A new major motion picture for children opens tomorrow, December 7.  TV ads for “The Golden Compass” make it look like one of the most exciting fantasy adventures of our time.  The computer graphic animation and special effects are superb. The same company that produced Tolkien’s trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings,” has now brought this more recent trilogy to the big screen.  It bears a striking resemblance to C. S. Lewis’s Narnia tale, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.”  Don’t be surprised to hear that children will have flocked to see it this weekend.

But not everyone realizes that the author, Philip Pullman, has written that he (his own word here) “loathes” Lewis’s writings.  And his track record proves that he also loathes C. S. Lewis’s God!  He said the Narnia fantasy is "one of the most ugly and poisonous things I ever read."  Pullman is one of a growing number of modern-day evangelists … evangelists for atheism, that is!  Catholic League president Bill Donohue describes the movie as militant “atheism for kids.”  Someone has said “this is The DaVinci Code for children.” 

All of the well-known Christian cultural analysts have issued strong warnings about it.  That includes Charles Colson (Breakpoint / Prison Fellowship), James Dobson (Focus on the Family), Donald Wildmon (American Family Association), and Al Mohler (Southern Baptist Seminary).  In fact, Mohler has a very well-balanced evaluation in which he encourages Christians not just to throw stones at the movie, but to engage those who see it by helping them to understand its destructive anti-Christian world-and-life-view.  (Check out Mohler’s commentary at http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1065 )

On his commentary, Mohler urges parents to take heed to the warning flags that are being raised.

This is not just any fantasy trilogy or film project.  Philip Pullman has an agenda -- an agenda about as subtle as an army tank.  His agenda is nothing less than to expose what he believes is the tyranny of the Christian faith and the Christian church.  His hatred of the biblical storyline is clear.  He is an atheist whose most important literary project is intended to offer a moral narrative that will reverse the biblical account of the fall and provide a liberating mythology for a new secular age.

In other words, Pullman thinks that what the world needs most is to kill God and get rid of the church (which he calls the “Magisterium” in the novels).  His books (and now this movie) are indoctrination materials to enlist young minds in an army that can rid society of these twin religious evils.  He told an Australian newspaper that he is "saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry (Potter) has said.  My books are about killing God."

“The Golden Compass” is based on the first of three books in Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.  The anti-theism (not merely a-theism) in the first book is relatively benign.  But in the second and third books (The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass), these themes become much more prominent.  It shouldn’t surprise parents that children who see the movie will want to read all three books.  And this is exactly what producers and promoters hope. 

As one Christian commentator has written (Tom Gilson, a staffer with Campus Crusade),

And they surely don’t want them to stop at the first book. The second book is entitled The Subtle Knife. That happens to be the name of the one weapon that can kill God. The third book tells us that God is relieved to be killed. He’s a rather pathetic character, tired of all the responsibility, “half-crazed with age and infirmity,” in SparkNotes’ words. He had been rather mixed up about things all along, though. The Satan figure in the trilogy was the one who brought freedom to humans. God—and the dominating, violent, fearful church—fought against this freedom. Pullman cheers for their downfall.

We included a two page bulletin insert about this movie here at Lake Osborne last Sunday morning.  I hope you read over its contents.  It offered a good summary of the plot, including some quotes that reveal the not-so-hidden theme, along with recommendations for how Christian parents should respond.  In case you missed it, here is Al Mohler’s very helpful description.

The entire premise of the trilogy is that Lyra is the child foretold by prophecy who will reverse the curse of the Fall and free humanity from the lie of original sin.  Whereas in Christian theology it is Jesus Christ who reverses the curse through His work of atonement on the Cross, Pullman presents his own theology of sorts in which the Fall is reversed through the defiance of these children.  As Pullman insists, Eve and Adam were right to eat the forbidden fruit and God was a tyrant to forbid them the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

The supernatural element of Pullman's story is "Dust," which is seen by the Magisterium as original sin but is presented by Pullman as the essence of life itself.  In The Golden Compass, Lyra is given an "alethiometer" or "golden compass" which is filled with Dust and tells the truth to one qualified to operate it.  Readers are told that a great battle is coming in which forces fighting for human freedom and happiness will confront (and destroy) the Magisterium and God.

In the last volume of the trilogy, a character known as Dr. Mary Malone explains her discovery to Lyra and Will:  "I used to be a nun, you see.  I thought physics could be done to the glory of God, till I saw there wasn't any God at all and that physics was more interesting anyway.  The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that's all."

Should you go see the movie or read the book to be able to effectively combat its heresies?  Probably not.  You don’t need to view or read pornography to be able to argue against it.  And the money you spend on the movie ticket or the book will only add fuel to those who will interpret those financial profits as qualifying it to be called a “blockbuster.”

Let’s make sure that we Christians are not only known for what we OPPOSE.  Let’s continue getting the message out there about what we PROPOSE.  The message of godless anti-theism is one that enslaves people in a hopeless life of meaningless pursuit of pleasure that ends at the grave.  Our message of Christian theism is the one message that sets people free from guilt and gives meaning for this life and for eternity.