Posted on 11/30/2007 8:06:34 PM PST by Coleus
As the movie studios gear up for a big Christmas movie season, one trailer that looks like a blockbuster is "The Golden Compass," which must be trying to cash in on the "Narnia" movies. It has flashy special-effect polar bears in armor and a young heroic damsel in distress facing off against evil forces. The casting is top-notch, led by Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, the current star spy in the James Bond movies. But buyer beware: Narnia it's not. It's the anti-Narnia. Instead of a Christian allegory, it's an anti-Christian allegory. The author of "The Golden Compass," Philip Pullman, is an atheist who despises C. S. Lewis and his much-beloved Narnia series. "I thought they were loathsome," he said of those books, "full of bullying and sneering, propaganda, basically, on behalf of a religion whose main creed seemed to be to despise and hate people unlike yourself."
This book and movie is only the first in his trilogy, titled "His Dark Materials," that gets more and more anti-religious in each book. Pullman hates orthodox religion and "those who pervert and misuse religion, or any other kind of doctrine with a holy book and a priesthood and an apparatus of power that wields unchallengeable authority, in order to dominate and suppress human freedoms." If you hear the ring of anti-Catholicism, you're right. The evil empire in this movie for children is called the "Magisterium," which is exactly the word Catholics use to describe the teaching authority of the Pope and his bishops. The books are more explicit, in which the evil institution is also called "The Church" and the higher-ups are the "Vatican Council."
British columnist Peter Hitchens has explained how our secular thought-shapers would love for Pullman to undercut Narnia's influence on children: "The cultural elite would like to wipe out this pocket of resistance. They have successfully expelled God from the schools, from the broadcast media and, for the most part, from the Church itself." He writes that while Lewis mocked atheists as joyless, Pullman depicts priests as evil and murderous, drunk and probably perverted, and the Church as "a conspiracy against happiness and kindness."
Isn't it a bit perverse to head into the Christmas holiday season hyping an atheist fantasy movie for kids? No doubt sensing this, Pullman and the moviemakers have ventured on a dishonest but energetic public-relations campaign to convince the public that this film isn't really anti-Christian. It's a plea for open-mindedness and spiritual dialogue. The Church is just a metaphor, see. The movie's director, Chris Weitz, spins it this way: "In the books, the Magisterium is a version of the Catholic Church gone wildly astray from its roots. If that's what you want in the film, you'll be disappointed." Weitz says they merely "expanded the range of meanings" for the Magisterium, that it's merely a metaphor for tyranny of any stripe: "Philip Pullman is against any kind of organized dogma whether it is Church hierarchy or, say, a Soviet hierarchy." That would be more believable if Hollywood had a track record of casting a Soviet hierarchy as evil -- and if Hollywood didn't have its own organized dogma of secular fundamentalism.
Nicole Kidman spins it her way: "I was raised Catholic, the Catholic Church is part of my essence. I wouldn't be able to do this film if I thought it were at all anti-Catholic." The media have played happily along in disguising Pullman's religion-bashing. On NBC's "Today," weatherman Al Roker delighted in making "The Golden Compass" the fall book selection of "Al's Book Club for Kids." Pullman appeared on NBC to deny that he was really promoting atheism. He touted letting the reader decide what the author intended, in a "democracy of reading." The closest he came to atheism was saying the book championed "open-minded intellectual curiosity." If that sounds like a transparent dodge, it certainly was. He told the students asking questions to think of the Taliban in Afghanistan. But the menace in Pullman's trilogy isn't called the Caliphate, and its hideous monsters aren't mullahs. They are cardinals and priests, and the heroes are an atheist former nun and two rebellious gay male angels.
The atheists may be angry that the movie waters down Pullman's anti-religious message, but they can take comfort in the fact that many parents (and grandparents and even godparents) will, sadly, buy the hype over this movie and buy this trilogy of vicious anti-religious books for the young readers in their lives. To the Christian book buyer, beware: Instead of celebrating God's son born in the flesh, you'll be celebrating God being killed so that man can advance to true consciousness. For those anticipating the wonder of Narnia, you'll have to wait until next May, when "Prince Caspian," the second installment, returns magic to the screen.
True. Our Sunday School Director warned us about it, thank Heavens. Then we had to warn the grandparents.
I work part time selling tickets at the local movie theater. If I am asked, I will say “I will not see the movie because I have read the books, and I found them to be evil.”
I wonder how well this will do? Although these are cynical times, Anti-Christian polemics don’t prosper at Christmas.
I’ve emailed friends and family and warned them about New Line’s bait and switch.
I don’t expect it to do particularly well.
Golden Compass is rated PG-13. Most of the fantasy stuff like Narnia, IIRC, was mostly rated PG. The rating alone will scare parents off.
My 13 year old daughter received three emails last week from friends telling her the movie is anti-Christian. I know she’s passed it on to several others.
Maybe we could have a DVD, watch it, the burn the “X Mas” tree, just in time so we can spend money for Kwanzaa?
Ok, in all seriousness, I cannot remember a Christmas season, that was so void of any movie that people were actually excited to see something. I’ll bet, this turns out to be the absolute worst Hollywood box office Christmas since at least the mid 90s.
And of course, mark my words, they’ll blame it on the consumer being tapped out. Not on the fact that the movies were boring, stupid, or hateful like this one.
ping
Open-mindedness? Like this?
The author of "The Golden Compass," Philip Pullman, is an atheist who despises C. S. Lewis and his much-beloved Narnia series. "I thought they were loathsome," he said of those books, "full of bullying and sneering, propaganda, basically, on behalf of a religion whose main creed seemed to be to despise and hate people unlike yourself."
He knows it's a Christian allegory. That's his opinion of Christianity.
The atheists sure have been busy lately.
I had no idea. I was going to go see this (Mostly for the analysis of the animation) but I am going to pass.
It sounds annoyingly strident in its apparent mission of deconstructing Christianity, if the critic is to be believed.
“Maybe we could have a DVD, watch it, the burn the “X Mas” tree, just in time so we can spend money for Kwanzaa?”
X Mas tree? You are so 1960s! Today it’s the Holiday Tree, the Winter Tree, or my personal favorite this season, the Family Tree.
Even more reason to keep praying this behemoth bombs. If it fails, they won’t do the other two books after this one.
BTW (spoiler here): in the later books they kill “god”.
How about... The Satan tree, sponsored by McDonalds, Coke, and Walmart. Please give us all your money, so we don’t have to fire you, destroy the economy? Yes your job sucked, but it was all you had...
Sick twisted world...
I was surprised by her role in it and her comments. I know, I shouldn't have been. It doesn't surprise me that it's aimed at children at Christmas. But as good atheists, why would they care when it's released, except if their effort is not aimed at entertaining via movie, but rather slamming Christianity at Christmas? Jmho. Flyers have appeared in my church. I was actually surprised, given my area's weak response to the occult overtones ignored or whitewashed by some local Catholics in the Potter movies. And the relative acceptance of the Da Vinci Code. (Yes, by some clergy and educators.)
I know - the public schools can send their grade schoolers as a group during school hours as a pre-winter break celebration! That ought to prop up revenues! /s
Indeed. We can vote with our dollars, and FR is a great vehicle for spreading the word. This movie sounds like disgusting anti-Christian pro-atheist trash.
IMHO, we should not only boycott the movie, but also any theater that runs it on their screen.
If you thought god was in trouble when people disobeyed and denied him, just stick around while they ignore him.
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