The Golden Compass

[Rick of Wessex]

Dear brothers and sisters,

I'm sure many of you are aware of the polemics about the movie "The Golden Compass". However, this is the first article I've read in English written from an Orthodox point of view, and I'd like to share it with you.

In XC,
Rick

Waging war against God : The “Golden Compass”- article taken from The Orthodox England Website


FROM THE WEBSITE OF THE HOLY METROPOLIS OF GLYFADA – ATTICA

By Helen Androulaki

http://www.im-glyfadas.gr/01/02/01020010.asp

«And you thought “Harry Potter” was blasphemous? That was child’s play, when compared to the trilogy “His Dark Materials”, in which God is portrayed as a fraud, the Church kidnaps, tortures and murders in order to achieve its goals, among which is also the snatching of children’s souls.»1. We were introduced to the problem with these words, not by some religious pamphlet, but by the MTV website itself. We are talking about the prize-winning children’s books by Philip Pullman, which are now being transferred onto the cinema screen, with the titles “The Golden Compass”, “The Subtle Knife” and “The Amber Spyglass”, known as “The Trilogy of the World”.

The premier of the first movie, “The Golden Compass” will take place in Greece in a few days (20 December 2007). The production cost of the first movie –which surpassed 180 million dollars- was undertaken by New Line Studios, who had also funded the trilogy of “Lord of the Rings”. Popular actors, impressive audio-visual effects and ignorance will lead many uninformed parents to movie theaters, on the very eves of Christmas.

As one can see from the assorted reactions abroad, this is by no means an example of a neutral movie. Huge publicity was given to the reaction of the American Union of Catholics, which warned catholics that Philip Pullman’s books turn against the Catholic Church.2 The Union of Catholics stresses, among other things, that the book ‘Golden Compass’ is “the least offensive of the three” and that the movie is merely the bait for the books which “promote atheism among children in an underhanded manner.”3 Although the movie is somewhat milder by comparison to the book, the essence remains and reactions climax. But are these reactions justified, inasmuch as they have led to the aborting of the projection of the movie in 60 cinemas in America ? Or is it just a case of reactions by “religious fanatics”?4

How would you feel, if your child learnt in the best possible manner –that is, through home entertainment or from the movies- that each person from his time of birth has his own personal demon, with whom he has a very close association? Or that God was never the benevolent Creator, but instead, that He is a liar, evil and cruel? Or that the fallen angels are the “good guys”? Or that “the Churches in all the worlds are corrupt and immoral”?5 Or that every –absolutely every- representative of the Church are bad: malicious, drunkards, murderers who “sacrifice children to their cruel God”?6

According to Pullman ’s trilogy, “that is what the Church does, and all Churches are the same: they control, they destroy and they obliterate every positive sentiment. So, if war should break out and the Church takes one side, we must be on the other side.”7 These are the things young children are being taught from within a supposed fantasy tale.

And the “catechesis” continues on, to its anti-Christian beliefs: “Churches tell their faithful that they will live in heaven, but that is a lie.”8 The children themselves –Philip Pullman’s heroes- visit the “land of the dead”, where they encounter a martyr who had spent his entire life in prayer and who finally died in martyrdom. He submits his personal testimony to those children, telling them that he had missed out on the joys of life and did not find Paradise, instead, he ended up withering away together with the evil ones in a “land of nothingness”.9 And the former nun assures the children that “the christian religion is a powerful and particularly convincing mistake”.10 On the other hand, “the insurrecting angels, the followers of wisdom, have always tried to broaden the spirit, whereas the Supreme one (implying God) and his Churches have always tried to confine it.”11

From these indicative examples, one can understand that this is not merely a war against certain (indeed incorrect) structures of the Catholic Church, but a war against Christianity, against every form of organized religion, against every religious value, and most certainly a war against God. At the end of the trilogy, Pullman ’s good young heroes reach the kingdom of the skies, where they battle against –and kill- God. In other words, children are entertained by killing God. And this is something that no-one agrees to: not even psychologists, or educators, or even atheist parents. What does it mean for a child to live without God? What does it mean for a child that God dies? What does it mean for a child to kill very God himself?

