The Golden Compass...

[thefaeway]

...is a movie based on the first book in a series written by an author who says: "It's about killing God."

Presenting different opinions is one thing, but a specific intent to kill an idea before someone is capable of understanding and making their own decision is downright evil.

I will not be seeing this movie in the theater.

I will watch it

Comments

But....

[windarianbird]

It's not the Christian God, specifically - and even if that was the intent, it's going to be symbolic and not the literal slaying of Jesus or anything. And children aren't going to be able to recognize that - and if they are intelligent enough to accomplish it, they're hopefully intelligent enough to also realize that one man's opinion is just that.

That said, I'm not paying to see it either - Mark's paying because he read the books as a kid, and I've never read them. ^^;;

But what?

[thefaeway]

I'd have the same problem with it if the intent was to kill science, santa clause, alien lifeforms, etc. The express intent, admittedly so, of the author was to kill an idea that he is against. Stories aimed at children should be, above all, about opening their mind to more possibilities, not an attempt to close it.

Re: But what?

[windarianbird]

I agree with you on that point, but I don't think the book is teaching them to be closed minded - I mean, if you were to take that attitude to its strictest level with Young Adult novels (which are aimed at 10-13 year olds), we can't kill dragons or dark wizards in books. We shouldn't read Tom Sawyer because he played mean jokes, shouldn't read anything without a happy, everybody join hands ending.

Re: But what?

[essius]

Let's all just hug. = )

[cranberrynoodle]

The author is an atheist, so yes, it is to be expected there would be some sort of anti-religious message.
However, as a good ol' Christian girl I can still say that Northern Lights (and actually the entire "His Dark Materials" Trilogy) is an piece, and I respected the opinion/idea behind the story, because all books mean different things and have different points to make. In this particular case, the author is an atheist and is expressing his personal opinion in his pages. He's not attempting to force his ideas on anyone. It's the same as if someone were to read Narnia...even if a person reads it and isn't a Christian, they can still appreciate it as a piece of literature and creative thought. It is the same with Northern Lights. The plot is unique and creative, and the ideas & symbols are quite clever. It's no Chronicles of Narnia, but I don't think you should decide whether or not to see the film until you have at least browsed the pages of the book, if not the entire trilogy.
:)

[thefaeway]

:P Seriously... read what I wrote. :P

The author himself said that his intent is to kill God. I know of may athiest authors that refrain from using their writing as a tool to do such things. I know of many Christian authors who refrain from trying to paint a picture of "life without God is HELL," too.

[cranberrynoodle]

i did read it. but i'm saying even if that's his intent in the novel, did he say it's his intent to kill God FOR EVERYONE? To destroy religion? Because if that's the case...that could be upsetting. But if that's the case, he quite fails. Having read the books I'm pretty sure most people will perceive it as an a-typical fantasy novel about good versus evil...but I won't argue with your refusal to read it. I just wanted to tell you that you're missing out on a lovely work of lit.

[thefaeway]

Firstly, the last line of my post: "I will watch it free on the internets." What I mean is, I'm not going to let my $.17 be given to an author whose intent is "to kill God." I will do it, eventually, without paying for it. :P

Snopes has a piece on it. Check out the third paragraph from "Origins". I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult at all to find links back to the actual interviews in which Pullman says "[his] books are about killing God" and he was "trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief."

Upsetting? I wouldn't read a Christian novel if it tried to "undermine the basis of x belief" or "to kill Allah."