The Problem with The Golden Compass

His Dark Materials is a series of books by Philip Pullman; the Golden Compass, being the first in the series, is now a movie. The Gold Compass is known as Northern Lights in the UK. The idea of the story is to kill the "Authority" (AKA God). The whole idea of the story puts religious people in a panic. What's funny is, have most of those people ever heard it? Probably not. They just go by what they've heard about. Just like Harry Potter. Harry Potter was, supposedly, an evil book. But now, I know plenty of Christians who read it. The thing is, now that they actually have read it, they don't seem to have a problem with it. The same would probably go for the Golden Compass.

Now, Philip Pullman is an Atheist. He said that part of the reason he wrote the Golden Compass was to kill God in the minds of children. Now, that seems kind of like a harsh reason to write a book. On the other hand, just because that's his intent, it does not mean that kids who read the book will automatically not believe in God. It goes both ways. However, I really think people should read the book before they judge it. Wanting to get rid of the book and movie is not the way to do it.

The book itself, (I haven't actually seen the movie yet) is very good. It's, obviously, a fiction about a girl named Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon (or Pan, for short). It, basically, starts off with Lyra in a wardrobe, (girl, wardrobe... Chronicles of Narnia, anyone) listening in on a conversation that her "uncle" is having with some other people at the place she lives, Jordan college. She ends up moving in with a woman, Mrs. Coulter, who happens to be a Gobbler. Gobblers are people who have been stealing kids. After Lyra finds out, she gets away, meets up with some people, and eventually finds the other kids who have been taken, including her friend, Roger. Unfortunately, many of the kids daemons have been severed from this, by a certain blade. This, usually, causes death. Trying to help her friend Roger, she ends up getting him killed, because her "uncle," who is actually her father severs his daemon from him to open another world. Eventually, throughout all 3 books, Lyra's father, Lord Asriel, and his army kill the Authority.

So, to many people, of various religions, may find this extremely offensive. To kill God? That's a big no, no. But here's the deal, it's a book. It's not real. You don't have to read the books, or watch the movie, if you don't want to. Nobody needs to be telling other people what they should and shouldn't do. If you feel like the message the book is trying to send is bad, it doesn't mean you have to listen to it. Just enjoy the book, or the movie.