Lyra, the 11-year old heroine of the trilogy, moves within a sickly environment, full of witches, magic potions, spells, rituals, ghosts, living dead, vampires that feed on blood….12 Her world is also not lacking in shamans, “ones who are initiated in skull worship”13 nor in homosexual angels. Lyra, a tameless, mischievous and “practiced liar”14 is taught –along with our children- to see evil as good and good as evil; to hate God, to be averse to the Church, to perform magical techniques (I Ching), to meditate and to fall into a trance, using her “truth gauge”, her compass, “which foresees the future”. At the age of almost 12, she acquires a “lover”, with whom she has her first sexual contact.15

All of the above do not contain mere atheism; it is rather an example of anti-theism – an attack against the Christian faith and all traditional values. Pullman ’s trilogy cultivates a hatred for God and leads to the destruction of children through the warping of the truth, and through the message being conveyed, which is none other than the “I do whatever I want”. This message is both anti-educational as well as anti-Christian.

In view of reactions, Pullman has hastened to state: “My American sycophants do not want this freedom to exist. They would prefer to monitor whatever people read and think”.16 In other words, all those who react are labelled as “sycophants who do not desire freedom”. But we do not have here a case of books for adults who are able to judge and freely accept or reject; these are books that are addressed to young children, from the age of 9! There are no small numbers of those who have perceived that the aim of this trilogy is specific: to indoctrinate young children with anti-Christian beliefs17 and the dogmas of occultism/Satanism.18 This is done by means of specific methods that are implemented abundantly, in innumerable instances. In brief, the methods of “catechesis” for occultism/Satanism that are also implemented in the “Trilogy of the World” are the following 19:

1. The ascribing of new meanings to old terms (for example, the terms “demons”, “ Paradise ”, “Church&#8221
2. The re-definition of God and the undermining of Christianity (for example, the distorting of the image of God and the altering of Christian dogmas)
3. Attacking traditional values (for example, Lyra lives without a family; she acquires sexual experience at the age of 12)
4. The ridiculing, alteration or arbitrary re-interpretation of the Bible (for example, Pullman ’s version of Genesis; the witches who are the “guardian angels of the children&#8221
5. The initiation of readers into occultism and ritual witchcraft (for example, meditation, magical practices, rituals, spells, divination)
6. The camouflaging of mysticism with scientific terminology (for example, Lyra’s “Aletheometer” which is linked to electrons, protons, photons&#8230

Also worth noting are Pullman’s statements : «I am on the side of the devil…I am an atheist.20 «God is already dead».21 «I don’t believe in God…I believe in whatever the book says».22 «I am trying to undermine the foundations of the Christian faith».23 Philip Pullman, who has been characterized as «the most dangerous British author»,24 had planned last year, together with another author –also of children’s books- a series of lessons for British schools, on the topic of atheism. These lessons, seen as a part of the schools’ religious studies (!) are delivered by means of a special DVD with the title “Why atheism?” and is directed at 11-year old students.25 It is so obvious that during the Christmas season, attempts are being made for our children to experience Christmas without Christ. Another indicative example is the movie “The Nightmare before Christmas” which will premier on the 13th of December. Another creation - this time of the sickly condition of Tom Burton – who, influenced by a prolonged depression, was inspired to make the movie which is now re-circulated in 3-D cartoon form.26 This movie is recommended as a «pleasant entertainment for all the family»27 and consists of a mixture of Christmas, Santa Claus and the occultist celebration of Halloween. Its leading actors are macabre skeletons, frightful monsters, zombies, vampires, werewolves and miscellaneous «un-dead» in a gothic style that “fits perfectly” to occultists and all those who are entertained in such a sick manner.

The fact remains, that neither the morbid entertainment nor the initiation of children into occultism is the desired aim of well-meaning, mature parents, who however, are once again at risk of finding themselves unpleasantly surprised, if they have not been appropriately informed. Therefore let us not remain unsuspecting. Let us seek ways of being informed. If we don’t look out for our children, then who will?

