Similar questions with verdict, movie, Golden, Compass

My children and I have read and re-read the Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and the Amber Spyglass and, wow, amazing, but we are not aethists at all! DOH!

 

I have to say that I was quite disappointed in Snopes.com for the first time when I read that they said that goofy email going around of TRUE! 

 

While the books are indeed fairly anti-religion, they are not anti GOD.  No the children in the book do not "kill God" but an angel called "The Creator" who happens to be an old guy with a beard.  I guess if you believe that God is an old guy in the sky with a beard then you might be worried that was him? Silliness if you ask me.

 

Yes, the author plays with the concepts of good and evil. By the end, many good characters are found to be somewhat evil and evil ones somewhat good. Seems reasonable to me. . .  Also, he plays with the ideas of Heaven and Hell and turns them on their ear as well.

 

My kids understand what fiction means unlike some adults apparently.  This book is a work of fantasy. There is nothing whatsoever bad about it in my opinion and many of the deeper philosophical concepts are going over there heads anyway.  I found them interesting myself, but then I tend to play with ideas for fun anyway.

 

We were somewhat disappointed in the movie because it ended before the real movie ends. Because of the goofy controversy we worry that it will never be made which is very sad.  I would have loved to see that parallel universe with the elephant type creatures on wheels--my favorite part of the second two books. Oh well. . .

Sources: Actually reading the books and seeing the movie

 

1)  "[what happened to all] the religious uproar about it being all so "atheistic" and harmful to Christianity and religious values?"

 

Response: It's "gone where the woodbine twineth"; in other words, *poof*, just like any other celebrity/entertainment news.

2) "Is this like Apocalypto, The Blair Witch Project, The Exorcist, The Last Temptation of Christ and every other religious movie that has come and gone?  Everyone gets offended by it for awhile, then after its made its 100 million dollars or whatever, its yesterday's news?"

 

Response: Yeah, that's pretty much it.

3)  "It wasn't so bad after all?:

 

Response: No, apparently it wasn't.

 

OK, I have to admit, at this point I was REALLY tempted to write a lengthy, tongue-in-cheek response to the effect that there were mass conversions of children to atheism, that most Churches had gone out of business, and that the antichrist had been spotted in Hollywood (actually, that last part is probably true :)

 

But I managed (barely) to restrain myself.  Sort of.

 

The premise of the movie is absurd, aside from faithful reactions...so let me see...a little girl is going to go up against the one who conquered death and created life...well, um...good luck with that.

 

I try to avoid stupid movies in general...you know, like "Dumb and Dumber," and ones in that genre.  I think their target market is someone with an IQ about 45 points less than mine.  This is another movie with a stupid plot.  NO matter how it would end I would leave irritated.

 

Aside from that aspect, there is nothing new with a movie producer, product advertiser or other business...they all have an agenda.  This is just another case of an entity with an agenda.

 

I have never been a big proponent of church organizations in particular declaring bans or prohibitions on certain movies. (remember when there was the movie where Alanis Morissette played God, I don't remember the name, or if I spelled her name correctly), the Catholic Church issued a statement asking or telling their members to avoid the movie.  From a real-world perspective...they probably caused far more people to see the movie by piquing interest in it and giving it free publicity than would ever have seen it if they had said and done nothing.

 

Now the unique aspect of this situation is that it is marketed to children.  That is somewhat of a different ballgame.  I'm not so sure what I think of that except to say that I would not see it or take children to see it because the premise is stupid.  I don't know if mass bans would be effective or detrimental.

 

Now personally, I'd love to see them lose bunches of money but that is just my spiteful side.  I'm working on it.