INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

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shorthorns r us

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The Golden Compass

Claim:  The 2007 film The Golden Compass is based on a series of books with anti-religious themes.

Status:  True.

Examples:

[Collected via e-mail, October 2007]

There will be a new Children's movie out in December called THE GOLDEN COMPASS. It is written by Phillip Pullman, a proud athiest who belongs to secular humanist societies. He hates C. S. Lewis's Chronical's of Narnia and has written a trilogy to show the other side. The movie has been dumbed down to fool kids and their parents in the hope that they will buy his trilogy where in the end the children kill God and everyone can do as they please. Nicole Kidman stars in the movie so it will probably be advertised a lot. This is just a friendly warning that you sure won't hear on the regular TV.


[Collected via e-mail, October 2007]

I don't just generally dismiss a movie or book just because someone 'says' it's meant to be something else...but this is worth knowing if you plan to see it (or plan to take your kids).

"Hi! I just wanted to inform you what I just learned about a movie that is coming out December 7, during the Christmas season, which is entitled THE GOLDEN COMPASS. It stars Nicole Kidman and it is directed toward children. What is disturbing to me is that this movie is based on the first of a trilogy of books for children called HIS DARK MATERIALS written by Philip Pullman of England.

He's an atheist and his objective is to bash Christianity and promote atheism. I heard that he has made remarks that he wants to kill God in the minds of children, and that's what his books are all about. He despises C.S. Lewis and Narnia, etc. An article written about him said "this is the most dangerous author in Britain" and that Pullman would be the writer "the atheists would be praying for, if atheists prayed." Pullman said he doesn't think it is possible that there is a God and he has great difficulty understanding the words "spiritual" and "spirituality." What I thought was important to communicate is what part of the agenda is for making this picture. This movie is a watered down version of the first book, which is the least offensive of the three books. The second book of the trilogy is THE SUBTLE KNIFE and the third book is THE AMBER SPYGLASS. Each book gets worse and worse regarding Pullman's hatred of God. In the trilogy, a young girl becomes enmeshed in an epic struggle against a nefarious Church known as the Magisterium. Another character, an ex-nun, describes Christianity as "a very powerful and convincing mistake." As I understand it, in the last book, a boy and girl are depicted representing Adam and Eve and they kill God, who at times is called YAHWEH (which is definitely not Allah). Since the movie would seem mild if you viewed it, that's been done on purpose.

They are hoping that unsuspecting parents will take their children to See the movie, that they will enjoy the movie and then the children will want the books for Christmas. That's the hook. Pullman says he wants the children to read the books and decide against God and the kingdom of heaven.

If you decide that you do not want to support something like this, I suggest that you boycott the movie and the books. I googled a synopsis of THE GOLDEN COMPASS. As I skimmed it, I couldn't believe that in a children's book part of the story is about castration and female circumcision.

Origins:  The Golden Compass, a fantasy film starring Nicole Kidman that is scheduled to be released into theaters on 7 December 2007, has been drawing fire from concerned Christians. The film is based on Northern Lights (released in the U.S. as The Golden Compass), the first offering in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy of children's books, a series that follows the adventures of a streetwise girl who travels
through multiple worlds populated by witches, armor-plated bears, and sinister ecclesiastical assassins to defeat the oppressive forces of a senile God.

Books of the trilogy have sold more than 15 million copies around the world, with Northern Lights winning the Carnegie Medal for Children's Literature in 1995 and in 2007 being awarded the 'Carnegie of Carnegies' for the best children's book of the past 70 years. The Amber Spyglass, the final book of the series, won The Whitbread Prize in 2001, making it the first children's book to do so.

The series' author, Philip Pullman, is an avowed atheist who has averred that "I don't profess any religion; I don't think it's possible that there is a God; I have the greatest difficulty in understanding what is meant by the words 'spiritual' or 'spirituality.'" Critics of Pullman's books point to the strong anti-religion and anti-God themes they incorporate, and although literary works are subject to a variety of interpretations, Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald that "My books are about killing God." (Conservative British columnist Peter Hitchens labeled Pullman "The Most Dangerous Author in Britain" and described him as the writer "the atheists would have been praying for, if atheists prayed.")

