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One of the major 2007 holiday movie releases is The Golden Compass, based on the work of Philip Pullman. Pullman’s work is actually a trilogy of children’s books (published in 1996, 1997 and 2000 respectively) entitled His Dark Materials. Pullman is a self-described atheist and his work clearly targets Christianity, especially institutionalized Christianity in the Roman Catholic church. Indeed, in the books, the center of much evil is named the “Magisterium,” which to a Roman Catholic is a most familiar term—namely the teaching authority of the church, led by the pope. In the movie, one of the leaders of the Magisterium is the vicious Mrs. Coulter, played by Nicole Kidman. The Roman Catholic Church has responded through its Catholic League calling the books “atheism for kids.” So, how should we think about this?
- First of all, I believe it is important to recognize that Pullman is a gifted writer. As I have gone through his books, I believe that he is actually a better writer than J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame. A graduate of Oxford University, Pullman’s work reflects a deep understanding of Greek mythology, philosophy and the great writers of Western Civilization, including Christian writers. He also knows the basics of the Bible. His work does not betray a shallowness and superficiality so often present in the Harry Potter series.
- Second, however, Pullman is also most biased and unfair in his presentation and apparently his understanding of Christianity. He seems to loathe C.S. Lewis, for example. He also seems to be unabashedly dogmatic and closed-minded in his understanding of Christianity. Is there no such thing as an open-minded Christian to Pullman? Leslie Baynes of Missouri State University writes: “Take this quote from The Amber Spyglass: ‘I met an angel. . . She said that all the history of human life has been a struggle between wisdom and stupidity. She and the rebel angels, the followers of wisdom, have always tried to open minds; the Authority and his churches have always tried to keep them closed.’”
- Third, the theme of the trilogy is actually about children growing up—and the Magisterium’s efforts to curtail and hem in the child’s development. Its goal is to “tell people what to do” and put an end “to free will.” It seeks to force obedience and stifle thought. Listen to this quote from The Amber Spyglass: “That’s what the Church does, and every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling.” The focus of this statement and the trilogy itself is the sexual awakening that accompanies growing up. Baynes writes: “In Pullman’s world, the church by extension condemns the growth, life and freedom of the soul itself. So strongly does this church want to ‘save’ children from autonomy and the resultant possibility of choosing sin, that it literally cuts them away from their daemons, destroying their souls.” [A daemon is an outward manifestation of a person’s soul in animal form. It changes as the child grows and as its mood changes. Once it reaches puberty, the daemon settles into a fixed form.]
- Fourth, so what should we Christians do? You may not agree with me here, but I believe it is imperative that we use such a movie—and more importantly the books—as a tool to teach about the importance of worldview to our children. For older, more mature children, I believe we can read the books with them and then use the reading as a forum, an opportunity to discuss the worldview of the books. If children are well-grounded in Scripture, it will not take them too long to discern the blatant anti-Christian bias of Pullman’s work. [Parents can also read Tony Watkins’s Dark Matter: Shedding Light on Pullman’s Trilogy.] Not everyone will agree with me here, but I believe strongly that we must engage our culture with the truth of the gospel. Sometimes that means we must be familiar with the bias of cultural heroes and trend setters. Philip Pullman is one of those and we cannot ignore him or the movie The Golden Compass. We are experiencing here the tension of being in the world but not of the world. Parents will not all agree with my suggestion but I certainly hope we can agree to disagree on this important cultural trend.
See the essay by Leslie Baynes in the Wall Street Journal (14 December 2007) and “Breakpoint” (26 November 2007 and 6 December 2007). |
