I’m assuming I’m not the only person to get this in their inbox.
NBBC Alert: Golden Compass “children’s” movie
THE GOLDEN COMPASS, a new movie targeted at children, will be released
December 7, 2007. This movie is based on a the first book of a trilogy by
atheist Philip Pullman. In the final book a boy and girl kill God so they
can do as they please. Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when
he said in a 2003 interview that “My books are about killing God.”
The movie is a watered down version of the first book and is designed to be
very attractive in the hope unsuspecting parents will take their children to
see the the movie and that the children will want the books for Christmas or Hannukah.
The movie has a well known cast, including Nicole Kidman, Kevin Bacon, and
Sam Elliott. It will probably be advertised extensively, so it is crucial
that we get the word out to warn parents to avoid this movie.
The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp
I really don’t like getting emails like this. I’m a thoughtful parent. Of course I want to shield my children from lasciviousness and extreme violence. But one thing I have always been wary of doing is shielding my children from ideas. I find it disturbing that we are being told that it’s our duty to make sure our kids aren’t exposed to an atheist viewpoint. If the children of Christians are the only ones who aren’t seeing this movie wouldn’t it stand to reason that the themes will go unchallenged on the playground?
My parents struggled with the question of what to expose us to. The 70s and 80s were a time where Christians started censoring everything from Star Wars to The Smurfs. Usually the source material and the original intent of the author were the main reasons. Star Wars supposedly taught Pantheism and Duality, and The Smurfs were originally Anti-Semitic propaganda! Ultimately my parents made the decision to not censor media on the basis of theme. We were provided with plenty of great literature and films that supported their Judeo-Christian world view, but when I brought home books with New Age themes they didn’t blink, but stood by with intelligent answers to my questions. I feel that as a result of this my faith is extremely strong and my ability to reason is acute.
It is true that I have a very specific type of personality. I use my heart, soul and spirit when reasoning through something as much or more than I use the cold functions of my mind. I tend to see things very abstractly, and I have the ability to find Christ in the strangest, most unlikely places. My personal philosophy is that ANYTHING that is good is ultimately Christian. Christ is in all truth, all beauty. Even the things that seek to mock him will not succeed if there is even an iota of wisdom. The true Christ cannot be mocked. Only pale imitations.
Because of this I prefer not to know the intentions of an author or a musician or a film director, so I can gaze at the creation through my Christ colored glasses. Obviously this doesn’t always work. There are evil works of literature, wicked films, blasphemous works of art. But I find that people often have a knee-jerk reaction to art and fail to contemplate the layers. It’s probably not their fault. Not everyone has the ability to view things this way, and I don’t expect them to. But I don’t want to be judged because of the way I think.
I am saddened that Christians feel it is their duty to “protect” other Christians from discomfort. I’m not talking about warnings regarding explicit sexuality or violence, but to offenses to their world view. Obviously there are things that are too disgusting or stupid to waste your time on. But if something is though-provoking or challenging, and the craftsmanship is good, then what are we afraid of? If your religion is true, and you are diligent, then questioning your faith should theoretically make it stronger.
Ultimately it is up for each individual to decide what their comfort level is. Some people are not comfortable with exposing their children to certain ideas. I am not inside these people’s heads, and I cannot judge their motivations. But I know for me facing a film like this head on and talking about it with my children is the only action I am capable of taking. I’m smart enough to understand the themes without having them spoon fed to me, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find some points that the author didn’t realize was there. Where some people’s intellect causes them to repel, mine causes me to draw closer and discern.
Whenever there is an “Christian” firestorm against anything it usually has the opposite effect that was intended. A film that may or may not be interesting or even any good suddenly becomes a point of great interest. That is what has happened to me. I had never heard of The Golden Compass until I got an email about it. Now suddenly I am very tuned in to all the discussion about it, and I find myself drawn to it. I want to see it. If there had been no controversy, it would have completely flown under my radar. But now that I know about it I feel eager to see it and, if I feel I can adequately discuss it with my children without impairing their spiritual development, then I want to share it with them as a talking point.
Because of this, some may consider me rebellious, or ignorant, or foolish. But I cannot prevent these cogs from turning the way they are programmed to turn. I consider my thought process to be a special gift from God, my life philosophy; an act of worship. I might be the only Christian in North America who will see this movie, and if I do you can believe that my faith will not be on hold. I will do it for the Glory of God.
I am not going to defend a film I have never seen or a book I have never read. I am simply defending my right as an intelligent, intuitive person to absorb art using all the senses God has given me, including the sixth one.
Thank you, thank you, Kate.
Very interesting post. I want to see this movie as well. This kind of movie stimulates conversation and I always enjoy a good thought-provoking movie.
I LOVE your blog, Kate!! I was so excited to see new entries… this is a great perspective. Thanks for sharing it. -Heather
I have been saying this along time, its good to see others say this as well.
let me start by saying I don’t like the series “His Dark Materials”
But I’m Totally going to see the movie. Mostly because it looks like a Visual orgasim but also because I liked the first book. The Main reason I ended up not liking the full series is because the first book was great and the 2nd book was blah and the 3rd book was just boring. Pullmans writing in the first book was engaging and fun to read. I was expecting the same great writing in the 2nd book and was throughly disappointed. By the time I got to the Third book reading this series became like a chore. The Main Character were no longer the smart unsuspecting hero’s they were in the first book, but had become Spoiled whining brats. I no longer felt any connection to them. The end of book was so much a let down I didn’t even care what it might represent. I was just glad it was over. The first book built up such a great anticipation in my head, and it all got wisked away by the selfish actions of two children that instead of seeking knowledge decide to remain ignorant. After reading great Authors like Zelazny, Heinlein, Brooks, Goodkind, Adams(which by the way did the whole “Universe with out a god” so so so much better) and about 50 other better Authors. I was truly Disappointed in Pullman. I think he was hyped not for talent but for Controversy.
