Nicole Kidman in a scene from “The Golden Compass.” 

From its poster, this movie may look like another made-for-children stuff, with animal characters that talk and with the story revolving around a child

But “The Golden Compass” is a $180-million fantasy epic that actually points to a direction other than what it seems to be pointing at.

It’s definitely not for young children because the subject matter in the move is not only serious stuff but highly controversial as well.

Based on the first volume in the award-winning trilogy “His Dark Materials” by religious skeptic Philip Pullman, the movie already has been condemned by conservative Roman Catholics and evangelicals. They say it will hook children into Pullman’s books and a dark, individualistic world where all religion is evil.

But at least one liberal scholar has called the trilogy a “theological masterpiece,” and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops rates the film “intelligent and well-crafted entertainment.”

Meanwhile, some secularists complain the movie from New Line Cinemas waters down Pullman’s religious critique. They feel sold out by the author, who has described himself as both an atheist and agnostic.

Starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, “The Golden Compass” traces a 12-year-old girl named Lyra from Oxford, England, to the Arctic to the edge of another universe, where she becomes locked in a battle between good and evil. The characters are shadowed by their own “daemons,” talking animal companions that take on soul-like qualities.

In early October, the New York-based Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights launched a boycott of the film, calling it “selling atheism to kids” at Christmas time in stealth fashion.

Director Chris Weitz has said he cut controversial religious content to make the film more commercially viable, with the plan of being more faithful to the original material in sequels.

For instance, the evil organization dominating the world is not “the church,” as it is in the book, but the “Magisterium,” which is getting criticism anyway because it’s a Catholic term.

The later books are even more direct in their religious criticism. One character, a former nun, says: “The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that’s all.” Pullman himself has said, “I’m trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief.”

Britain’s National Secular Society, of which Pullman is a member, has said the changes made to avoid controversy amount to “taking the heart” out of the work.

Yet the film’s co-producer, Deborah Forte, said that in 12 years of being associated with the movie and the books, not one young reader has mentioned religion to her. Children love the story and the characters, she said.

“I think it’s a tempest in a teapot,” Forte said. “What we find interesting about our film is we’ve made this wonderful epic adventure story for families. … We encourage parents to make their own decisions.”

Ok, so it’s up to you, parents. Whether you want your children to believe that atheism is good and religion is evil, that’s up to you.

Yes, this is how today’s movie producers regard their business of making money. As long as they get fame and all the moolah they expect, who cares about social content and the latter’s impact on their audience? Who cares about children suddenly imagining Santa Claus and angels as evil Christian symbols after watching “The Golden Compass”?

Yes, it’s all up to us, parents. If parents could only kick the “golden” butts of the makers of this “Golden Compass” treachery movie, I’d love to join in the kicking spree.

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12 Responses

  1. Few More Days Until the Golden Compass Movie | Prudence and Madness

    02|Dec|2007

    [...] ‘Golden Compass’: Selling Atheism to Kids at Christmas Time [...]

  2. Lorie Therese

    10|Dec|2007

    Hmm. Have you watched this Jay? Tell me how it is, when you have. :D You know where to find me. :)

  3. Benj Espina

    17|Dec|2007

    Wow, that article was a bit bigoted. So what if it pushes secularism?

  4. Benj Espina

    17|Dec|2007

    What makes the christian belief immune to to criticism? That’s the problem with christians. YOU have the sense of entitlement as if your beliefs should be beyond reproach and question even if it already imposes a lot of life-altering and bigoted standards upon others who don’t subscribe to it.

    Shame Shame

  5. Jay

    18|Dec|2007

    This is not about religion at all. It is about the worst of hollywood commercialism. You’re free to disagree, of course, since we live in a free world.
    But next time you draw your gun and shoot, check first if you have the right target. You could be shooting your own foot. That’s too bad :(

  6. Lorie

    21|Dec|2007

    Well, Benj, because it’s sick when your kids grow up having no faith and being suicidal at 19 because they are not sure that there is a God who loves them.

    The loss of faith in life and the loss of trust in other human beings is just sad. Period.

  7. Lorie

    21|Dec|2007

    PLUS, Jay is not the usual God-believer, right Jay? He’s more of the eclectic guy, Benj. :p

  8. Lorie Therese

    21|Dec|2007

    Well, Benj, because it’s sick when your kids grow up having no faith and being suicidal at 19 because they are not sure that there is a God who loves them.

    The loss of faith in life and the loss of trust in other human beings is just sad. Period.

    PLUS, Jay is not the usual God-believer, right Jay? He’s more of the eclectic guy, Benj. :p

  9. Jay

    21|Dec|2007

    Lorie, I AM a God-believer. Of course, I am. There is a Great Intelligence in the Universe which could not have come into being by just the explosion of stars eons ago.
    In fact we, humans, are the living manifestation of God. God resides in each of us. That’s why we know deep in our hearts that there is a Power beyond us.
    Those who say they do not believe in God are just fooling themselves.

  10. Lorie Therese

    26|Dec|2007

    Oh, I actually meant yung God-believer who’s not so legalistically “Christian”/Bible-thumper/Rosary-fiddler, you know? :p

    Kasi I think the people Benj points to are those I just described…

    Born-agains like me and Catholic na as in sarado katoliko with all the legalism heheh. :D

    Hope that clarifies what I said. :)

  11. Benj Espina

    14|Jan|2008

    Ironically, I think those who believe in a god that clearly doesn’t manifest in anyway – one that is only floated on the idea of an archaic book with many inconsistencies and outdated teachings — are the ones who are fooling themselves.

    the concept of a god was clearly created by man as a way to compensate for his inability to deal with the reality of lonely existence.

    Now, if that concept of a god is this “great intelligence”, then this can’t be the same catholic/ christian god.

    The inventors of christianity and the authors of the bible weren’t that smart to cover the bases that the new age “spirituality” are trying to forward.

  12. Draydince

    18|Jan|2008

    That is a truly bile comment to express how wrong it is for a child to grow up godless. I have NEVER believed in god. Now, when I have a logical stand-point, or when I was a care-free kid. I never grew up depressed/lonely, or especially suicidal… Ignorance at it’s best. Have your faith, your entitled to it – but me saying “You are wasting your life worshipin” is just as equivlant as you saying “You are going to suffer for not believing what I do”


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