Virgo
Before I get into the plot of the movie let me say that a child would never see this hidden plot in the movie or the book by Pullman, even if they were told this message was there. Pullman's message was very subtle and well-hidden. I read the books when I was a child, so I can attest to that.
The story is about a group called the Magestirium (representing the church). They are a religious group that is very powerful and has a lot of control over the society in which they live. They are very corrupt.
Everyone's soul in the story has a physical manifestation of an animals' form that is called a 'daemon.' It stays with them at all times. The Magesterium has started stealing little kids from their homes and families while they're young and impressionable and taking them away without anybody knowing.
They take them to a place far away where they seperate children from their daemons in order for them to be complete puppets of the Magesterium. The story is about a little girl who trys to stop the Magesterium from doing these things.
The underlying message here can be interpreted as 'Christianity steals your soul.' However, this is not the actual message Pullman was trying to convey. As I said, Pullman is saying organized religion steals your soul and stops people from thinking freely. As a Christian, as much as I'd like to say that this message is wrong, unfortunately I can't, and all the groups calling for boycotts of the movie only prove this message.
Please don't think that I am saying that all organized religion steals your soul.
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Comments
Re: The Golden Compass Still Shines Despite Boycotts
By Myself, December 24, 2007 at 12:15As you said you read the books as a child but as we all know movies do not necessarily follow the books to the letter. The first movie, however not very in-your-face anti-God, is made to draw in the interests of children with the intention of becoming more blatantly anit-God in the future. written by an athiest trying to compete against the likes of C.S. Lewis for 'indoctrinating' kids with undertones of christianity, i doubt his ultimate goal is just a good story.
Re: The Golden Compass Still Shines Despite Boycotts
By luyen, December 15, 2007 at 12:43It's pretty silly if a movie could influence one's world view to that extent, even with kids - I don't think them watching Harry Potter or the Golden Compass would "force" them to renege on their inherited religious views...if anybody, I think (hopefully) it will lead to more critical thinking...the last thing we need in this day and age, is more dogmatic non-thinkers.
On a personal note, i found this to be a rather weak movie in terms of pace and story-telling, i'm sure the book was a more solid piece of work.
Re: The Golden Compass Still Shines Despite Boycotts
By Michelle Kenneth, December 15, 2007 at 10:13I haven't read the books or seen the movie, yet (but I do intend on going, b/c it looks like a film that will be right up my alley), but just reading what everyone is saying about the term "Dust" is interesting.
Since my novel has a lot of spiritual themes discussing when man was first created, DUST is what we are all formed from. Remember in Genesis that God created man from the dirt of the earth. When we die, we return to the earth. As our body decomposes it springs forth a new life (like being fertilizer for the ground which enriches the soil, providing life to plants and trees). Perhaps Pullman is saying the same thing. If you think about the symbolism that both of you are discussing, you would both be correct. It is the poetic way of describing how mankind was formed from the dirt of the earth.
I do find it interesting that Pullman uses the term "daemon" to describe the soul. That is an ancient term. He's done his research thoroughly on the subject matter.
Re: The Golden Compass Still Shines Despite Boycotts
By amaranthe, December 15, 2007 at 09:29NOTE: Apologies, this should have been posted as a reply to the first commenter, Daniel.
Daniel, I'm curious about your statements about the nature of Dust in the film. Where in the film does it state or suggest that? I've seen it twice, and have read the books, and I think you may have confused the two. The film manages to NOT specify just what the dust is or symbolizes, though the book does come out and support BOTH arguments -- 'original sin' AND a sort of 'oneness with everything in the universe'. In the books in particular, it is made very plain that we are all made of dust, and that when we die, our molecules dissolve and return to ALL the dust that ever was. We do not disappear or 'snuff out' like a candle, but rejoin our loved ones and everything else that has ever existed. That surely sounds more spiritual to me than anything else. Pullman does a GREAT job with that in the books -- he gives fuel to speculation on ALL possibilities; he asks us to think and make up our OWN minds what the truth of the Dust is -- and hopes we take that free thinking and analysis into all aspects of our lives.
Re: The Golden Compass Still Shines Despite Boycotts
By dan85poindexter, December 15, 2007 at 00:54I agree with many of your sentiments. Pullman is clearly promoting humanism in his books (one can argue whether or not humanism is anti-God all day long), but I think everyone can be benefited in confronting differing views rather than pretending they don't exist.
However, I think you may be mistaken in your assessment of 'dust'. In the film, it symbolized carnal knowledge, a sort of metaphor for the original sin of Adam and Eve in eating from the tree of knowledge. To the humanist, the fall of mankind was a liberating moment in which freewill was established and man became God. The Magisterium (Church) seeks to keep people from pursuing heretical knowledge or answers(dust) that lead to conclusions not deemed appropriate or convenient.
On a different note, your article had very good intellectual content, but it suffered to an extent due to some awkwardness in your writing style. If you would like, I would be willing to edit your work (without changing your substance) and suggest how to make it an even better article. Best wishes.
Daniel