Christian’s versus His Dark Materials… God help us!
One of those things in life that normally sends me right up the proverbial wall, are Christian’s using their “faith” as a weapon. I use the inverted commas on purpose, because I truly question their faith in the same God that I have faith in.
Phillip Pullman is coming under such attacks, due mainly to his criticism of the church and his trilogy, His Dark Materials, a book that is essentially the other side of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Chronicles. Pullman doesn’t like Christians, and in all reality, I think I’m going to side with him if stuff like the follow happens much more.
I received an email not too long ago, from someone from my old church. The email consisted of this person forwarding on an email he had received, spouting what I will willingly call religious propaganda, in opposition to the upcoming The Golden Compass movie. The movie is the adaptation of the first in Pullman’s series, entitled Northern Lights, and renamed for the cinema.
The emailers only words were this;
Rather than add publicity to this movie of satan, we should pass this information on to other Christians.
First of all - anyone who uses “satan” in that sense, should be shot out the nearest window. This movie will be as much a “movie of satan” as the Lord of the Rings or Star Wars was.
Now I am only nearing the end of the first book, and despite a few amateurish styles in his writing, Phillip Pullman has written a fantastic book! It’s as much satanistic propaganda as Harry Potter is, and this is where we enter the real problem.
Christian’s are far too often found guilty of believing that their God is a weak god, unable to combat the simple things in life.
For crying out loud people, it’s a book and movie! It isn’t Catholic doctrine or a rewriting of your church’s constitution!
If you feel so strongly about the attitudes put forth in a book, then what the hell are you doing watching Lord of the Rings? Have you just ignored Gandalf?
Pullman’s Wikipedia entry is filled with the real undermining of these weak willed and mindless Christian’s.
However, Pullman has found support from other Christians, most notably Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. These groups and individuals point out that Pullman’s negative portrayal of the “Church” in His Dark Materials amounts to an attack on dogmatism and the use of religion to oppress, not on Christianity itself.
I couldn’t agree more heartily. Phillip Pullman’s book is an attack on what I laughingly refer to as “The Church”! It’s the talking marks that make that more than just your local church. It’s “The Church” that the simple minded young adults spout off about on those pop-polls conducted by the newspaper or TV.
And I, as a Christian of nearly twenty years, hate “The Church”! It is the single worst aspect of my faith, and the single most effective way to drive someone away from God.
Whether you take religion seriously or not, is totally up to you! I’m not here to force my own beliefs down your throat! If you want to hear them, then you ask, but I’m not coming at you with a leather bound bible! But when you hear these people spouting off against Pullman or the upcoming movie, then please don’t lump them in with us sensible Christian’s. We’re not all crazed morons!
I’ll finish this with passing on the last words that this emailer passed on to me, after I responded rather hotly. I find it typical of their approach, and their lack of ability to trust, just maybe, God is a bit bigger than a movie!
You have your right to shut your eyes and ears.
Oh someone shoot me now!
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It is SO nice to hear this perspective from an actual Christian. So often you get the side of non-Christians saying Christians are ridiculous the way they blast pop culture and say all of film and all of television is evil, or you get the Christians who say they’re all evil for not believing that all of film and all of television is evil. There are Christians who, in my opinion, are a little more down-to-earth and a little more realistic, who don’t believe that film makers are making movies to turn folks away from their faith. They make movies to make money! The Christians who are afraid other believers will be turned away from their faith because of a movie can’t possibly have that much faith in anything.