Or so The Catholic League would have you believe.

THE GOLDEN COMPASS, a new movie targeted at children, will be released December 7, 2007. This movie is based on a the first book of a trilogy by atheist Philip Pullman. In the final book a boy and girl kill God so they can do as they please. Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview that “My books are about killing God.”

The movie is a watered down version of the first book and is designed to be very attractive in the hope unsuspecting parents will take their children to see the the movie and that the children will want the books for Christmas.

The movie has a well known cast, including Nicole Kidman, Kevin Bacon, and Sam Elliott. It will probably be advertised extensively, so it is crucial that we get the word out to warn parents to avoid this movie.

I generally avoid discussing politics and religion, because I think they are both very personal issues that should be kept that way. But people like The Catholic League really piss me off. And I’m a practicing Catholic who’s daughter goes to a Catholic school.

I just don’t think people should take a fantasy series that is not set in the real world, and apply real world ideas on it. If religion is bad in a fictional world, that doesn’t mean that it’s bad in the real world. Any more than the talking polar bears in the novels mean that polar bears really talk.

There’s a big presumption that we (or our kids) are all just completely gullible and can’t think things out for ourselves. Rather than getting all crazed and declaring the books or movies bad, how about promoting being involved with your kids, reading the book with them or going to the movie with them and discussing how the fantasy movie relates or doesn’t relate to the real world?

Instead, they come up with some vast conspiracy designed to get “unsuspecting parents to take their kids to see the movie” … and then what? Thereby corrupt them for life? Say “oh well, nothing I can do now… they’re atheists.” Or even worse, the children might want the books! To READ!! The horror! Who is in charge of this vast conspiracy is never discussed. The author? Sure, he’s a proclaimed atheist as so forth, but he just sold the movie rights to a studio. So he’s not leading this charge. The studio? They’re watering down the anti-religious elements, whatever they are. I’m not seeing whose in charge of corrupting our kids.

Instead of telling people to avoid the movie, why not use it as a dialogue to discuss religion? It the Catholic Church is confident in its religious message, then they should welcome challenges to it, not avoid it. Without getting overly referential myself, didn’t Jesus spend 40 days in the desert being tempted by the devil?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temptation_of_Christ

I don’t recall a passage saying Jesus avoided the desert so as not to be challenged in his faith.

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