REFERENCES

01. Relative article in the ÌTV website, dated 2nd November 2007.
02. http://www.catholicexchange.com/en/node/67797
03. http://www.catholicexchange.com/en/node/67797
04. Newspaper «TA NEA», 5th December 2007.
05. THE AMBER SPYGLASS, Psychoyios publications, 2002, page 741
06. THE SUBTLE KNIFE, Psychoyios publications, 2000, page 346
07. THE SUBTLE KNIFE, page 75
08. THE AMBER SPYGLASS, page 47
09. THE AMBER SPYGLASS, page 340
10. THE AMBER SPYGLASS, pages 467-468
11. THE AMBER SPYGLASS, page 509
12. THE SUBTLE KNIFE, page 353
13. THE SUBTLE KNIFE, page 275
14. THE SUBTLE KNIFE, page 192
15. THE AMBER SPYGLASS, pages 529-530
16. Newspaper «TA NEA», 5th December 2007.
17. http://lifesite.net/ldn/2007/aug/07082004.html
18. http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/compass-pullman.htm
19. http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/compass-pullman.htm
20. In an interview, August 2000
21. In his interview with the translator of his books, K. Kontoleon, in the magazine «DIAVAZO», June 2006.
22. http://www.geocities.com/the_golden_compass/rvreligion.html
23. In his statement of 2001 in The Washington Post, http://www.catholicexchange.com/en/node/67797
24. «The Mail on Sunday», 27 January 2002, page63, http://pers-www.wlv.ac.uk/~bu1895/hitchens.htm
25. http://news.independent.co.uk/education/education_news/article348592.ece
26. http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/nightmare/index.html
27. http://disneyvideos.disney.go.com/moviefinder/products/2010203.html

 

[Rick of Wessex]

Another article, this one by Fr. George Morelli, an Orthodox priest. Taken from the Orthodoxy Today website.

Smart Parenting VII: Using Current Events (The Golden Compass) to Combat Secularism in the Home
Fr. George Morelli
Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea (Matthew 18: 5-6).

It is very rare that I would use an entire interview from another source as the basis of a Smart Parenting article. C.S. Lewis, in his book -- The Screwtape Letters, is the Christian writer who warned against the subtle devices of the evil one working in the world in such books and films as The Golden Compass. Parents, as heads of their “domestic church," have even a higher God-given calling: to lead their children to the awesomeness of God. Use of the media, the weapon of those who attack God and His Church, an ideal way to accomplish this. Turn the weapon back on the evil one and his cohorts.

The material below speaks for itself. When the topic of this film comes up in a family, the interviewers give parents much information to have a meaningful, respectful, and sincere family discussion about the film. The content of the film as outlined below can be compared to what their children have learned about Christ’s teaching by their scripture readings, religious education lessons, homilies, and church services.

What should parents do? First reading the interview carefully. Make sure you understand it. Then be ready to engage your children when the film or it’s content is brought up. As I have mentioned in other Smart Parenting articles (http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/Indexes/Morellix.php), do not preach. Let children express themselves. Listen and validate their views and lead them (Latin: educare), to discover what Christ Himself would say about these issues. The scripture passages, writings of the Church Fathers, religious education materials can be resources for all. Consult your parish priest for any questions that may arise that cannot be readilly answered.

What Every Parent Should Know About "The Golden Compass"
Interview With Pete Vere and Sandra Miesel
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, NOV. 14, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The film "The Golden Compass" isn't simply about using fairy-tale magic to tell a good story, it corrupts the imagery of Lewis and Tolkien to undermine children's faith in God and the Church, says Catholic author Pete Vere.

In this interview with ZENIT, Vere and Sandra Miesel discuss the movie adaptation of the fantasy novels written by Philip Pullman. The film, staring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, will be released in the United States in early December.

Vere and Miesel are co-authors of the booklet "Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children's Fantasy," to be published by Ignatius Press next month on the topic of "The Golden Compass."

Q: The first movie of "The Golden Compass" trilogy is being released at Christmas. For those unfamiliar with the series, what kind of books are these and to whom do they appeal?

Vere: To begin, the books are marketed for 9-12 year olds as children's fantasy literature in the tradition of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and J.K. Rowling. "If you're a fan of 'Lord of the Rings,' 'Narnia ' or 'Harry Potter,'" the critics tell us, "you'll love Pullman."

