The Golden Compass, Selling Kids to Atheism? Options

[StandardEdition]

Ok so i'm sure you've all heard of The golden Compass[Idk why you shouldn't if you didn't becausethey've been advetsing it like hell.].
And some beleivers are boycotting this movie because they think it sells kids to Atheism.
So my question is, from what you've seen in the previews, do you think that this movie does sell atheism to kids.

From what i've seen, no.
I mean I don't really no the story or anything but it doesn't look so bad to me. IT looks like a fantasy, kind of like narnia but you know, written by an atheist.

So what do you think?

[S-Majere]

The only redeeming feature of this movie would be the Atheism. It looks too much like a failed Harry Potter/Narnia/LOTR cross.

Maybe I'm just old and cross, but not more fantasy movies?!

[*jeanna*]

well i have a feeling the movie will get a lot of money since people are being told to not see it, that people will

[*CowerPointyObjects*]

Failed? The books were great. Not so much the third one, but The Golden Compass itself was, at least.

Anyway, The Chronicles of Narnia had distinct Christian themes, so that could be boycotted just as easily. 'Could' being the operative word, though, as the Christian majority seems to be most afraid of people being deterred from their beliefs. There is no obligation for literature (or the movies based off of it) to support any sort of belief or lack thereof. Pretty sure most kids just watch these things for the entertainment value anyway. If a kid is clever enough to realize the religious or atheist themes in a movie, then chances are, they're clever enough that they're going to be informed enough to question their beliefs eventually anyway, so it really makes very little difference.

[StandardEdition]

Exactly! so i don't see why the catholic church is lashing back in sucha violent manner. Its just a movie, a fiction pile of talking pictures.

[S-Majere]

Failed? The books were great. Not so much the third one, but The Golden Compass itself was, at least.

Mmm, the books might be really good but sometimes movies lack that. I think the only movie adaptation of a book to sucessfully pull it off was the LOTR trilogy.

I'm the ultimate Harry Potter anti-fan...

[tokyo-rose]

The only redeeming feature of this movie would be the Atheism. It looks too much like a failed Harry Potter/Narnia/LOTR cross.

Maybe I'm just old and cross, but not more fantasy movies?!

Um, The Golden Compass was published in the 1990s, and it's a brilliant book.

I don't care what people think it implies. I've been a fan of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy for years so I am going to see the movie.

[Insurmountable]

I heard it was a book...and it has a talking polar bear and I don't want to see it if the polar bear dies But by the previews I just figured it was another one of those kids fantasy movies

[tokyo-rose]

I heard it was a book...and it has a talking polar bear and I don't want to see it if the polar bear dies But by the previews I just figured it was another one of those kids fantasy movies

I don't remember if he dies in the last book, but he's definitely alive when the first one ends. ;)

[puppydgtails]

There is a really good article on Snopes.com about this movie. I beleive this is the proper link... http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

The writer is an atheist, and although word has it that the movie edition is a watered down book version, the theme is about children on the move to defeat God. It seems a little odd to me that the writer Pullman does not believe in God yet, he writes Him into his story line. How can you kill something you don't believe exists in the first place?!

[brooklyneast05]

There is a really good article on Snopes.com about this movie. I beleive this is the proper link... http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

The writer is an atheist, and although word has it that the movie edition is a watered down book version, the theme is about children on the move to defeat God. It seems a little odd to me that the writer Pullman does not believe in God yet, he writes Him into his story line. How can you kill something you don't believe exists in the first place?!

lol...
books kill dragons, fairies, goblins, monsters, ect all the time. so the author must believe in them right?!?!?!?!
j.k. rowlings believes voldemort is real, for sure

[puppydgtails]

lol...
books kill dragons, fairies, goblins, monsters, ect all the time. so the author must believe in them right?!?!?!?!
j.k. rowlings believes voldemort is real, for sure

So what you're saying is you think he believes in God if he's writing about it, or that we write abotu things we don't necessarily believe in?

[brooklyneast05]

i'm saying why would he need to believe in something to write a fictional story. people do and always have written stories about things that don't exist. why on earth would him writing about it mean he believes it?

does someone writing about talking lions mean they believe in them? does someone writing about killing dragons mean they must first believe in the dragon before they can write a story about it? does someone have to believe neverland is real to write about it? no

if u're going to say he must believe in god if he's going to write it, then be consistent, and apply that to all stories.

[StandardEdition]

i'm saying why would he need to believe in something to write a fictional story. people do and always have written stories about things that don't exist. why on earth would him writing about it mean he believes it?

does someone writing about talking lions mean they believe in them? does someone writing about killing dragons mean they must first believe in the dragon before they can write a story about it? does someone have to believe neverland is real to write about it? no

if u're going to say he must believe in god if he's going to write it, then be consistent, and apply that to all stories.

Although you make a good point Brooklyneast I have to admit it does seem a bit contradictory to his beleifs if he writes about defeating god. I mean if fictional writers didn't even beleive alittle bit of withches or dragons the books would be lame and boring.

[brooklyneast05]

so u think that the fictional writers believe in goblins, fairies, dragons, monsters, ghosts, witches, wizards, talking animals, magical lands, and pigs that build houses?

[puppydgtails]

if u're going to say he must believe in god if he's going to write it, then be consistent, and apply that to all stories.

I see your point, I was just merely asking a question. However if he is an atheist as he claims he is, why even write about God in the first place? He's acknowledging the possibly he exists, and trying to convert people to become non-believers. Why doesn't he just write a book and tell kids that the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny don't exist either? If people want to beleive in the magical let them. I don't think it's fair to push your beliefs on anyone, whether spiritual or non-spiritual.

