Atheism through the Back Door
Before this week, I’d never heard of the film, The Golden Compass, or of the series of books from which it’s been adapted. Tuesday evening, a friend called and told me she’d just seen another of FOX 25’s (typically hysterical) promos for the News at 9 – this one about “the movie that’s killing God!!!”
Alright, FOX 25, you got me. I’ll bite.
So, I watched the story, and found it extraordinarily anticlimactic. All I learned was this: there is some soon-to-be-released movie called The Golden Compass. It appears to star Nicole Kidman and a polar bear. It’s based on a book written by a British Atheist. And as a result, some Christians are really freaked out, and running around shrieking that God is being taken out with a tire iron.
I shook off a mild sensation of déjà vu and went on about my business. Haven’t we already been through this with The DaVinci Code? I don’t recall the world ending because that movie was made.
Today, I read this Atlantic Monthly article about the whole fiasco, and was finally able to glean a little of the detail and nuance I was so thoughtlessly denied by FOX. What I learned was that the film’s thematic content seems to differ significantly from the book’s. Anything that could be perceived as explicitly “antireligious” has been either omitted or heavily, heavily watered down.
Still, that’s not good enough for some:
Despite all of New Line’s efforts, the movie may still be received as offensive in some communities, if only because of its association with the book. Catholic League, a watchdog group that monitors portrayals of the Catholic Church in the media, has printed thousands of copies of a 23-page booklet called “Golden Compass: Agenda Unmasked,” which it plans to distribute to reviewers and religious groups. “I don’t want Christians to be seduced by the idea that this is a great fairy-tale story to show your kids at Christmastime,” says Bill Donohue, the group’s president. “This is Hitchens taken to the kids,” he adds, referring to Christopher Hitchens, author of the best seller God Is Not Great. Donohue knows that the moviemakers decided on a “dumbed down” version of the villains, but he still plans to call for a boycott. “It’s a backdoor way of selling atheism,” he says. “Unsuspecting parents will take little Johnny to see the movie. Johnny likes the movie. Johnny gets the trilogy for Christmas.”
Well, gee. I presume little Johnny already has a well-worn copy of the Good Book, and has been learning his Bible stories every week at Sunday school. Shouldn’t little Johnny be exposed to other viewpoints? After all, if it’s okay to “teach the controversy” in science class, shouldn’t it be okay at home?
It’s hilarious how people like Bill Donohue can get so riled up about how some movie is supposedly “selling Atheism,” yet peddle their own brand of dogma day in and day out. You’d think that by now, I’d be thoroughly desensitized to such staggering hypocrisy, but these good folks continue to find ways to surprise me. Instead, I somehow manage to feel simultaneously bored and irritated.
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Rhology Said:
November 29, 2007 @ 10:14 am
I’m wondering if it’s as bad as far as the Christian position goes as the Da Vinci Code movie.
Josh Said:
November 29, 2007 @ 10:52 am
I don’t know about all that. I’m a Christian and I thought it looked pretty cool. Armored polar bears? Come on, whats not to like?
Sarah Said:
November 29, 2007 @ 1:22 pm
I’ll watch anything with polar bears. And what little I’ve seen of the movie, I have to say that it looks very pretty. Very Narnia-ish.
CGHill Said:
November 29, 2007 @ 8:25 pm
I’m generally persuaded that people who yell “This is a threat to our faith!” don’t have all that much faith to begin with.
davidbmc Said:
November 29, 2007 @ 8:57 pm
test..i just posted a brilliant response and it is not appearing. just checking to see if my posts are going through.
davidbmc Said:
November 29, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
well dangit! ok, i’ll try to rewrite it.
AS a card carrying christian let me just say that sometimes my fellow christians annoy me. ok…alot.
Here’s my take.
Harry Potter? Dont get what all the hubub was about.
Davinci Code? I get the hubub. Dan Brown says he is writing fiction but claims all his historical details were factual. Even non-christian historians found that amusing.
BUT-he has a right to write his book and make a movie. And I have a right to point out where he was wrong. It didnt shake my faith in the slightest, but I know people whose lack of historical knowledge allowed their faith to be shaken. In that sense I agree with CG Hill. So I gladly educated them on the facts and hopefully strengthened their faith in the process.
Golden Compass? I am working on getting a copy so I can read it but what I have heaerd from a reliable friend of mine is that it doesnt get so anti-God until the third book.
But again-he has a right to write his book and movie and I have a right not to go (though it looks pretty good cinematically).
I saw a story the other day about atheists who are now meeting on sunday mornings to discuss philosophy and religion and so forth and they have a class for kids while they are meeting.
I think that is fine. It’s called freedom of religion. I’ll fight to the death for your right to indoctrinate your kids while preserving my right to indoctrinate mine.
God bless the USA.
Dwight Said:
November 29, 2007 @ 10:39 pm
Yeah, never read a Harry Potter book and don’t intend to.
But, after thoroughly enjoying A Million Little Pieces before Oprah even knew who James Frey was, I think that people can enjoy a book for what it is, despite what category the publishers (or whoever) decide to put on it.
I think this goes for the Frey book just as well as the Bible. If it speaks to you, then it speaks to you. If not, then find another book. I’ve heard of more than one person whose favorite book isn’t the Bible but To Kill a Mockingbird. If I had kids, I certainly wouldn’t mind them learning a thing or two from that book.
As for The Da Vinci Code, I always took the religious stuff, and the author’s subsequent views on it, as a literary device Mr. Brown used to advance his story. It wasn’t meant to be religious per se…the religious stuff was just meant to make the “crime story” more interesting. And, it did advance the story in that manner.
Nevertheless, I think readers of all genres should read with context and critical thinking. And, they should know that not all authors speak for them. There are plenty of books in the library…and if that fails them, Office Depot offers a quite decent supply of lined notebook paper and elegant pens.
Sarah Said:
November 29, 2007 @ 10:44 pm
David, I think you and I are reading the same articles! I read the same one about “Sunday schools for Atheists,” but I didn’t get where it was really indoctrination. I got the impression that it was more about teaching kids how to think critically.
Personally, I think that no matter what your personal beliefs, teaching critical thinking skills is perhaps the single most important thing we can do for kids.
davidbmc Said:
November 29, 2007 @ 10:44 pm
…and laptops!
davidbmc Said:
November 29, 2007 @ 10:47 pm
a big amen from me on the critical thinking skills! a big frustration i have is when i ask some of my christian friends WHY they believe what they believe many o fthem say, “I just do!” or something like that. Drives me nuts. I know atheists and agnostics who do the same.
I also know many other christians, atheists and agnostics who think very carefully about their beliefs. As long as you are thinking I enjoy talking to you no matter what you believe.
Sarah Said:
November 30, 2007 @ 8:11 am
Couldn’t agree more.
Jake Said:
December 3, 2007 @ 4:26 pm
I’ve read the trilogy and it saddens me they are dumbing down the movies. If you haven’t read these books I highly recommend you do so. Great stuff!
Golden Compass « Unbound Said:
December 4, 2007 @ 10:44 am
[...] some of the comments here on this thread over at the Two Headed Blog. This is where I first saw comments about the [...]