I wonder if Pullman had a “conversion” to manic atheism between his earlier writing and this series. His other books were well done, of a reasonable length, and didn’t emphasize religion, to speak of. I even remember one that included very positive portrayals of Jewish people.
Pullman is a good writer and even the first two books of this triology are well written, far better than the Harry Potter series. His characterisations are interesting and he can tell a complex, fun and well-written story with great details. I read somewhere that his grandfather was a minister and they had a good relationship. Go figure. He has a website where I believe he addresses the issue. I read it somewhere.