have heard about this but without information we can not combat it well. We appreciate the research you did and we will use this to educate others around us about this movie and the books, and the evil behind it. Again thank you so much! Melissa - NY
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| Is Christianity so insecure it can't stand any dissent, even fictional dissent? I saw this movie today and found it a delightful escapist entertainment. Any attack on religion (Christian or other) was purely in the minds of the religiously paranoid. God is great...but so is freedom and love of art. Grow up.
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| We live in an amazing country where you are free to express your ideas and beliefs. All we are trying to do is to let parents know what the movie is based on and what it is all about so they can make an informed decision about whether or not to let their kids see it or read the books. The author and director are hiding behind a cute kids movie and hoping that parents will not do any research because they are so busy this time of year. So we are just trying to inform parents. They can then make their decision based on the true facts and not just some cute commercial that tell them nothing about what is in the movie. So now can the books and movie stand up to the light of truth or not! Melissa - NY
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| This is my personal opinion and not meant to start a debate. Writers, directors and producers all have an agenda (purpose) for creating a movie. They want to do more than just entertain. They want to convey a message, a thought, a belief. Phillip Pullman is openly atheist and his purpose is very clear in his books/movie. His attack on religion and God is not paranoia. It is a confessed fact. I personally could never enjoy any movie that (by God's standards) has witchcraft, sorcery, mysticism or immorality. I do not consider that avoiding dissent, but rather obedience to God's Word which tells me to have NOTHING to do with such things. I also refuse to support (financially) Hollywood on such movies. Perhaps there are those who can harmonize faith and the occult, but I cannot and will not. Freedom and love of art is only great when it acknowledges God and gives him the glory. This my friends is not religious fanaticism, but non-compromising faith in truth and holiness, without which no one will ever see God. I agree that we need to "grow up". We need to grow up (mature) in our faith and knowledge of God and His Word.
 
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I am afraid that no matter what we do and how much we pray that this movie will do well at the box office because of the fact that our world has become so increasingly evil. Although I do agree that we should pray that this movie does get bad reviews, I also believe that it is important to educate those who are around us of it's dangers. this is what I will pray for. I will pray that God gives wisdom to those who teach our children so that we may not only reach the children but the adults who's minds are being poisoned as well.
Corey C.
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| MysticReader, The movie is just a very 1st step to draw children into a place their parents may not otherwise want them to venture. It does look like a fun movie to watch and as with all movies, it is meant to get people to read the book if there is one the movie is based on. I hear the movie is one parents will approve because it is fantasy and no mention at all of the author's intent. The parents will say, "Nothing wrong here go ahead and read the books". One of the books has the kids in the story actually killing God so that they can be free of authority and live as they want. It is the parent's right to allow their children to be exposed to this. There is nothing wrong in listening to other people's opinions and enjoying art for what it is. However, adults are not easily swayed in their beliefs and what we view as entertainment goes to a different level for our kids so our children are often the ones being led where their parents do not want them to go. Many parents do not believe their children are ready for such a challenge of choosing between the beliefs they are instilling and those that go against their beliefs. It is too confusing to the kids who will always choose the fun path to take. Parents will always be on the look out for anything that takes their children into a belief system different than their own. Some parents allow their children to make their own choice earlier in life than other parents do. I don't recall anywhere in this forum where parents were asked not to take their kids to the movie. Many of us welcome the insight (including yours) of all people on any subject brought to this forum. It is good to see all view points. Yours is the viewpoint of an adult who watched the movie as entertainment. I would also welcome a viewpoint of a child who has taken the next step of reading the books and have questions about its meanings. Some children do take everything they read and try to apply it to their own life. These children pick up on the hidden messages that adults don't notice. If you ask a child to repeat the story line, it may be different than what you saw.
- Adrianne
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MysticReader (12/9/2007)
Is Christianity so insecure it can't stand any dissent, even fictional dissent? I saw this movie today and found it a delightful escapist entertainment. Any attack on religion (Christian or other) was purely in the minds of the religiously paranoid. God is great...but so is freedom and love of art. Grow up.Thank you, MysticReader for standing up for freedom of speech AND for actually viewing and then reviewing the movie for us. I also thank you for pointing out that our God is great.... I would go a step further to say that our God is greater than any fictional book or movie. I'm waiting to see how we will use this bit of entertainment to glorify God. Maybe it will be through lively discussions with older children who see the movie or read the books - discussions about God's truths and how they totally eclipse this fictional tale. I see it as a wonderful opportunity to illuminate and emphasize that our God's book is THE TRUTH and The Golden Compass is just one of many imaginary stories that can never compare to the true account of God's people - the Bible. lburney
Lisa B from NC
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