[brooklyneast05]

why don't people just take a book for what it is, a book. i don't think someone should be limited about what they can write about. perhaps they should not read the book/watch the movie if they are so insecure in their beliefs that they can't even watch a film without their whole entire faith being pulled out from under them.

don't forget that ur argument makes the assumption that the church doesn't push it's beliefs on people

also, do u honestly think kids are even going to take any deeper meaning out of this?

[Insurmountable]

I don't remember if he dies in the last book, but he's definitely alive when the first one ends. ;)

YAY

[puppydgtails]

The church doesn't push their beliefs onto people in the community excpet those willing to sit in it and listen. It's atheists who are always pushing thier beliefs onto the community. The cross at Soledad in San Diego, the dude that had the Pledge of Allegiance banned from his daughters school up in Sacramento, and is now fighting the Supreme Court to remove in God we trust of our money. I mean if you want to argue this, I'm all for it. If our money isn't good enough for an atheist, then they can quit using it so there is more of it around for the rest of us.

I do take it as just a book, I haven't read it, and I will not take my child to the movie. Will she figure it out? Darm Skippy she will. Kids pick up on all sorts of things these days.

The whole reason I started blogging, was to answer someone's question about the movie and all the hype surrounding it.

[StandardEdition]

so u think that the fictional writers believe in goblins, fairies, dragons, monsters, ghosts, witches, wizards, talking animals, magical lands, and pigs that build houses?

In their head. In reality I suppose they don't beleive in it.

why don't people just take a book for what it is, a book. i don't think someone should be limited about what they can write about. perhaps they should not read the book/watch the movie if they are so insecure in their beliefs that they can't even watch a film without their whole entire faith being pulled out from under them.

don't forget that ur argument makes the assumption that the church doesn't push it's beliefs on people

also, do u honestly think kids are even going to take any deeper meaning out of this?

I don't think that kids will get the meaning out of this, unless they state that they want to kill god or whatever. I think kids will just see it as another fantasy movie. I know my friends that aren't christian took narnia as just another fantasy movie so why not this one?

[brooklyneast05]

In their head. In reality I suppose they don't believe in it.

right, so if in reality he doesn't believe in god, what makes him different that anyone else who writes stories? the thing is, if he was writing about any other subject other than god, u wouldn't find it at all strange that he's writing about something he doesn't believe in.

I don't think that kids will get the meaning out of this, unless they state that they want to kill god or whatever. I think kids will just see it as another fantasy movie. I know my friends that aren't christian took narnia as just another fantasy movie so why not this one?

exactly. this movie isn't going to say HEY KIDS WE NEED TO KILL GOD! kid's are gonna see it like any other story they watch.

The church doesn't push their beliefs onto people in the community excpet those willing to sit in it and listen. It's atheists who are always pushing thier beliefs onto the community. The cross at Soledad in San Diego, the dude that had the Pledge of Allegiance banned from his daughters school up in Sacramento, and is now fighting the Supreme Court to remove in God we trust of our money. I mean if you want to argue this, I'm all for it. If our money isn't good enough for an atheist, then they can quit using it so there is more of it around for the rest of us.
I do take it as just a book, I haven't read it, and I will not take my child to the movie. Will she figure it out? Darm Skippy she will. Kids pick up on all sorts of things these days.
The whole reason I started blogging, was to answer someone's question about the movie and all the hype surrounding it.

cowerpointyobjects has already brought up the chronicles of narnia and their christian influences. do i care? no, i like those books. do i think people who read them are being brainwashed into christian views? no, not really. i don't think kids even pick up on these things. even if they did, i don't think it's enough for them to change their beliefs over it

the cross was on city property, had it been on private property, that would have been a different story. it violates separation of church and state, that's just how it is. let's erect a 43 foot tribute to islam on city owned land and see how that goes over.

pledge allegiance banned? don't u mean the phrase "under god" be taken out. that's not banning the pledge allegiance. under god, which god? the christian god? what about those who worship more than one god? we're playing favorites here

in god we trust on the money.
reminding us to trust in god just isn't the job of the state.

u say that the church doesn't push it's beliefs on anyone. that doesn't work with the example of in god we trust as our national motto on our currency. our original national motto from benjamin franklin and thomas jefferson is a secular one, E Pluribus Unum. who do u think pushed that idea out for a religious one? eh?

"if our money isn't good enough for an atheist, they can quit using it"

these things aren't just about atheists. "in god we trust" refers to one god, what about the people who believe in more than one god? what about people who believe in another god instead of the christian one? separation of church and state protects my rights as well as christian's from other religions being forced on them. do u want islamic symbols on our currency?

i don't really care if they remove it or not, to be honest i won't even notice unless someone tells me. i'm just saying.

[Relentless]

Woah, I never heard of that, it sells "Atheism". Shoot, it's just a movie. A fantasy movie that is, like HP/CON/LOTR. =/ I'm definitely going to watch it. I don't think it persuades Atheism.

[brooklyneast05]

^ i know right

[*jeanna*]

I see your point, I was just merely asking a question. However if he is an atheist as he claims he is, why even write about God in the first place? He's acknowledging the possibly he exists, and trying to convert people to become non-believers. Why doesn't he just write a book and tell kids that the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny don't exist either? If people want to beleive in the magical let them. I don't think it's fair to push your beliefs on anyone, whether spiritual or non-spiritual.

it's called being agnostic and dont you dare say anything "it's not fair to push your beliefs on anyone". i guess you should watch the movie.

[dustbunny]

I LOVED THE BOOKS. and really, it's not that big of a deal. so the church plays the bad guys, boohoo.