The Golden Compass

Everytime i read the book, i keep thinking that the author has had something happened to them by the church and has become an anti christian and out to get them back, that's just my opinion though

 

Many people know throughout history religion has been abused and it is played out in many movies, books and such. It's on the news how some people abuse religion and twist it to match their design. We have serial killers who used religion to herd in flocks of people that weren't very bright at the time and desperate for salvation and made people kill others or themselves. It is a theme in many things that go on today around the world and also in entertainment because of it.

While many people do not abuse a religion to justify things that the conscience would say are no-gos, many others do not. I think more the Dark Materials books aren't really bad and are just stories but you can derive a message from them as you can from so many other things. Religion in the wrong hands throughout history has been used as a weapon, but many others do not use it as such. This is why it is very important that anyone of a religion should pay attention to how others abuse it and stop giving them excuses.

If I ask many Christians why they believe in the Bible and God they will say because they believe their soul will go onto Heaven and it helps mold their lives in constructive ways and helps them find their path in life, probably in more colorful words. Most aren't out to want to harm others or judge them so harshly for not being a follower of it or doing any other acts that aren't deemed harmful to society. Now, if all were that way, there would be no problem with Christianity or any other religion in existence. Personal choice is great. It's when bad people though get power that -anything- in life can become tainted, including religion. It's happened before and will continue to happen repeatedly until people of the religions start stepping up and telling others to stop abusing the message they are conveying. Too many people though instead defend the religion and don't do a thing or ignore these bad people exist.

It really isn't that hard to also see who's abusing the religion and making people dumber. Ted Haggard, look up 'white collar crimes' in google and there are a number of religious men who can be viewed to have done crimes against others, the Topeka Kansas Southern Baptist group that is saying soldiers are gay and protesting funerals of soldiers, Bush has referenced as have the Muslims we go against, that God is one way or the other. Christian and Islamic Terrorists exist. Think back on how the corrupted priests messing with kids made Catholics feel and all. You can do a search for that on google too. Hate groups operate with using religion as a crutch because parts of the Bible can be taken to justify violence if someone wills it that way.

So this is kind of more what I would see Pullman's books as, if there's a theme to be taken from them at all. Because many followers of the group in the stories failed to notice how awful the situation really was, the group was able to get away with atrocious things. Even in the end, the 'God' that was masquerading as God wasn't the 'real' God. It was an angel that was corrupt. So he didn't kill 'God' in the books as people who haven't read them have tried to say. I hope this makes sense without offending everybody, but in the end that is more to me what the stories might represent than just an 'attack on religion' and someone who is sour over life experiences.


Sorry to go again with another essay but it was hard to convey this with the intentions I had if I made it shorter.

 

The film tried to stay away from the church, the northern lights/golden compass book however...

 

Actually, the reason the film is as it is is because the producers wanted people to go see it. They would rather take away from the true meaning and strength of the books than lose profit. Hence why I always read the book before I see the film.

Religious people have every right to complain, they can picket all they want outside the cinemas. But then in turn I should be allowed to call the Bible a collection of fanciful fairy tails with very little to do with reality. A myth if you will.

If I said that I would probably get torn apart, fair ain't it?

 

That's the problem right there. I bet the movie would have done better with others had it actually not bothered to cater to the Christians who would take it the wrong way. Note how they did take out a lot of the religious elements and yet still there were churches and groups actively declaring boycotts and doing things against it. Had they just left it the way it was intended and followed the books, I doubt there could have been anymore controversy than their was and also more people would have enjoyed the film rather than the watered down version we received.

I agree with your last statement as well. There is a serious bias to protect what is 'sacred' and if anyone speaks out against it they are labeled as haters of a people, when in reality it is not so.

 

I saw part of that movie, Passion of christ but what does this have to do with the Golden compass?

 

Ive read the book, and as the trilogy progresses it does put the church in a bad light and makes it seem as the enemy. However the church should not be worrying about how it makes people see them.. after all its just a fictional movie and not real. Pullman had freedom of speech to say those things, and create this story which made the church look evil.

