Catholic League at it again - The Golden Compass

[star-warrior]

I've not read any of Phillip Pullman's stuff, but he's gotten under the Catholic League's skin, apparently, with the tone down film version of the first in the "His Dark Materials" trilogy.

I say its rich to accuse one man of peddling atheism, especially when the Catholic Church has had a whole history of burnings and inquisitions. I bet their American mouthpiece Bill Donohue has too much idle time on his hands that the devil is working him to the bone...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7115300.stm

Golden Compass author hits back

Warning: This story contains plot spoilers
By Julian Joyce
BBC News

The author of the book on which the new film The Golden Compass is based has hit back at critics who accuse him of peddling "candy-coated atheism".

Phillip Pullman won the Whitbread prize for the third part of his trilogy


Philip Pullman dismissed as "absolute rubbish" accusations by the US-based Catholic League that the film promotes atheism and denigrates Christianity.
"I am a story teller," he said. " If I wanted to send a message I would have written a sermon."
The Golden Compass - which stars Nicole Kidman - premiers in London on Tuesday.
Epic battle
The film also stars James Bond actor Daniel Craig and is based on the first part of Mr Pullman's best-selling His Dark Materials children's trilogy.
In the book - set in an imaginary world - the heroine Lyra fights against the Magisterium, an evil organisation some have interpreted as based on the Catholic Church.

We knew from the beginning that the producers of this film intended to leave out the anti-religious references. We think this is a great shame

Terry Sanderson, National Secular Society


The three-part series culminates in an epic battle in which God dies - at the hand of a child.
Those who have seen the film - which cost £90m to make - say the explicit anti-religious message of the books has been muted. But the Catholic League, which bills itself as America's largest Catholic civil rights organisation, have nevertheless launched a nationwide boycott campaign.

Nicole Kidman and Dakota Blue Richards star in the film


The League says that parents might be taken in by the toned-down film - but will then be fooled into buying the "overtly atheistic and anti-Christian" books.
League President Bill Donohue said: "Eighty-five per cent of the people in this country are Catholic or Protestant and I'd like them to stay at home, or go see some other movie.
"Pullman is using this film as a sort of stealth campaign. He likes to play the game that he's really not atheistic and anti-Catholic. But yes he is and we have researched this.
"This movie is the bait for the books."
Too many layers
But Mr Pullman - who is attending Tuesday's premier in London's Leicester Square - dismissed the Catholic League as "a tiny, unrepresentative organisation."
He told the BBC: "The only person Bill Donohue represents is himself.
"I don't want to talk about these criticisms about atheism in my books. It's too long an argument to have, and there are too many layers to the subject."
A spokeswoman for the Catholic Church in Britain said she was unaware of a concerted UK campaign to boycott the film: "We have not seen the film yet, so we cannot comment on its message," she said.

Armoured bears feature in a fantasy set in an imaginary world


Christian journalist Peter Hitchens said that while he opposed a boycott, he wanted parents to be aware of Philip Pullman's themes.
He said: "If you buy this book for your child, don't imagine for a moment that you are handing over a neutral story: this author has a purpose.
"Don't forget, this is a writer who has previously gone on the record to say he is trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief."
Anti-religious
Ironically, Mr Pullman has also come under fire from secularists - who say there's isn't enough anti-religious sentiment in the film.
Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said: "We knew from the beginning that the producers of this film intended to leave out the anti-religious references.

James Bond actor Daniel Craig plays Lord Asriel


"We think this is a great shame. The fight against the Magisterium (Pullman's thinly-disguised version of the Catholic Church) is the whole point of the book. Take that away and the most original and interesting element of the story is lost."
Whether the Catholic League's campaign against the Golden Compass will succeed is open to question. It previously spoke out against the Da Vinci Code - a fictional film that alleged Jesus married and had a child. The film went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of 2006.

Oh, and, Dakota Blue is such a lovely name.

 

[gsdx]

Anything, I suppose, to keep everyone's attention diverted away from all the priests getting very friendly with their choir boys.

 

[RobinGoodfellow]

Sorry; any organization should have the ability to defend itself against attacks. In this case, you have a movie written that attacks the Catholic Church, so they should have some ability to defend themselves. Or are we limiting free speech based on one's religious views?

Weird...

RG

 

[Jeimuzu]

It says atheism like it's a swear word.

The arrogance of it gets to me.

 

[Spellbound]

Why are they acting like this is the first movie to have anti-religious undertones?! The Catholic church should rethink its policy on birth control rather than complain about a kids movie.

And wasn't it just a couple years ago when 'Narnia' came out people were complaining that its message was too Christian?
Those people should go see 'Golden Compass' and the people who are complaining that 'Golden Compass' is anti-Christian should just go rent 'Narnia.'
Both are big budget, soulless fantasy movies that are meant to make tons of money over the Christmas season anyway.