Personally, I just can't see a child picking up these books and reading them. I see them more as books that adults give kids to read.

Having said that, "The Golden Compass" (1995) is the first book in Pullman's trilogy. The second book is titled "The Subtle Knife" (1997) and it is followed by "The Amber Spyglass" (2000).

Collectively, the trilogy is known as "His Dark Materials," a phrase taken from John Milton's "Paradise Lost." This is appropriately titled in my opinion, since each book gets progressively darker -- both in the intensity with which Pullman attacks the Catholic Church and the Judeo-Christian concept of God, as well as the stridency with which he promotes atheism.

For example, one of the main supporting characters, Dr. Mary Malone, is a former Catholic nun who abandoned her vocation to pursue sex and science. The reader does not meet her until the second book, by which time the young reader is already engrossed in the story. By the third book, Dr. Malone is engaging in occult practices to lead the two main characters, a 12-year-old boy and girl, to sleep in the same bed and engage in -- at the very least -- heavy kissing. This is the act through which they renew the multiple universes created by Pullman.

Another example is Pullman's portrayal of the Judeo-Christian God. Pullman refers to him as "The Authority," although a number of passages make clear that this is the God of the Bible. The Authority is a liar and a mere angel, and as we discover in the third book, senile as well. He was locked in some sort of jewel and held prisoner by the patriarch Enoch, who is now called Metatron and who rules in the Authority's name. When the children find the jewel and accidentally release the Authority, he falls apart and dies.

Additionally, Pullman uses the imagery of C.S. Lewis' "Narnia" chronicles. "His Dark Materials" opens with the young heroine stuck in a wardrobe belonging to an old academic, conversing with a talking animal, when she discovers multiple worlds. So the young reader is lulled early on with the familiar feel of Lewis.

Nevertheless, Pullman's work isn't simply about using fairy-tale magic to tell a good story. He openly proselytizes for atheism, corrupting the imagery of Lewis and Tolkien to undermine children's faith in God and the Church.

Q: Many Catholics, including William Donohue of the Catholic League, are speaking out against the movie. What should parents know before they let their children watch this film?

Vere: I don't recommend any parent allow their children to view the film. While the movie has reportedly been sanitized of its more anti-Christian and anti-religious elements, it will do nothing but pique children's curiosity about the books. I'm a parent myself. My children would think it hypocritical if I told them it was OK to see the movie, but not to read the books. And they would be right.

It's not OK for children -- impressionable as they are -- to read stories in which the plot revolves around the supreme blasphemy, namely, that God is a liar and a mortal. It is not appropriate for children to read books in which the heroine is the product of adultery and murder; priests act as professional hit men, torturers and authorize occult experimentation on young children; an ex-nun engages in occult practices and promiscuous behavior, and speaks of it openly with a 12-year-old couple; and the angels who rebel against God are good, while those who fight on God's side are evil. This is wrong. And while it's been softened in the movie -- or at least that's what Hollywood is telling us -- it's still there in the books.

Miesel: Furthermore, there's a great deal of cruelty and gore in the books, not just battles but deliberate murder, sadism, mutilation, suicide, euthanasia and even cannibalism. There are also passages of disturbing sensuality and homosexual angels who are "platonic lovers."

I agree with Pete. Avoid both the movie and the books. It would be best if people didn't picket or make a public fuss because that's just free publicity. If the movie fails at the box office, the second and third books won't be filmed.

Q: The author, Philip Pullman, is an outspoken atheist. Does this come across in the books and the movie as a secularist position or more in the form of anti-Catholicism?

Vere: It's not an "either/or" situation. What begins as a rebellion against the Church turns into a rebellion against God. This then leads to the discovery that God -- and Christianity -- are a fraud.

The 12-year-old protagonists -- Lyra and Bill -- discover there is no immortal soul, no heaven or hell. All that awaits us in the afterlife is some gloomy Hades-type afterlife where the soul goes to wait until it completely dissolves. Thus Pullman uses anti-Catholicism as the gateway to promoting atheism.

