And speaking of controversial films…..
The Golden Compass opened in Rochester on December 7. Seems as though, nationally and locally, it’s creating a bit of a stir:
Based on the first volume in the award-winning trilogy His Dark Materials by religious skeptic Philip Pullman, the movie already has been condemned by conservative Roman Catholics and evangelicals. They say it will hook children into Pullman’s books and a dark, individualistic world where all religion is evil.
(snip)
In early October, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights in New York launched a boycott of the film, calling it “selling atheism to kids” at Christmastime in stealth fashion.
Parents of children in several religion classes in Rochester have been cautioned to make sure they discuss this film with kids. However, there hasn’t been a loud cry of protest locally.
Wow, I had no idea. And since I haven’t seen the film, consider this an announcement, not an endorsement.
Religious controversy aside, I heard it’s God awful boring, so I’m going to take a pass.
I hear ya. I think I’ll wait for the DVD.
I can’t say enough about how much I loved the book the Golden Compass (and the other two in the trilogy, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. In fact, I reread the Golden Compass last week, after reading the piece in the Atlantic about how it had been sanitized by Hollywood. I want to have the real thing fresh in my mind before I see the celluloid version (as the parent of a 10-year old, there are movies you go to despite misgivings).
But what I think is so interesting and frightening about religious conservatives’ campaign against this movie is that they admit the content of the movie itself is hardly objectionable (from their perspective). What they are complaining about is that the Hollywood glam treatment MIGHT (cue scary music) lead children to actually read the book. How frightening is that? And author Phillip Pullman’s atheistic agenda is really not evident in the first book; I think a child reading that one would simply conclude that adults with authority are criminally insane, not that there is some inherently evil quality in the church. (There is one very evil adult who is fighting against the church.) And even in the third book, when the theology gets more explicit, I would hardly call it atheist (although I know Pullman calls it that himself). There is a god in the final battle, but not an omnipotent one, for that god has been imprisoned by the church. There is lots that children might want to talk about from this, but I don’t think it leads to necessarily atheistic conclusions. But, truth be told, I think kids will simply read these books as fantasy adventure stories, and extremely good ones at that.
I hear the USCCB (US Catholic Conference of Bishops) actually gave the movie it’s blessing (no pun intended) so I don’t know what the fuss is about. If conservatives plan on wasting their time picketing this movie like Da Vinci Code then they are truly wasting time that they could be doing acts of charity and goodwill towards others.
Well put. Seems like a bit of a dichotomy, doesn’t it?
Does nothing but make it sound more appealing
Silly evangelicals!