Movie Release "The Golden Compass"

[JCSx2]

In DEC 2007 this movie will be released staring Nicole Kidman.

WARNING ANTI-GOD THEME

Here is the Snopes link.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

[Swamper]

I'm still trying to decide whether to see it or not. I haven't read the books. Not something I'd take kids to see, despite it being marketed as a children's movie.

There need to be more movies out there that portray the church as good guys...

[JCSx2]

I'm still trying to decide whether to see it or not. I haven't read the books. Not something I'd take kids to see, despite it being marketed as a children's movie.

There need to be more movies out there that portray the church as good guys...

The author wrote the books to turn children against God. The movie is a watered down version of the first book, the second and, third books are worse than the first book in reference to hatred towards God. In the third book a boy and girl representing Adam and Eve kill God.

Check out the Snopes link for further information.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

My child will not see the movie or read the books.

[zoegirl]

Not only is it anti-God but the author of the books sees it as his mission to wage war against Chrisianity. He sees himself as developing children's books to develop young atheist minds.


The movie is evidently much watered down from the books, misleading parents that this is a harmless children's series...

[Judah]

Folk might be interested in reading the review of Philip Pullman's trilogy "His Dark Materials" and the release of the film made from the first book, "The Golden Compass", on the blog of Dr Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world). Dr Mohler expresses serious concerns about the trilogy and the message being pushed by the books.

Link: http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1065

I have not read the books but I guess I ought to, so that I can have some intelligent thoughts about them presuming discussion is bound to arise given their agenda. There was a concern raised over Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code" but not a lot really came of it in the end. I wonder if the same thing will happen about this too?

[Kurieuo]

Just thought I would reference the new article on this website regarding this movie:

The Golden Compass Movie Review: Why Christians Should Boycott This Movie
http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/t ... movie.html

[Swamper]

I saw it last night with three friends of mine (one of them Christian, the other two agnostic). I can understand people not wanting to see it, and that's fine, but I think it can also be used to open up a discussion with children...explain to them how God and the Church as depicted in the books differ from what we as Christians believe and whatnot. And I would disagree that it encourages children to get involved in the occult. I think kids are a bit smarter than we tend to give them credit for. If you sit down and talk to your kids before and after seeing the movie and/or reading the books, it shouldn't affect them.

I also found it interesting that one of my agnostic friends thought the Magisterium (the church organization in the movie) was more like the Church of Scientology than the Catholic Church: The Magisterium teaches that a substance called Dust settles on people and leads them into wrong thought and action, which my friend likened to Scientology's idea of "body thetans".

Just thought it would be a good idea for someone who's seen the movie to throw in their $0.02...

[zoegirl]

I object to it simply because of the author's expressed intent. I will bluntly say that he annoys me and so I don't want to spend my money on it. The books evident;y are a lot more obvious in their atheist agenda.

[Kurieuo]

Apparently the movie is a very cut back and tame version of the book. Read the book and your opinion might change. The first could perhaps be intended to hook children without causing much of a stir, however the second and third may be where the full anti-Christian agenda comes in.

Compass Movie Doesn't Capture the Spirit of the Novel

Not that I'm complaining, of course.

Gone is the wildness, the almost animal-like portrayal of characters that have no moral anchor, where person after person is praised for his (or her) power, not his virtue; where, as an example, Lyra, the main character, is suspicious of a boy she meets until she's told he's a murderer. "A murderer was a worthy companion" because he had proved himself to be strong, able to overcome others. Gone is the harsh, brutal, ugly world where Lord Asriel displays a severed head to the scholars, where Lyra has turned lying into a proud art form, or Iorek has to be talked out of biting someone's head off.

This is the tamed, children's version. Here, Lord Asriel isn't feared by Lyra because of his anger and instability (though still admired for his power), he's a kind, brave, father. Mrs. Coulter didn't decide she wanted nothing to do with her baby, the baby was taken away from her against her will. There are frequent moments of tenderness between the characters that I never saw in the book. Everyone is more likable, more human, and there is certainly more warmth (although not enough to explain why Lyra doesn't freeze death within five minutes, dressed the way that actress was dressed).

This movie gave the characters more soul than they ever had, though I can't decide whether this is an improvement or simply a lightly-sickening, sappy twist that doesn't belong in this story. It's just . . . less objectionable. And unlike the novel, this world does have some beauty in it, added by both the stunning locations and the sense of a moral reality that the novels lacked. So, where the first couple hundred pages of the novel were difficult to get through--what with being unable to tell whom we should be rooting for (since all the characters seemed untrustworthy and/or dangerous), all the political blah, blah, blah, and the lack of life and joy in the story--the film version moved along more quickly.

The anti-religious aspect of the trilogy is very well disguised in this film. I'm not sure anyone would even notice it unless they had read the book. What I don't understand is how the filmmakers plan to keep up what they've started in terms of both tone and content for the sequels, as the next two books are more starkly brutal and necessarily become more explicit about original sin, the Fall, and the new Adam and Eve. How are they going to explain what Lord Asriel does next (shudder) in the context of this kinder, gentler Asriel? There's no way to hide these things without changing the very essence of the story.

As I was explaining the difference between the novel and film to Derek, he said, "Ah, so they've decided to use the seeker model for creating the film series." Exactly! This film was not made for the fans, it was designed to reel new people in, as the director, Chris Weitz, explains:

The whole point, to me, of ensuring that "The Golden Compass" is a financial success [by playing down the whole "the Church is evil and we must kill God" thing] is so that we have a solid foundation on which to deliver a faithful, more literal adaptation of the second and third books. This is important: whereas "The Golden Compass" had to be introduced to the public carefully, the religious themes in the second and third books can't be minimized without destroying the spirit of these books. . . . I will not be involved with any "watering down" of books two and three, since what I have been working towards the whole time in the first film is to be able to deliver on the second and third films.

Well, I guess this is good news for us because we all know how these things work out: Sure, you "just start out" seeker sensitive and promise all sorts of rewards to the faithful in the future, but somehow, you never get around to giving them what they need because you're too busy trying to tempt others to join you by giving those people what they want.

Regardless, I'm not sure they can ever get back to the original tone of the novels after playing a song like this in the credits:

"Ly-r-a-a-a-a . . . L-y-y-y-r-r-a-a-a-a
And her soul walks be-side he-r-r-r-r-r-r
We have all our love to gi-i-i-ve he-r-r-r-r-r" (etc., etc.)

Are you kidding me?

I'm not a fan of the books, but even I know that the real Lyra wouldn't stand for that. Face it, Weitz, The spirit of the books has already been destroyed . . . not that there's anything wrong with that.

http://www.str.org/site/PageServer?pagename=blog_iframe

[Dudeacus97]

I know this is a little too late, but when one of my friends found out it was anti-Christian, he freaked out and yelled "AND I USED TO LIKE THOSE BOOKS!" and that he didn't even know.

[PaulSacramento]

I saw the movie and while it was most certainly anti-authority, I didn't find it anti-christian at all.

[jlay]

Timely

[Dudeacus97]

I saw the movie and while it was most certainly anti-authority, I didn't find it anti-christian at all.

They watered it down. I don't think a movie that blatanly anti-Christian could be released in America. Then again, Family Guy and other blatanly anti-Christian propaganda exists, but it isn't aimed at Children. The book is very anti-Christian and I heard that the sequels are even worse. Also, the villains are called the Magisterium, which is another name for the Catholic Church. Not to mention that Phillip Pullman said that his intentions were to "kill God in the minds of children."