The internets is once again in an uproar--this time over the upcoming Golden Compass movie. Based on a series of books by author, Philip Pullman, the story is, ultimately, about two orphans, Will and Lyra, set amid the context of a war between God and Satan. A very brief attempt at a summary can be found in Amy Welborn's excellent review:

The complex plot of the His Dark Materials trilogy resists simple summary. The books, resting somewhere between the fantasy and science fiction genres, revolve around a pair of pre-adolescents, Lyra and Will, children from different worlds (literally) who share two common bonds: the loss of parents and the possession of objects which give them unique access to knowledge. Lyra holds the Golden Compass of the first book, an object which communicates truth about any situation to any person wise enough to be able to read it, which Lyra is. Will’s gift is the Subtle Knife (the title of the second volume), an instrument which can cut open windows to other worlds.

 

Through their adventures in various worlds, it becomes clear that Lyra and Will are objects of interest to both sides in another heavenly war, this one, like the first, between God (the Authority) and Satan (called Lord Asriel here). Why? Because, it seems, these two children will be essential actors in a re-enacting of the Fall and Temptation of humanity, a second chance to claim the true fruit of the Fall, which was never really sin, it seems, but knowledge and wisdom, replacing the old, authoritarian “Kingdom of Heaven” with the “Republic of Heaven.”

With this series, Pullman, an avowed atheist, has written a kind of allegorical manifesto for atheism, in many ways a response to Lewis' Narnia series, which Pullman found to be "anti-life." In fact, the narrative culminates with the death of God, who is seen a sort of doddering, drooling pathetic creature who greets his death with a sigh of relief. This, and many other elements of the story, is what has stirred controversy over the upcoming movie.

Typical of this reaction among many Christians is a call to boycott the movie (and no doubt remove the books from bookshelves). There seems to be a great deal of concern and panic surrounding these books. To make matters even more confusing, however, there seems to be a positive review of the movie from "official" Catholic news sources in the U.S.

My own thoughts on the movie (and the source material) fall somewhere in between. As a work of fiction, my immediate issues with The Golden Compass (and subsequent books) has to do with the ham-handed way it wields its agenda, smashing the reader upside the head like a neanderthal hunting its food with a club. I agree wholeheartedly with Tolkien who said, "I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence." Pullman's work is just too awkwardly allegorical for me to derive any enjoyment out of it as fiction. John C. Wright (a published author of fantasy novels), has written a well-thought out critique of Pullman's books that highlights this fundamental flaw:

Someone name for me a book that is more obviously a bit of preaching that simply abandoned its story line more blatantly? Even Ayn Rand's ATLAS SHRUGGED actually had an ending that grows out of its beginning. John Galt's radio speech was long, but the book did not end in the middle of that speech.

 

The first rule of story telling is the Gunrack Rule. If you show a gun in a gunrack on the wall in Act One, someone has to be shot by Act Three. It is the same rule every child learns in kindergarten, every merchant learns when generating customer good will. Abide by your contracts. Keep your promises.

Plots and characters and themes make promises. Prophecies in epic fantasy stories are blatant promises. When you are told that there is a prophecy that one and only one knife can kill Almighty God, and that one little boy is the one to do it, it breaks a promise to have God turn out to be a drooling cripple who dies by falling out of bed.

In terms of boycotts and banning, I can not stand behind many of my brothers and sisters in Christ. I think that we do a grave disservice by treating these movies and books as a new and more pernicious threat by an anti-religious, postmodern culture. They aren't any different than what we as Christians face day in and day out. Rather than sticking our fingers in our ears and covering our eyes (and demanding that others do the same), we should meet the challenge of the culture head on and provide a reasoned defense for what we believe in (both on an intellectual level and in how we live our lives).

While I don't support a boycott, neither do I believe that we should just relax and view The Golden Compass as "just a movie", or the books as "just books." It is "just a movie" in the same way that a 44 Magnum is "just a gun." How such an implement is used has profound implications for our lives. Literature and art are powerful weapons in the battle for the heart, mind, and soul of a culture. They are also tremendously effective vehicles for communicating truth and beauty. The fully engaged Christian response to The Golden Compass should be an even more intentional commitment to creating works of transcendent beauty for the human community.

Because it is, ultimately, anti-God, Pullman's work is also, finally, anti-human. It provides and supports a worldview by which it is impossible to live--attempting to do so would just further disintegrate us as people. We can, then, as artists and writers, rededicate ourselves to offering our gifts for the sake of the whole world--to create works of power and beauty that speak to the human heart and call it to an experience of its ultimate dignity and destiny. In this way, we can serve each man and each woman with whom we walk on this journey of life.

Readers interested in a great roundup of GC-related posts should head on over to Sci Fi Catholic.

Amy Welborn has a fantastic post where she critiques the idea that The Golden Compass can be used to spark discussions about faith and Catholicism in particular: 

So it is not, on its face, absurd to say that yeah, sure, GC can be a starting point for discussion. Got it.

 

The problem is with this starting point and young people and Catholicism.

Look at this way. After we finish with The Golden Compass, shall we break out The Protocols of the Elders of Zion to open up discussion on Judaism?

Probably not. Why?

Because we recognize that the Protocols are lies. It doesn’t matter that some people ascribe to that world view or believe that Jews are as the Protocols describe them. They are still lies. They are not helpful as a “starting point” for a discussion about the nature of Judaism.  The starting point for a good - really good, fruitful discussion - is not the bigoted, agenda-driven misrepresentation of others.

So it is with the Golden Compass. The Authority - the God that is killed - is not the Christian God. It is a caricature - the caricature of every village atheist mired in adolescence. The “reality” that the fantasy is trying to create is that religious authority stands in opposition to truth, and that - via the imagery - that Catholicism is the primary embodiment of this, and ergo, Catholicism stands in opposition to the truth that brings human beings happiness and an awareness of their true selves.

That, of course, is simply not true. Christianity has brought millions - billions - real peace and joy. Christianity has been the framework for intellectual and artistic flourishing. Christianity has provided some - quite a few - of the building blocks for our basic understanding of the dignity of all persons.

Not that there are not problems. Not that authority hasn’t been abused to the detriment of human freedom.

But a truly fruitful discussion of the relationship between human freedom and Christian religious authority has to begin with the truth about Christianity, not a vicious caricature. I’m not saying that it’s impossible for such a thing to happen. But in saying that this is a fantastic way to “introduce” kids to these issues is just wrong because the terms that are set by the novels are patently false. Some defenders are saying that this is precisely the point - that what the Golden Compass teaches us is that if this is God and religion then yes it should die. For of course, Jesus had some things to say about religious authorities who lord it over others without taking on burdens themselves. Jesus had some things to say about the relationship between human beings and the Law. Jesus had some things to say about who God is.

And so, say the defenders…the Golden Compass is really, really Christian.

Okay, but the problem is that it is clear that what Pullman is suggesting is that the whole thing - the whole impulse to find transcendent meaning and authority is false, period. The attempt to make his theme into a muted Christ-like critique of abusive religious authority gives Pullman too much credit.

Head on over to Amy's site and read the rest.

Finally, Pullman's Golden Compass is not evil. It is a flawed work of literature that can be dangerous. I recommend approaching the upcoming movie with caution and prudence, but with an openness to engage what lies beneath it in the public square, rather than running back into our Christian Fortresses and declaring it anathema. Doing so may protect us, but like the servant in the gospel who buried his talents rather than risking them by investment, we may not be fully responding to what the Lord as asked us to do.