Free Republic

SUNRISE, FLA. (WSVN) - A man was caught by a Sunrise church’s surveillance cameras vandalizing a statue of Jesus, knocking it off its pedestal, smashing it to pieces and setting the garden where it once stood on fire. Sunrise Police said the man went on a rampage at Saint Bernard Catholic Church near North University Drive and Sunset Strip at around 1:20 a.m., Sunday. “It’s very unsettling. It’s upsetting,” Babette Heron, the church’s office manager, said. “These statues have been with St. Bernard’s for over 30 years and have a lot of sentimental value, and price-wise, we’re looking at $6,000...

As we once again near the Christmas season, the last thing we need is yet another show dragging Christianity, religion, or God in general. Sadly, HBO gave us a show that does all three in its latest series His Dark Materials. Based on the books by noted atheist Philip Pullman, this latest adaptation continued the story’s usual controversy of despising Christianity and the Church and making them the bad guys. The November 4 episode “Lyra’s Jordan” introduced us to a world that was “both like and unlike” our own. One key difference included the fact that every human was accompanied...

ATHEIST author Philip Pullman yesterday spoke of his “disgust” at the triumphalism of America’s religious right following its successful campaign to sideline attempts to dramatise the last two books in the writer’s His Dark Materials trilogy. Actor Sam Elliott, who starred in the film version of the first novel The Golden Compass, that grossed £230m, says a campaign by conservative Catholics has halted plans to complete the trilogy.

LONDON – A debate over a movie’s anti-religious antagonism – or lack thereof – is heating up ahead of its upcoming release, with some accusing Hollywood of “castrating” the anti-Catholic themes present in the novel from which it is based. The expected blockbuster, “The Golden Compass,” is named after the American title of best-selling author Philip Pullman’s novel “Northern Lights” and will star actress Nicole Kidman and James Bond star Daniel Craig. The original children’s novel, part of Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” series, rejects organized religion – in particular, the Catholic Church – and critics of the movie version say...