A lot of controversy surrounds a series of young adults' books, the first of which has been made into a popular movie, "The Golden Compass." The books are a trilogy, made up of Northern Lights (released here as The Golden Compass), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. Puilip Pullman, the author, has never hidden his hostility toward the church, Christianity, and religion in general. in a recent interview, he said,
"But when you look at organized religion of whatever sort--whether it's Christianity in all its variants, or whether it's Islam or some forms of extreme Hinduism--wherever you see organized religion and priesthoods and power, you see cruelty and tyranny and repression. It's almost a universal law."
Pullman's books reflect his views and, as such present a real concern for Christian parents whose children want to read them. The stories are a good read, and the movie made from the first one is said to be highly entertaining. I'm not in favor of blanket censorship, and I believe that over-reaction to books like these can give them greater power than they deserve.
The problem here is one of worldview. The world has always had religious and anti-religous people. Our current culture increasingly emphasizes more of the anti-religious element than in the past, particularly in the arts. It is this worldview that we need to deal with, not just three books. We constantly need to talk with our kids about what what we believe and what others believe, as well.
With a good background conversation, our kids can encounter books and movies like these and find an excellent opportunity to not only understand the world better, but also to strengthen what they believe as Christians. Talking about the worldview of an author is also one of the best ways to study literature. Knowing the background of a book makes reading it a deeper, more satisfying experience. This understanding will also keep us on our toes as we inevitably encounter those who oppose what we believe.
Terry Mattingly, a person I respect greatly as a Christian interpreter of culture, says the following about Pullman's trilogy:
"Along the way, Pullman serves up clergy who kidnap and torture children, visitations from gay angels, fickle witches patrolling the skies, a wise shaman, warrior polar bears, a brilliant ex-nun and plenty of opportunities for children to get in touch with their inner 'daemons,' the talking-animal spirits who represent their souls."
One of the characters in The Amber Spyglass, a "scientist," clearly states Pullman's worldview:
"I thought physics could be done tot he glory of God, till I saw that there wasn't any God at all and that physics was more interesting anyway. The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that's all." (The Amber Spyglass, p. 464)
All this warrants a deeper investigation. I'll make some further comments here in the next few weeks.
Tom