Q: The trilogy is being compared to "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings." Is there a comparison to be made with either?

Vere: On the surface, yes. You've got wizards, heroines, strange creatures, alternate worlds, etc. Although for reasons already stated, the real comparison -- by way of inverted imagery -- is to C.S. Lewis' "Narnia" chronicles. Pullman, who has called "The Lord of the Rings" "infantile," has a particular dislike for Lewis and "Narnia." This is reflected in Pullman taking Lewis' literary devices and inverting them to attack Christianity and promote atheism.

As Pullman said in a 1998 article in The Guardian: "[Lewis] didn't like women in general, or sexuality at all, at least at the stage in his life when he wrote the 'Narnia' books. He was frightened and appalled at the notion of wanting to grow up. Susan, who did want to grow up, and who might have been the most interesting character in the whole cycle if she'd been allowed to, is a Cinderella in a story where the ugly sisters win."

Miesel: That nasty quote is factually wrong on both points. Lewis began corresponding with his future wife in 1950, the year the first "Narnia" book came out, and married her in 1956, the year the last one was published. Susan's problem isn't "growing up," but turning silly and conceited. She doesn't even appear -- much less get sent to hell -- in "The Last Battle."

Vere: Thus what we see here is more contrast and corruption than comparison. Also, the work of Tolkien, Lewis and Rowling is primarily driven by the audience. It is the average reader who purchases these works, reads them, and makes them popular.

Pullman's work, on the other hand, appears to be driven by the critics. The only people I know recommending Pullman's work are English majors and university professors. I don't know a single electrician, hairdresser or accountant who recommends Pullman's work by word of mouth. Thus the books haven't resonated with the average person to the same degree as "Lord of the Rings," "Narnia" and "Harry Potter."

Q: Nicole Kidman, a Catholic who stars in the film, has said she wouldn't have taken the role if she thought the movie was anti-Catholic. What do you make of this response?

Vere: The film has not yet been released, so I cannot comment on it. However, Christ asks very pointedly in the Gospels: Can a good tree bear rotten fruit? The movie is the fruit of the books and Pullman's imagination. These are anti-Christian and atheistic at their core. How does one sanitize this from the movie without completely gutting Pullman from his story?

During an interview with Hollywood screenwriter Barbara Nicolosi a couple of months ago, I asked her whether it was possible to tone down the anti-Christian elements for the movie. Nicolosi is the chair of Act One, a training and mentoring organization for Christians starting out in Hollywood.

She had given the question thought. A few years ago one of her friends -- an evangelical Christian -- had been asked by her agent to pitch on the project, that is, propose to write the screenplay adapting "The Golden Compass" to film.

"We read [the book] and there was just no way we could come in on this," Nicolosi told me. "Pullman's fantasy universe is nihilistic and rooted in chaos. You cannot fix that in a rewrite without changing the story Pullman is trying to tell -- which is atheistic, angry and at times polemical."

But let's suppose it is possible. Let's suppose Kidman is right and that the movie has been sanitized of its anti-Catholicism. The books remain saturated with bitter anti-Christian polemic. So why promote a movie that will only generate interest in the books among impressionable young children?

For the Christian parent, the movie cannot be anything but spiritual poison to their children -- for the movie is the fruit of the book.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15).


V. Rev. Fr. George Morelli Ph.D. is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Marriage and Family Therapist, Coordinator of the Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling Ministry of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, (www.antiochian.org/counseling-ministries) and Religion Coordinator (and Antiochian Archdiocesan Liaison) of the Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology and Religion. Fr. George is Assistant Pastor of St. George's Antiochian Orthodox Church, San Diego, California.

 

[Soha]

Hmmm...well, initially I must say, I was going to watch the film. But then I believe the Holy Spirit convicted me to not do so. I felt it would be irresponsible of me to contribute to something that is against our Lord.
But if other Christians wished to see it, I wouldn't hold it against them

 

[rusmeister]

Here's an earlier thread on the topic...
http://christianforums.com/t6536714

It looks like the only blocks this film is busting are the funds invested in this turkey. Let it die a quiet and embarassing death.