 

[Singularity]

What a bunch of morons. The makers removed the religious undertone and they're still bitching about it?

They're only giving it the free exposure it needs. By the time the movie has opened worldwide, it's gonna make 10 times the money it cost to make.

 

[justsimon]

The series doesn't have an anti-religious theme. It's much more complicated than that.

 

[Pushover]

This can be summed up in a simple statement:

If we have to put up with Passion of the Christ among the thousands of other dogmatic religious films, they can put up with The Golden Compass.

 

[ilovegaysex]

I want to see The Goldon Compass sooo bad!!!!!! It looks like an amazing film.

And I pay no attention to these guys. Their obviously very narrow minded people who have way too much time on their hands.

 

[TaigaStar]

They're not being attacked at all. They accuse Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other shows, that don't deal in the traditions of Religion... So I mean really this is all tired and bullshit.

Actually, the Catholic Church wasn't the religious organization banning Harry Potter and Buffy. The biggest issue from the Catholic standpoint is that while the movie has removed most of the anti-religious aspects, the story will inspire parents to purchase the books for their children and thus expose them to the anti-religious tones that were removed from the film. It's hardly considered "bullshit" to inform people that something they may think is "sweet and innocent" will prove detrimental to the familial values being passed on.

I noticed someone above also posted that the Catholic Church should rethink it's stand on birth control. 1- What does that have to do with The Golden Compass?, and 2- You'd be surprised how many Catholics ignore that little rule.

 

[gsdx]

This can be summed up in a simple statement:

If we have to put up with Passion of the Christ among the thousands of other dogmatic religious films, they can put up with The Golden Compass.

I've quoted this for no other reason than I feel it warrants repeating.

I might also add The Ten Commandments (that 4-hour Easter snore-fest) and I'll even toss in all those TV evangelists.

 

[TaigaStar]

I'll even toss in all those TV evangelists.

Please don't group Catholics with the televangelists. The only thing we share in common is a belief in Jesus.

 

[theblackajah]

So you can't peddle atheism (it's not even overt), but you can peddle [STRIKE]delusion[/STRIKE] religious belief in movies like Passion of the Christ?

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

 

[splurge]

Surely the Catholic Church should be happy in the fact that the book says that God exists in the first place!

But then it is only a work of fiction after all. Phew!

 

[star-warrior]

Actually, the Catholic Church wasn't the religious organization banning Harry Potter and Buffy. The biggest issue from the Catholic standpoint is that while the movie has removed most of the anti-religious aspects, the story will inspire parents to purchase the books for their children and thus expose them to the anti-religious tones that were removed from the film. It's hardly considered "bullshit" to inform people that something they may think is "sweet and innocent" will prove detrimental to the familial values being passed on.

I noticed someone above also posted that the Catholic Church should rethink it's stand on birth control. 1- What does that have to do with The Golden Compass?, and 2- You'd be surprised how many Catholics ignore that little rule.

Sure, but its a story. Why doesn't the CC pick on Beatrix Potter or Wind in the Willows? It clearly has animals behaving in an anthropomorphic capacity. I see no argument that Star Trek is to be banned by the CC either, since The Force is clearly neither real nor within human ability here on earth. What we see from the church is paranoia, and ironically, in raising the issue, the film is going to get a bigger audience than it would otherwise get.

With regard to your questions about birth control, 1: The Golden Compass if it is truely anti-catholic church stands for anything anti-catholic, and anti-papery. Since birth control, in particular condoms is banned by the Catholic church by papal decree, the Golden Compass story would therefore be opposing any papal decree or representation by the Catholic church in any capacity. 2: Condom using Catholics - if the Inquisition were still around, or burning at the stake still popular, then maybe they'd reconsider.

 

[kallipolis]

We should recognise that it is not the Catholic Church that is creating this storm of protest. Bill Donahue and the United States based Catholic League is a politically active organisation, devoted to pursuing the ends of certain people who just happen to be Catholic.

I do not share the ambitions of the Catholic League, but support its right to voice its opinions.

 

[darcey]

Why do I wonder if the catholic league might have a financial stake in this movie? They have just guaranteed it a larger box office than it might have had with out all their noise.

 

[kallipolis]

That is Freudian thinking, that might well suggest a suspicious and conspiratorial nature.

 

[madara]

Wow, organized religion is still ignorant, judgmental and hypocritical. Yeah I really need go church this sunday.

 

[kallipolis]

Some human beings are still ignorant, judgemental and hypocritical. Especially those who presume to know better, than the rest of us. Atheists and theists, alike.