Golden Compass Controversy
POSTED BY: bluesuncompanyman
UPDATED: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 04:16
VIEWED: 11365
PAGE 5 of 7
What I find funny about these things is when groups of for example Christians (as documented in some news articles) condemn the movie for its anti religious beliefts. Now in my mind that just shows the thinness of their own faith, in that they believe watching a movie or reading a book could shake the foundations of their religion amongst their own like minded community.
I guess its a good point as most (don't say all because I am no expert) religions are based around a book or books.
To me its like saying Hobbits exist because Tolkien stated that they did in the first few pages.
I must admit I have a very small knowledge of religion as pretty much the only times I have set foot in a church are for funerals and weddings, and various movies around Easter and Xmas time. Yep religion is great for the public holidays it created but thats about it in my pamphlet.
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Quote:None of which is hiding Christianity behind any façade. Easter Eggs are part of an Easter tradition - a Christian Holiday. Nativity plays are a Christian tradition. Sunday School actually takes place in association with a Christian Church. Books of Bible Stories are stories from the Bible, the Christian religious text. And Christmas presents can be, and often are, secular in nature, but any association with Christianity is in no way hidden and generally up to the family‘s choice.
Originally posted by ImNotHere:Quote:
Originally posted by Finn mac Cumhal:
Churches are not hiding what they are preaching behind any façade designed to target children, are they?
Er... Christmas Presents, Easter Eggs, Nativity plays, Sunday school, books of bible stories for children...
Quote:I don’t. Most generally, I would define it as “ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause.” Neither Narnia or Wonderful Life fall into this category. The Golden Compass film doesn’t either, but I haven’t read the books.
Originally posted by ImNotHere:Quote:If you define "propaganda" as something that presents a point of view without giving equal weight to opposing views, then, yes, they all are.
And Narnia and a Wonderful Life are no more Christian propaganda then, I suspect, the Golden Compass is atheist propaganda.
Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.
Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.
-- Cicero
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I would not worry to much about the controversy.
People will decide for themselves. If they believe this story has some sort of anti-religious agenda then they will follow their own convictions. Those who simply want to enjoy the movie will go and not worry about any underlying theme. No movie is going to alter my beliefs unless it has something I am ready to hear.
http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=28764731
Traveler
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People have been trying to kill God for years. At the end of their lives, these people are the ones that are buried and God continues to live and thrive.
Aside from that, I'm going to likely watch the movie, enjoy it or hate it based on the quality of the story and the acting and move on with my life, no harm done... just as I did with the Harry Potter films (which are lovely, by the way).
My question is, why all the whining and moaning? I'm a Christian and even I say get over it! Any Christian that is more focused on dividing people over something as petty as a movie or a book is missing the point and not affecting change in anyone's lives. People starving and killing one another out there and they're more concerned with the influence of 'Harry Potter' and 'The Golden Compass'. Sheesh!
____________________________________
"We are not gonna die. You know why? Because we are so...very...pretty. We are just too pretty for God to let us die."
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I've read the books, they are very very well written. Honestly I don't know what all this is seriously about. I was raised Southern Baptist... not really sure what I am now, maybe somewhere between Christianity and Buddhism, I believe in many of the principles of both. All I know I believe in is something more important than my own life and I just hope alot of others feel the same way. I don't need a religion or a book(any book) or a movie to tell me what I believe, never did, and I think that's the core of the problem here... most people seem to or either just seem to think they do. Do you think a child can grow up in a good mindset having only ever been exposed to one type of belief? If anything it might just make them more likely to realize they hate the religion they were raised on and reject it forever. I say this type of book is a great tool to expose children in a positive way to what other people believe. If you have a problem with the god dieing part(I first read the books when I was 21 and even I was a bit shocked at some of the themes) talk to you kid after they read it or even better read it with them and discuss openly and truthfully about how you feel about it.
I seriously doubt though that I will be seeing the movie. I'm afraid it's another shoddy adaptation that attempts to find a midway between faithful and politically correct or widely accessable and just comes up as a simply bad movie even without comparing it to the book.
P.S. I will never rant like this again as long as I live.
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Quote:I think people feel threatened when their conviction are challenged. A movie that comes out strongly against religion or appears to be strongly against religion is likely to make some adherents of that religion feel that they are being insulted. Likewise some of those opposed to religion will celebrate it. It’s a common scene, and it’s not that either conviction is necessarily wrong. If, like in the Golden Compass, religion or some aspect of it is depicted as being central to a tyranny, then this may make many feel that there is a degree of religious intolerance at work here. And the author of the book coming out to express his evidently somewhat rigid anti-Christian opinion and atheists touting the movie expressly for the perceived attack on religion lend support to the existence of this religious intolerance. It’s ironic that many in the anti-religious camp hold their views because they oppose intolerance they see within religion, yet when they espouse such strong sentiment against religion they may end up reinforcing the very thing they oppose. I think that what we need to understand that in both camps, the pro-religion camp and the anti-religion camp, can generally agree that hatred and rigid ideologies when administered broadly by the state is a manifestation of tyranny, regardless of whether its origin is religious or non-religious. Christians who may feel that when a certain movie presents a tyrannical view of religion that they are being attacked, but hasn’t religion been the edifice upon which tyranny has existed? The Spanish Inquisition, Iran, etc. So the association of tyranny with religion or even Christianity is not an attack on Christianity or even religion, it may simply be a reference to historical fact. Atheists and those opposed to religion should consider the same thing. Just because Christianity is associated with tyranny does not make Christianity tyrannical or intolerant. Stalin’s Soviet Union and Hitler’s Nazi regime were secular regimes and in many cases openly and blatantly atheist. Yet there is no strain upon which one could place any argument that would allow it put the Soviet Union or the Nazi regime as less tyrannical, certainly, then any theocratic totalitarianism. One can hold a religious belief and not be intolerant. A religious institution can exist and not be oppressive. Likewise a person can be non-religious or even anti-religious and still demonstrate intolerance. A non-religious institution can still be oppressive. Tyranny and intolerance are social and political entities from that all beliefs are subject to influence.
Originally posted by Mudkicker:
My question is, why all the whining and moaning?
Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.
Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.
-- Cicero
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Finn, my head hurts now. Not to be offensive, though rather humorous I hope, but do you know how to deliver a more brief and poignant explanation? I was afraid I would have to send out for an oxygen tank for you lest you be winded from your explanation.
Needless to say, I get the point that you are siding with both and yet neither side of the arguement.
____________________________________
"We are not gonna die. You know why? Because we are so...very...pretty. We are just too pretty for God to let us die."
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Yeah, it was a little verbose. I was on a role. But you got the point.
Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.
Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.
-- Cicero
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Quote:I totally liked every word, keep on with the verbose.
Originally posted by Finn mac Cumhal:
Yeah, it was a little verbose. I was on a role. But you got the point.
Absorbing Chrisisall
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I saw the film, haven't read the books. The corruption involving religious officials seems clear, but isn't too far from a historical recounting of barbarism in the name of religion. If some want to prevent their kids from learning about religion and politics, they should make sure their schools do not teach history, or at least skip over The Inquisition, Henry VIII, The Papists, The Church of England, Queen Elizabeth, The Anglican Church, Mary Queen of Scots, King James, the King James Bible, Pilgrim Colonists, or how they all relate to each other and the U.S. Constitution.
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