Bill Donohue, president of The Catholic League, has condemned The Golden Compass as a "pernicious" effort to indoctrinate children into anti-Christian beliefs and has produced a 23-page pamphlet titled The Golden Compass: Unmasked in which he maintains that Pullman "sells atheism for kids." Donohoe told interviewer John Gibson on 9 October 2007 why he believes Christians should stay away from the film:
Look, the movie is based on the least offensive of the three books. And they have dumbed down the worst elements in the movie because they don't want to make Christians angry and they want to make money. Our concern is this, unsuspecting Christian parents may want to take their kid to the movie, it opens up December 7th and say, this wasn't troubling, then we'll buy the books. So the movie is the bait for the books which are profoundly anti-Catholic and at the same time selling atheism.
Other reviewers, however, have described Pullman's works as being more generally anti-religion rather than specifically anti-Christian or anti-Catholic:
In "His Dark Materials," Pullman's criticisms of organized religion come across as anti-authoritarian and anti-ascetic rather than anti-doctrinal. (Jesus isn't mentioned in any of the books, although Pullman has hinted that He might figure in a forthcoming sequel, "The Book of Dust.") His fundamental objection is to ideological tyranny and the rejection of this world in favor of an idealized afterlife, regardless of creed. As one of the novel's pagan characters puts it, "Every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling."
Last updated:  23 October 2007

The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2007
by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson
This material may not be reproduced without permission.
    Sources Sources:

    Gibson, John.  "The Big Story with John Gibson."
        Fox News Network.  9 October 2007.

    Hoyle, Ben.  "Pullman Writes a Book That Will Shed Light on Darkness of His Beliefs."
        The [London] Times.  1 August 2007  (p. 9).

    Meacham, Steve.  "The Shed Where God Died."
        The Sydney Morning Herald.  13 December 2003.

    Miller, Laura.  "Far from Narnia."
        The New Yorker.  26 December 2005.

    Pauli, Michelle.  "Pullman Wins 'Carnegie of Carnegies.'"
        The Guardian.  21 June 2007.

    Sunday Mirror.  "Kidman Movie Is 'Atheist.'"
        21 October 2007  (p. 24).


 

Jill

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I got an email on this a couple weeks ago, passed it on to everyone I knew, what a shame!
 

Show Heifer

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I will difinately pass this along. He has a right to speak his mind. And I have a right to boycott and speak MY mind.
Didn't he learn ANYTHING from the Dixie Chicks??? (clapping)
 

garybob

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Show Heifer said:
I will difinately pass this along. He has a right to speak his mind. And I have a right to boycott and speak MY mind.
Didn't he learn ANYTHING from the Dixie Chicks??? (clapping)
I, as a Christian, believe salvation is granted at our individual request, when we truly ask God, through Christ, to enter our hearts. It is a PERSONAL CHOICE, to become a Christian.I have my beliefs, scripturally based, and I can "back 'em up" with Scripture. The Pharissees were Conservatives. Remember that.
Now that you mentioned Nattie, Marty, and Emmy, I present another Rhetorical Question: Why is it Ok, fine, and, dandy for Toby Keith and Daryl Worley to sing however they want, but, the Dixie Chicks, aren't allowed the same access to the Bill of Rights?
 

OH Breeder

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garybob said:
Show Heifer said:
I will difinately pass this along. He has a right to speak his mind. And I have a right to boycott and speak MY mind.
Didn't he learn ANYTHING from the Dixie Chicks??? (clapping)
I, as a Christian, believe salvation is granted at our individual request, when we truly ask God, through Christ, to enter our hearts. It is a PERSONAL CHOICE, to become a Christian.I have my beliefs, scripturally based, and I can "back 'em up" with Scripture. The Pharissees were Conservatives. Remember that.
Now that you mentioned Natti, Marty, and Emmy, I present another Rhetorical Question: Why is it Ok, fine, and, dandy for Toby Keith and Daryl Worley to sing however they want, but, the Dixie Chicks, aren't allowed the same access to the Bill of Rights?

I agree with GaryBob.
I was brought up in a very southern methodist church. One thing I learned is to live and let live. Everyone answers for thier own actions, we are not here to judge. Do children learn the true message is anti chrisitian on their own or do they learn it from us? Children only know what they are taught. Children are not taught hate they don't know it. I dare anyone to go to a Kindergarten class room and sit with those little people. they are unconditional in their thinking. What happen to the days of being able to watch a fictional story without some specialist analysing the hell out of it. If we didn't tell children, "hey that guy wants to kill...God....they would think it was another magical fairytale! LIfe is way to complicated...... :-\
I don't agree with the author of the series, but the movie maybe something completely different. I am sure he didn't write the movie and they adapted from a book. Just think there  might be two different ways of looking at it.
 

Show Heifer

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Garybob - I agree that everyone has the right to say anything they want (Ok, that radical church that spouts hatred at soldiers funerals might be an exception), but they also have to deal with the consequences that follow. I am not a Bush fan, nor am I a dixie chick fan, but, if you have an opinion and you state it, you better have the faith to take the heat. I didn't realize anyone wanted to take away dixie chicks bill of rights. That goes with Toby and Daryl too. Maybe thats the difference....those two state their opinion, and you can take it or leave it. No back tracking there. I just think the dixie chicks were taken by surprise at how their statement affected their sales. Then they pulled the "we had the right to say it, and you can't stop us..." card. No one tried to stop them from speaking, they just stopped buying their music. Fair I would say.
So this guy who wrote the books has every right to do so. But, he better be prepared to take the consequences. He has that right, and I have the same right. But....I also have the power to spend my money where I choose, and I choose not to spend it with him!!! (clapping)

