I was alerted to the content of Philip Pullman’s trilogy by an email containing the
Snopes.com information warning of the atheist views of this author. I was astounded at the extreme language in the content on Snopes and thought I’d do a little research, especially since I have a 12-yr old son that loves this type of fantasy-based writing.
I have since read all sorts of things about the content of each book of the trilogy and even read some things about Philip Pullman, including a few quotes from him. He is certainly atheist. He does not believe in God or organized religion. However, whether he realizes it or not - he does recognize the need for moral behavior. I doubt that he is an immoral person and condones anarchy as some believe atheists are likely to.
The content of the trilogy can be taken either as simple fiction/fantasy with purely entertainment value or otherwise as an expression of Mr. Pullman’s views against organized religion. Both would be correct, depending upon the reader’s maturity and depth in which the content is viewed. For example, a person (atheist or not) who loves fantasy writing will likely love this series, whereas a Catholic clergyman would likely regard its content as heresy. Each reader will have his/her own opinion.
The immature readers that view this content in depth, and really take it to heart, are the people that are truly in danger of being influenced by the author’s views. Mr. Pullman makes little effort to disguise his views of God and biblical teachings. His trilogy amounts to a battle against God and Christian theology, with the end result being defeat over God and the church, after which the inhabitants will essentially be governed by their consciences and whether something “feels” right or wrong. That sounds like a lovely outcome, but it’s a fantasy/fiction story. It would never work in the real world…and that’s probably why Mr. Pullman wrote a fantasy book.
I won’t launch into a longer commentary on my opinions on atheism, etc., but I would like to say something further to the parents reading this… I am a Christian. My 12-yr old son loves to read fantasy novels and watch movies of the same sort. He would love to read this trilogy, and will probably beg to see the movie in December. However, I will not allow him to see it. I know him full well, and he is gullible enough to be influenced by the author’s views - without even realizing it. Since I can’t make him mature any faster, I can do my best to limit influences on him that I deem unfit or above his head in the meantime. I recommend that you do the same if your child is likely to absorb the overall themes in fictional movies without being able to separate them from realities.
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S Moore
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Dangerous content? S Moore (1 Rating) 27-Oct-07 12:14 am
Re: Dangerous content?
I heard about the movie on TV and received the email regarding snoops and the views they shared… cyndieloowho (1 Rating) 27-Oct-07 03:16 pm
Re: Dangerous content?
Well said. I too received the email and my daughter 9 and son 4 will NOT be watching it ei… Deb Rate it 27-Oct-07 08:48 pm
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