The Golden Compass
November 30, 2007
November 21st and 22nd
Two Catholic school boards have decided to conduct an informal review of The Golden Compass, the first book in a trilogy entitled His Dark Materials. Author Philip Pullman has openly declared that his books are about killing God.
Controversy begins
The two school boards have set up committees to review the books and decide whether the series should be available to young children. Newspaper headlines have been screaming “School board pulls ‘anti-god’ book” and “Book apparently written by an atheist”. These titles showcase the sensational aspect of the board decision, but do not tell the real story of how a parent complained about the book; not because the author is an agnostic, but because of the position that the author has taken on faith and religion as an expression of it.
Quotes from the author
Author Philip Pullman states his books are “Trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief” (2001) and “My books are about killing God” (2003).
He also says: “All stories teach, whether the storyteller intends them to or not. They teach the world we create. They teach the morality we live by. They teach it much more effectively than moral precepts and instructions… We don’t need lists of rights and wrongs, table of do’s and don’ts. We need books, time and silence. ‘Thou shalt not’ is soon forgotten.”
Quote from The Golden Compass
From a witch in the book: “There are churches there, believe me, that cut their children too, as the people of Bolvanger did-not in the same way, but just as horribly. They cut their sexual organs, yes, both boys and girls; they cut them with knives so that they shant feel. That is what the church does, and every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling.”
Author’s hatred for the Chronicles of Narnia
Relying heavily on the imagery that C.S Lewis established in his Narnia series, Pullman uses fantasy to express his belief that freedom for mankind can only come when God is dead. It is a hatred for the idea of redemption that fueled Pullman’s creativity: “I hate Narnia books, and I hate them with a deep and bitter passion, with their view of childhood as a golden age from which sexuality and adulthood are a falling-away.”
Canadians for Moral Clarity
We fully support the decision made by these two school boards to pull these books for review. Hatred, even ‘politically correct’ hatred – is always wrong. We would like to encourage you to call your local school board and find out their stand on this book’s availability.
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