Indy Atheists Forum

[LisaKay]

OK since no one else has posted, I thought I'd get this going (maybe).

I got this (below) in my e-mail from someone who knows I'm an atheist. I haven't read the books in question. So, have you read them? How would you respond? I responded, and maybe not in the way I should have.

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Subject: FW - Don't see this movie!

Just to let you know in case you have kids, grand kids....................
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 movie and that the children will want the books for Christmas.
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.
You can research this for yourself. Start with this article on Snopes.com , then go to Google.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

[BryanS]

Hello again! Thanks for getting this started...and opening the door to get me started.

I haven't read the Golden Compass books. But my understanding is that what you're hearing is true. The compass is by an atheist with anti-religious themes...pretty much as a response to CS Lewis and his Narnia books.

What they're saying about Golden Compass is how I felt about "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Narnia was an attempt to present the story of Jesus *Christ* to children and to identify Jesus with the larger than life hero Lion. I found it nauseating.

I was annoyed by and put off by Narnia. Fundamentalist Christians are going to be put-off by Golden Compass.

But if the Golden Compass story is good and it's made well, the moderates will still go to see it - those that aren't afraid of challenging ideas...and while the Golden Compass movie appears to be more overtly challenging religious dogma and religious control, it's probably not meaningfully more heretical than Harry Potter to fundamentalist Christianity. My gosh, Harry Potter is a sorcerer/warlock in a school of sorcerers/warlocks and witches. He's an empathetic, likeable heroic character leading all the good little christian children and their souls straight to hell.

Remember the movie Jesus Camp?:
Becky Fischer: 'And while I'm on the subject, let me say something about Harry Potter. Warlocks are the enemies of God! And I don't care what kind of hero they are, they're an enemy of God and had it been in the old testament Harry Potter would have been put to death!
Crowd: 'Amen!'
Becky Fischer: 'You don't make heroes out of warlocks!'

Well, Becky's message sure stopped Harry Potter from becoming popular. Warlocks: 1, Fundamentalist Christians: 0
Unfortunately, thanks to the Inquisition(s), it probably is more like idiot Christians: 100,000, innocent women: 0.

When did the catholic church formally end the last inquisition? Oops, they haven't done that yet. It's currently termed, "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith." 'The principle upon which the Inquisition was built is entirely defensible; indeed, Catholics everywhere have the duty to defend it.' from www.catholiceducation.org

Anyway, I'm glad for the publicity for atheists. The more atheism is in the public eye, the more consideration atheism will receive from those who want to know what the fuss is all about. And the more that Christian organizations condemn the Compass movies, the more people will want to see them.

You could send the Christian this message and tell them that Bryan the atheist says that burying your head in the sand really doesn't work. What does work, for people of honesty and personal integrity, is addressing the subject straight on. That's what builds trust and openness between parents and their children...

[LisaKay]

Well I replied to the e-mail and opened a can of worms. Turns out this person really doesn't understand me and doesn't plan to try (head buried in sand). I don't think it helped our relationship because it just made me frustrated and her confused or worried for my soul. I should have kept my mouth shut.

I agree that this is great publicity for us though. I'm reading the book now and really like it. It does have a Narnia feel to it. It looks like it will draw a decent crowd, too.

I'm glad to have started everyone talking again! I've missed the interaction with people who get me.