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I know but I just had to get that out. >_> Got attacked alot today and I finally cracked.

The reason that I'm against the books is because my faith is strong. I know it's all fiction, but the themes in it certainly don't seem that way. I have a strong grip on my faith, but my little sister (as well as so many other people of all ages) won't have that firm foothold.

And before I am attacked because I clearly hate the books, I'll let you know that I own them. They were given to me as a Christmas gift by a relative. I've read them all, and I'll even try and point out passages that clearly show what we've all be talking about.

By the way, I'm also one of those crazy Harry Potter fanatics. There's no way anyone who knows me can say otherwise. I can read literature that supports evolution and atheism and whatever else; heck, that's half of my science fiction books/movies. But when it clearly goes all-out against my religion, rather than just staying within its own, that's when I get all defensive. Because I'm going to have a problem with something that makes such a big impression on the malleable minds of youth.

The movies tone down the religious themes and everything else that is so offensive, and the supposed 'theme' will appeal to little kids. Oh look, a talking polar bear. And the main character is a little girl with a talking cat. (Okay, the 'cat' changes shape, but you get my point.)
One look at most children's shows today will tell you that most kids like watching shows that depict children as the smart/fun/cool people who make the adults look silly.
Either way, older kids want to read the books because the movie was so cool. (It happened with the new Narnia movie, with Lord of the Rings [to an extent], and various other adaptations to the big screen.)

In support of my statement.
The Golden Compass is anti-Christian/anti-religion

Brava.

Hate to quibble on semantics, but um...

Being atheist does not mean that you don't believe in anything. In fact, quite the opposite. It means you have a strong belief that there is no divine power. So, yes, they do in fact understand what it is to have a strong faith and what it can mean to have it challenged. So saying to them "you don't believe there is a god, you don't believe in anything, so you can't possibly understand" is tantamount to them saying to you "you believe in god and that he has power over everything, so really what you say and do doesn't even matter."

The fact of the matter is that Atheism is a religion and even if you yourself don't believe in it, you should at least respect its views enough to understand them, if you're going to argue against them.

But, back to the main issue...

It rather concerns me that The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was lauded as a good film because it promoted Christian beliefs, yet a movie which promotes other beliefs is automatically bad. For one thing, they're both fiction. To quote Lesie Fish in one of her songs "gotta wonder 'bout these people and what they say and feel, they can't tell a game from real life, they think this stuff is real."

The fact of the matter is that young kids aren't going to get it. I read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was eight and the symbolism went right over my head. It's only as an adult that I wondered how anyone could have missed it. It's never kids who are insulted that their beliefs are being challenged because to them, it doesn't challenge them. To them, this is just a fun story that's being told. Beliefs have nothing to do with it.

Which is why I always think it's funny that people feel the need to condemn films for such reasons. If you're old enough to get the symbolism, you're old enough to be strong in your faith. If you're not old enough to get the symbolism, it probably won't even occur to you to think about it. It's the hullabaloo that makes kids wonder what's going on and explore the issue.

Berz.

*Sigh* Okay, prepare yourself, big rant coming on.

Number one, he does not want to kill God. One of his characters believes that by destroying the divinity he can give all creatures free will, which is, in my book, noble sentiment.

But this does not inherently mean Pullman himself wants to kill God. In fact, in the one scene where he describes God, the creature is described very intently, very carefully. Almost lovingly. The creature known as the divinity then is dispersed, his atoms spread through time and space.

Pullman wants people to think for themselves, or that is how I see it. He wants us to use our free will, and not blindly follow a religion just because we were born into it and people want us to. Saying that Pullman wants to kill god is like saying that J.K Rowling wanted people to practice witchcraft.

The bottom of it is; that this is entertainment. It may not even mean anything at all. We have to take it at face value, for sometimes, there isn’t any hidden meaning, at all, and we are projecting our own feelings onto the media.

And have any of these people who believe Pullman wants to “kill god” even read the series? Perhaps instead of making blind accusations you should try the books first, instead of jumping to conclusions. Everything can be “anti-Christian” if you look hard enough.

And if you are really Christian, you beleive God is omnipiant, and immortal, therefore he cannot be "killed".

I am looking forward to watching this movie, because I absolutely loved the novels.

End Rant. biggrin

My life was never full of doing the things I do not wish to do. I go where I wish. Do as I wish. On the things that I know are to be right. This is free will. The ability to do as we wish.
While churches scorns against wickedness, you may be thinking they are placing rules to control it's people. The truth is on all the experiences I've heard about where the people turned to wickedness, pain was involved. Most of them I've heard first hand. Wickedness never way happiness. The rules are not meant to control. But in truth to guide us to happiness.
The Devil wishes to take this power to chose away. To force us in one direction. And in cleaver guile would trick us into believing that it's God that's taking it away.

This is no rant.
There is no anger.
This is a piece of my testimony to God.

I will admit that I was about to post something else. But I felt within that if I continue to speak in rant. Rant is all I will get back. Instead, I speak to you what I know to be true. And I know, the scriptures to be true.

Good on Ceribri for reading the books before she formed an opinion of them. I thoroughly respect her opinion.

However. Your statements are based purely on what others have said, not from actually reading the material. It's equivalent to those who have never read Harry Potter protesting about how it teaches children witchcraft.

I'm not a mod or anything, but perhaps this guild doesn't have an off topic forum because it isn't needed. If it were meant for debates about religion in literature, or the lack thereof, it would be called...oh, I don't know..."God's Monthly Read" or sommat.