First of all, Jeremy…a “visual orgasim [sic]?” That’s disgusting. Please find a new metaphor, and spell it right next time.
Second: Kate, I like your thinking on this. You’re right on target.
Third, this movie has armored bears. It’s so stupid looking I can’t even fathom taking my children (if I had any) to see it. And Jesus H, why are people reading and going to see this dumb shit? Don’t you know there are actual great books and films out there? Read some Delillo or Phillip Roth or Cormac McCarthy or Amy Tan. Or if you want to see an instant classic that’s in the theaters right now (but don’t take your kids, please), see the new Coen Brothers film, No Country for Old Men. Stories that involve actual people and real life themes are much more powerful, informative, and entertaining than a whole army of visually orgasmic armored bears, any day.
Good post, Kate.
I absolutely LOVE the His Dark Materials series. I actually heard a few years ago that they intended to make these into a movie and I have been eagerly looking forward to it ever since then.
Honestly I don’t understand why “Christians” insist on finding such fault with any movie or book that comes along that has a fantasy theme or might show ideas other than the Christian worldview.
The children best prepared to face the world head on are the ones who read those Harry Potter books, the ones who see The Golden Compass or those who enjoy Star Wars. Parents shouldn’t be afraid of other ideas, instead they should see them as a reason to sit and talk with their children.
Anyway…I have tired of having to try to defend the great stories to the Christian fanatics. These people are not much better than the middle eastern terrorists because they, just like these Christian fanatics, fear and fight anything that present different ideas.
I am glad that there are good Christians like you and your family out there.
Kate: We seem to think the same about this. If faith cannot stand up to challenges, can’t survive questioning than what good is it? I doubt I will be able to catch this in the theaters so I will have to look forward to it coming out on video.
Chris: Just because you (apparently) don’t like fantasy doesn’t mean it can’t be good literature and have value. Also fantasy can be just plain fun also. Some books are meat and potatoes others are candy for the brain.
Jeremy: I like the metaphor “visual orgasm” even though I am not as optimistic as you are.
Kate,
Thank you for your kind words on my blog.
Also I appreciate knowing that others take the same approach to living out their faith in culture as I do.
Great thoughts here.
Blessings,
Chris
Amen Sister:)
For further research, may I suggest the following?
http://www.scificatholic.com/2007/12/your-one-stop-catholic-shop-for-all.html
Links to various well-reasoned Catholic and Evangelical discussions about the movie and Pullman’s motivations in writing the original book series.
like heather, i’m enjoying your blogs, too, kate!
i’ve always balked at the idea that you have to agree with and espouse all the ideas in a book or movie to enjoy it. great blog.
A really good article about this:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/commentaries/fearnotthecompass.html
I have torn views on this – and reading the comments to your blog, I’ll be the voice of dissent.
I personally just feel that if someone is making films & books solely for the purpose of “Killing god in the minds of children” as he has been quoted to say, maybe I just don’t feel like making him a wealthier person by seeing the film or buying his books.
Call it capitalism. I’d rather give my money to someone who espouses the idea that God is GOOD, and that we can do productive things w/ our money rather than spend $180 million dollars making a film so that kids won’t believe in God.
But that’s not to say I am afraid of fantasy, or challenging view points. I went to a very anti-God college, read lots of fantasy books growing up, and I’m a fan of Star Wars, and stuff like that.
In this case it’s just me making a point to not put cash in the coffers of a cynical writer who hates my favorite author, C.S. Lewis.
Thank you for writing about this Kate. As someone who makes art I have to agree with your viewpoint. Everything can be interpreted in so many different ways that what’s in your mind is what is often responsible for how you view the world and works of art. I may think the themes of a story are about something far different than what a friend of mine may think. I also agree that these people are up in arms about everything and the sad part is I think this is what is killing the Arts in this country. I think a person’s beliefs are a part of them and go with them everywhere they go. Why should people start to be afraid of the arts or not give their children any room to think or be open-minded about other people’s viewpoints. If that is where we are as a society then that is sad indeed.
Hey Jeannette, I don’t plan on giving the dude my money either. There’s always the library, right?
As it stands, the reviews have been bad and the box office return disappointing. This may be the first time I’ve ever seen Christian’s boycott something and have it actually work. But as it turns out the boycott might have been unnecessary, if the source material isn’t so great it probably stands to reason the movie won’t be either.
- Don’t get me wrong, though… I do understand your point of view, and agree with it in the spirit of knowing that we’re all smart enough to filter what we see, hear and are exposed to. This didn’t strike me as the ‘typical Christian boycott’ either, because for some reason it was more subdued and it was more of a quiet email-newsletter making rounds in the inboxes of Christians. I thought it was informative to know about the author’s particular intentions, in cases like this, since he has a very distinct purpose.
And yeah, it looks like the movie is turning into a flop. For some reason I’m kind of smug about that. I think Hollywood puts so much money into making films sometimes that don’t necessarily warrant being made.
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce