== Jesus loves 'His Dark Materials' = By Mark Morford

[madokie]

Shrill Bible-thumpers boycott 'The Golden Compass'; world's children grin devilishly

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2007/11/30/notes113007.DTL&nl=fix

Printable: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/g/a/2007/11/30/notes113007.DTL&type=printable

It has become some sort of rule, some sort of perfectly delicious law of the popular culture upon which any open-minded and attuned and humor-licked and spiritually aware and intellectually curious and sexually alive human worth her moist, wine-massaged soul can now rely with utter and perfect clarity.

It goes like this: If there is some sort of creation, a piece of art, a TV show, a column or a book or a movie or a statue or a blog or a movement, a wine bottle or sexual position or Jesus-shaped dildo that somehow deeply threatens the various ultraconservative sects of Christian-blasted America to the point where their pale, dour representatives demand boycotts and distribute angry pamphlets and try to stop people from experiencing said hunk of culture because of how negatively it portrays their seething, condemnatory God, well, you know it's time to break out the Champagne. Or buy that book. Or get very, very naked. Or all of the above. Depending.

So it is with the first movie made from Philip Pullman's astonishing "His Dark Materials" trilogy, "The Golden Compass," a complex, mystically gorgeous, spiritually dense, big-budget fantasy epic so far removed from the cute wizardry of Harry Potter and the thin, childish, monochromatic Christian morality of say, "The Chronicles of Narnia," it might as well be a Coen brothers movie. On acid.

Oh my God yes, they are protesting. They are pamphleting. The Catholic League and Focus on the Family and evangelical/fundamentalist Christian blogs from here to Colorado Springs, they are calling on their trembling armies to boycott the film because they believe that Pullman's brilliant books — which, by the way, if I had the power, I would place in the eager and lovely hands of every youngish human on the planet right now, but especially the girls — are not only aggressively anti-Christian, they ultimately describe, as their grand finale, nothing less than the death of God. This is what they say. ...

[Toots]

1. The Catholic League, isn't that just one guy and a computer?

Amazing how one individual can raise such a ruckus...

[tanyev]

2. I didn't know anything about these books until the hubbub started.

Just finished reading them, and I really enjoyed them. So, thanks fundies! I wouldn't have known about them at all if it weren't for your efforts.

[madokie]

4. with each passing day I am more convinced that the religiously right insane

are really insane

[Tesha]

11. The trilogy is bought and is next in the queue...

The trilogy is bought and is next in the queue,
right after I finish my re-read of the Brother
Cadfael murder mysteries.

(Seems kind of appropriate, ehh?)

Tesha

[poverlay]

3. Beautiful. My boy, my wonderful 11 yo, made me take him to the bookstore and insisted I buy this

for him. I think he wanted it based strictly on the previews. Here's the beautiful part: It's the first book that he's ever wanted bad enough to do that for. Every other book in his life short of drawing books or comic books have been pushed by me. I simply couldn't believe it.

The author's hopes will be overwhelmingly realized based on what I've seen from my son and read in these books. A reason for rejoicing if ever I've seen one.

Nice article~ Thanks for the post.

[knitter4democracy]

7. Awesome!!! That is awesome!

My daughter finally started really enjoying reading this year, and it's been such a blessing. Thost Captain Underpants books did it, and now she's on the American Girl Molly series and the Spiderwick Chronicles. It is definitely a time to rejoice!

[poverlay]

10. I Know Right? It's like a serious worry when they won't read. My wife, daughter, and I would all

be buried in a book and he'd just be wandering around. Now he's getting the "bug" too. No ignoramuses in THIS house! Woo Hoo!

(I'll have to look into the Spiderwick Chronicles. Sounds interesting...)

[knitter4democracy]

12. From the parts I've read, they looked really good.

That whole secret-book-that-takes-them-to-new-reality premise, but that's still cool. Nothing wrong with some good sci-fi/fantasy lit. :)

My daughter really fought reading for a bit, and then something happened. I don't know what. She's now reading all the time, even doesn't want to turn her lights out until she's finished another chapter. It's wonderful!

[roguevalley]

15. I taught 30 years and I tell you, if you have a non-reader, get

fantasy and sci fi books. they will be hooked.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. DO these idiots realize how much free publicity they give to that which they condemn so vociferously

I love Mark Morford. He is the best!!!
Thanks for posting.
While I had not been sure about whether to see this movie, I will now make it a point to see it.

[knitter4democracy]

6. My best friend loaned me the books over a year ago.

The first one is really well-done. I liked it a lot. Way better than the usual Young Adult drivel. The rest not so much, but they're interesting. I loved the archetypes he manipulated--very cool.

I'm thinking of buying the set for the kids. We're Christian, but that doesn't mean they can't read decent books. Heck, if their faith isn't strong enough to make it through a book or two, then they don't really have any faith then, do they. As long as they stay true to themselves on their faith path, I'm sure everything will be fine.

[sinkingfeeling]

8. I love Mark and absolutely adored 'His Dark Materials'!! I will be first in line to see this movie!!

[ProfessorPlum]

9. K&R

My wife is reading the first book to my kids right now.

[ThomCat]

13. I'm on the second book right now

and I'm reading them only because of the protests. If the religious whack-jobs hate these books so much then they're worth checking out. :)

They're not great literature, but they've got some mysticism in them that's worth pondering. At some points in the books there are some layers of meaning that redeem these books.

I think they're definitely good reading for kids. They're simple enough but exciting enough to keep kids interested.

[madokie]

14. and thats the whole purpose imo

encourage a kid to read and you create an individual who can cope with most anything that comes up in their lives

[pleah]

16. The lunacy

of organized religion never ceases to amaze me.

[NeoGreen]

17. I bought the books after I heard about it on an ffrf podcast...

And gave them to my daughter on her 12th birthday a few weeks ago.

So far her reviews of the first book are quite good.

I plan on reading the book before we go see the movie over the Solstice holiday.

Great article btw... Thanks for posting the link.