A Christian's Review of The Golden Compass

A transcript of the actual conversation Cathy and I had when she picked me up from the movie:

Cathy: Hi Baby!

Kellie: Can I have an Ice Bear?

Cathy: No

Kellie: Please? It would be really cool to have an Ice Bear.

Cathy: No

Kellie: They come with their own armor and they would protect me.

Cathy: No Ice Bear!

Kellie:okay - lets sing...(to the tune of "If I were a Rich Man" from Fiddler)

"If I had an Ice Bear

la la la-la la-la, la la la la la-la la-la laaaa

I would ride it to the grocery store and

take it with me to the gym! Oh...................

If I.....

Cathy: NO ICE BEAR!

Kellie: Can I have Nicole Kidman?

Okay - so that all goes to illustrate 2 things:

1. I want an ice bear

2. The Golden Compass is REALLY COOL.

First - let's get the issue out of the way. Repeat after me:

THE GOLDEN COMPASS WON'T MAKE ME AN ATHIEST ANY MORE THAN HARRY POTTER MADE ME A WITCH OR THE WIZARD OF OZ MADE ME A FLYING MONKEY.

My real thought on that controversy is - if your relationship with God is on such a thin string that seeing a movie can ruin it - you need more help than you know.

In fact, the movie doesn't talk about God at all (the book series has an agenda, but the movie avoids it) and in some ways -- the movie is something every Christian should see. Why:

The Souls - In the world of the Golden Compass your soul lives outside your body as an animal form called a daemon (historical note- most early cultures believed in "animal spirits' of this kind). The people interact with their souls in a beautiful relationship. Imagine if we could have such an open relationship with our own souls - and if we protected them as fiercely as they people in the movie protect theirs. If people could see our souls - we'd probably take better care of them. It's a neat theological idea worth thought.

The Magisterium - A dogmatic agency asserting authority to control the lives of people by taking their free will and covering up the truth. Modeled after the European Catholic Church and other oppressive historical religious forces - it shows how dogmatic religion with no spirit that takes your free will keeps you from choosing God or anything else. Surely Phillip Pullman isn't the first person to say the hypocrisy, power hunger and oppression of dogmatic religion is bad. (In fact, I think it was Christ's message...)

The Compass - an instrument that points to truth. In my life as a Christian, the Holy Spirit does that for me. Why should I fear a compass doing it for Lyra? I think the more we dedicate ourselves to God's truth (instead of religious violence, oppression and spirit robbing) the better off Christ's mission on earth would be.

I don't think most people are atheists because God has failed them. I think most atheists are that way because the Church (claiming to be God's voice on earth) has failed them. It's a message we should be courageous enough to face and faithful enough to change.

Is Pullman an atheist? Yes. Am I? Heck no. Can I watch his story and learn God's truth - yes. The Holy Spirit is not hindered by titles or by boycotts.

This movie looks great, is well acted, is fun, action packed and fast paced. Ice Bears rock!

So everyone sing with me....

If I had an Ice Bear, la la la...........