highlyeccentric | crusaders for intelligence, to me! *waves large banner in the midst of the STUPIDTY* (Reply)

This email from a sweet but, well, silly friend of mine just now:

> All,
> There will be a new children's movie out in December called "The
> Golden Compass". The movie has been described as "atheism for kids"
> and is based on the first book of a trilogy entitled "His Dark
> Materials" that was written 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.

I usually let emails from this person slide, on the grounds that there's little i can do and it will only get her back up. But I couldn't let this one slide...

Dear ALL:

the His Dark Materials trilogy is one of my favourite series. It is beautifully written, creative and engaging.
Yes, Phillip Pullman is an atheist. But is that any reason to fear his work? Are we so weak that we cannot even sit through a single movie without losing our faith? Moreover, I found His Dark Materials a beautiful and inspiring series, in which the power of love wins out against a corrupt Church heirachy.
Many conservative groups will try to frighten you out of seeing The Golden Compass. Don't listen to them. It is a work of fiction, and should be appreciated as such.

"Pullman is a Militant atheist and secular humanist who despises C. S. Lewis and the
"Chronicles of Narnia".", according to this email. I won't deny that Pullman is an athiest or a secular humanist, but ask yourselves why The Chronicles of Narnia should be treated as sacred? C.S. Lewis wrote a story which included metaphors about Christ, as he experienced Christ . It's not scripture. It's fiction. It's not a sin to criticise C.S. Lewis.

" 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."

I read these books when I was fourteen, in the library of my small Christian school. This description says nothing about Pullman's books. Lyra, the protagonist, faces a large and corrupt Church heirachy enforcing their idea of God onto the people. At the end of the books, it's true that Lyra and Will kill this old and corrupt God. But when you read the books, you'll see that they do so in the power of love. The substance they call "dust" is love all around them, binding everything together, and by freeing their world of the corrupt and domineering church they free people to experience this universal spirit of love. It is "dust", this spirit of love, which is the Creator in Phillip Pulman's universe, and "God" as the Church in the books teaches him is means for controlling people.
There is nothing in this which attacks faith in God. Phillip Pullman attacks close-mindedness and control in the name of religion. He attacks the sort of people who would ban you from reading a book simply because its author isn't of the same religion as you.

Secondly, Pullman's books do not attack Jesus Christ. Here's what he said to Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, about Jesus in his books:

Philip Pullman: Well, to answer the question about Jesus first, no, he doesn't figure in the teaching of the church, as I described the church in the story. I think he's mentioned once, in the context of this notion of wisdom that works secretly and quietly, not in the great courts and palaces of the earth, but among ordinary people and so on. And there are some teachers who have embodied this quality, but whose teaching has perhaps been perverted or twisted or turned, and been used in a fashion that they themselves didn't either desire or expect or could see happening.
It has been a long time since I read these books, but as far as I recall, Phillip Pullman respects the teachings of Jesus and believes that they have been corrupted and strangled by the Church over the generations. If I didn't know that he was an athiest, I could just as easily read these books as a Protestant statement against the Catholic church.

Can I encourage you all to read this interview with Archbishop Rowan Williams and Phillip Pullman? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml;jsessionid=YTSBJQFNJ51NTQFIQMFCFFWAVCBQYIV0?xml=/arts/2004/03/17/bodark17.xml&page=1
Rowan Williams is a respected Christian who enjoyed the His Dark Materials trilogy and reads it as a criticism of the Church. He talks to Phillip Pullman about the representation of Jesus, God and the Church in his books.

Secondly, let me encourage you ALL to see the movie or read the books. A work of fiction cannot bring down your faith, and certainly cannot bring down God. Even if, after reading Phillip Pullman's interview, you believe he is directly attacking Christianity, isn't that another reason to go and see it? How can you engage in debate with people who disagree with you if you will not hear their arguments? How can we talk about God in the world today if we can't listen to other people's ideas about God, even when they disagree with us?

Yours in Christ,