C
cmhgirod
Guest
I’ve been looking for some info on the Catholic perspective of The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman. I’ve recently heard about this book because it is being released as a movie in December. My 10yrold daughter loves reading fantasy and I am concerned about her reading this book because I have heard that it has a very explicit anti-Catholic slant. I read over 200 reviews of the book on Amazon.com, which, of course, are just a large collection of opinions, but I gleaned enough about the story to be concerned. Apparently, the Church and the Magisterium are named in the book and ALL it’s representatives are portrayed as evil manipulators. In the end, God is actually killed by “Lord Asriel”. I haven’t read the book myself, and there is NO way I would let my daughter read this book without my previewing it in the first place. It’s just that I’ve heard enough disturbing information about it to be concerned about my child asking to read it in the future. She is a voracious reader, and, as I said before, loves fantasy stories. Any thoughts? Has anyone read this book? (or the trilogy?) Does anyone know of any authoritative Church sources that discuss this book? Thanks for your help in advance. Oh, and just in case anyone out there jumps to the conclusion that I am overprotective of my kids–I am not. (Case in point, when my daughter wanted to read Harry Potter, I read them in advance, and then she devoured them and we had lots of interesting discussions about them). However, as I am the one responsible for my child’s faith formation, I am duty-bound to keep books masked as “children’s stories” that blatantly spit on our faith out of her hands until she has passed the impressionable age.