Oh dear Im rambling, I'd be surprised if anybody gets me. :S

 

I heard that somewhere in the second book, they literally kill God. I don't know though...I just...I'd rather not bother with it. There are other movies/books out there that have no controversy stuck to them.

 

That is the third book and it is not God as such. Controversy makes things interesting, it can force you to step back and look at the way you live your life, think and what you believe and maybe reconsider.

I'm all for controversy, it helps us improve our lives and remind us what is right.

 

I guess...I just dont like going out of my to think about stuff like that -.-'. I think about stuff intensely just with it being presented to me.

 

Overall, it is attacked by Christians due to its nature and the person who wrote the book..

First off, the author is an athiest. And, if the book has themes of 'the church' being evil, it doesn't look good if an athiest is writing that. Even if it is an 'alternate reality'.

 

Yeah, but that's the problem. It can be attacked because he's an Atheist, even though the books do not technically kill God. However, if anyone of any other religion or non-believer says they don't like something of Christianity and don't want it shoved down our throats we are told we are going to Hell and condemned.

It gets very old that SOME Christians have killed so many people, done all sorts of atrocities to others and tried to rape science etc, but yet if someone speaks out against the immoral actions, they are speaking out suddenly against ALL Christians. This isn't what is going on here. If someone wants someone to move a religious symbol from the side of the road because an accident happens on the street because people can't see cross traffic, it's not an attack on Christianity and all Christians. It's called some moron put up something in the way that obstructs view and someone got hurt because of it or an accident is attempting to be avoided.

I don't hate Christians. I dislike how some use Christianity as a horrible way to control others, spread fear, and keep people uneducated. Some people really are bad and no one stops them in the Christian fold. When others try to, it's labeled as attacking Christianity and every single Christian must do something about it. There is a serious flaw in mentality here. If an Atheist is arrested for a crime destroying some Christian stuff, well Atheists don't all gather up to go defend the person. Of course we see it as wrong that was done because destruction of property is not right to do. However, if some Christians steal and burn things they feel are offensive to their religion, what happens then? Nothing. Just we hear how it happened and oh well. The law is very skewed and Christians cannot be the dominating force and yet expect to also declare they are always victims. Why do Christians not do more against others that do things like abuse kids and force them to believe in Christianity or they disown them? Why no help for gay teenagers that commit suicide because Christian parents drive them nuts? Why do people who are agnostic or atheist always have to stand up for these atrocities and then get judged as Christian haters?

I am Atheist and yet I watched Passion of Christ. I didn't mind it except for the extreme gore. Mostly it was the Jewish who were offended by it because they do not believe in Jesus as a prophet and don't appreciate the negative things applied to them because of it, which some Christians hate them for. Martin Luther, who founded the Protestant movement, was a big Jew hater. Still groups out there have issues over this.

I see Christian stuff all the time everywhere and have had annoying people at college try to 'convert' me and had to watch some idiot guy at a seminar tell girls they should dress better because men can't help themselves and that men should look to God to resist doing something bad to a girl. Uh...I don't need God to tell me to not rape a girl because she's wearing some short skirt and I can see her cute belly button etc. I told him that too and broke up the seminar as a lot of other guys agreed. Yeah, I'm a jerk and was told I am a sinner and hater of Christians and other ignorant charges.

I'm going off track here but my point is that people all have to stop being so darn thin-skinned. Not everyone is a Christian and even Christians can be horrified at how some people throughout history have abused the religion to get what they want out of it. It's why many try to adapt and say they don't want to be misled and try to live lives more peacefully and don't judge others so strictly. Of course, some Christian groups call these people not Christian. In the end, there's just not a respect of sacredness of other people's beliefs by too many Christians, and yet they expect it returned. You can't have your cake and eat it too all the time. So yes, Christians have a right to voice their opinions, but stop getting so offended when others voice theirs. Otherwise, it's just imbalanced and unfair and others will stop listening to anyone.