But also agree, that if a child is raised "right" one movie, one book or one song, isn't going to influence them to do something totally against their upbringing. OH breeder is right, if you go to an elementary class of K-2 grade. Those kids have the most unbiased opinion of anyone around. Too bad that disappears with age! :(
 

knabe

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the beauty of atheism is that you are never for anything, only against.  you never have to take a stand on what you believe because you believe in nothing.

removing belief is the ultimate form of mind control and communism.  once again, knabe must mention that the central theme of communism, for that matter facism, socialism, is to take away property rights, dissolve religion, dissolve the family, and basically have a pyramid scheme of money control with a very select few at the top and everyone on the bottom serving the one's at the top.  fear this.  no wait, i said don't fear it in the other thread.  defeat it, or not, god will in end, but that doesn't mean we have to do nothing to accelerate his return, cause i still want to do some things.
 

garybob

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Country Music has always done this. Some of the best talents in the Genre were barred from entering the gates of Nashville, during the 'Sixties and early seventies ( The Eagles, Gram Parsons& The Flying Burrito Bros, The Byrds ( If the song "The Chestnut Mare" ain't got Country Lyrics, nothing does), due to their "liberal" beliefs. It's always been this way, for some reason.

Call me the Hippie HillBilly,

GaryBob
 

aj

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I am a amateur anthropologist. I have been going to alot of seminars and stuff lately. One thing I noticed is that about 50% of the participants are atheist and the other 50% are believers. Has man been here in the americas for 10,000 or how about 20,000 years. At the risk of being crucified I think some things in the bible can't be taken literally. I read the bible and I believe in a god. When was the flood and in what year. This is fascinating stuff to me. I heard a joke about an atheist anthropologist. He was walking in the forest and he was attacked by big foot. He cried help me god! God replied by saying" I thought you didn't beleive in god". The anthropologist yelled" I didn't believe in big foot either! ;)Are there any clovis first people out there?
 

knabe

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count me in for clovis first.  seems they were irradicated by a benevolent society and all attempts to pursue the matter end up in court so one can't investigate kennewick's identity.  how convenient.  i also believe there is a historically lost reason lighter pigmented people migrated north other than it was favorable to their complexion and was lost to history as winners always write the history.  works both ways.  also count be in for the northern passage by the chinese in 1421 due to the last global warming.  where did the maps get the shoreline detail of the passage as well as antartica as well as other outlines when the oceans were lower?  they have been rising for centuries.  too bad al gore wasn't born 40,000 years ago to stop this dreadful catastrophy.  using his logic, procreation should be eliminated so all the animals can be happy, while the select few live like gods, or whatever atheists believe are higher beings than everyone else.  atlas shrugged never goes away.  a great movie is logans run which for me really doesn't provide insight into what we should be doing, as they emerged into the forest at the end of the movie "rejecting" technology and want to start over like clovis man.  what will kids do withouth their ipods?  probably just find a personality cult figure.  it's called facism.  meet the new boss, same as the old boss.  kids are your future, please help them.  they have 12-16 years of total mind control.  help them read other books than offered in school.
 

aj

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So what is your thinking on kenniwick man as far as his relationship to indians? Is he a ancestor to indians as we think of them or is he a separate caucasion or negroid or what? I don't believe in evolution from ape to man but man and could evolve in a survival of the fittest type of scenario. I am sitting in a hot bed area of paleo-indian sites being discovered in the past 20 years. What is the chinese route?
 

knabe

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i'm not necessarily saying that everything in his books are true, but look up graham hancock.  he's sort of a sensationalist that dives in the ocean to make money providing evidence of giant cultures centuries ago.  if you accept the premise that the ocean was basically 300 - 400 feet lower 6-10,000 years ago, where would civilizations located?  they of course would be located where they always are, at the transitions between eco types, one of which is land and sea.

http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2000/09/14/News/Researchers.Uncover.Remains.Of.Civilization.Under.Black.Sea-2161049.shtml
http://www.spiritofmaat.com/announce/oldcity.htm
http://digg.com/general_sciences/Japan_researcher_says_has_found_an_Asian_Atlantis

the concept of zero predates it's supposed discovery by several civiliazations.  the concept that the stars changed in the hemispheres when travel was easier when the oceans were lower as the expanses were not so great, allowed people to discover that the skies did not revolve around the earth.  we are so pathetically constrained when we think about what civilizations may have been.  how does knowledge get transferred between generations without writing.  if one lived to be 30-40 years, how did the knowledge get transferred to develope societies that we are constantly discovering under the ocean.  we are only beginning to discover our past, but we are too focused on space, equality, absolutism, moral relativism to notice what is right under our noses.  sad.

there are so many undersear ruins in india and the middle east, the black sea, japan, china it's ridiculous.  but if we just focus on global warming and pray to al, everything will be ok.
 
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