The movie The Golden Compass, based on the best-selling book by Philip Pullman, has been billed by some Christians as the latest Da Vinci Code-esque distortion of God and religion - with kids as the target audience for its devious deceptions. So every Christian teen (and adult, for that matter) should be asking, is this just the latest 'sky is falling,' over-reactionary Christian witch hunt, or are all the hype and warnings warranted?
Based on pre-release press reports, the anti-God elements found in the book have been significantly watered down in the movie version of The Golden Compass in an effort to make the movie more acceptable to a wider audience. But the concern is that the tamer, softer movie version will draw fans in and encourage them to read the rest of the books in the His Dark Materials (HDM) series (of which The Golden Compass is the first) - a trilogy of books that contain an increasingly hostile view of God and those who believe in God.
But back to the question at hand...Are the hype and warnings warranted?
Having read the entire HDM series, I found The Golden Compass, and particularly its sequels, disturbing and dangerously deceptive for kids. But while I would consider it inappropriate material for elementary age kids, middle and high school teens should be prepared and equipped to intelligently discuss it. Instead of throwing up the Christian barricades, consider using this controversial movie as an opportunity to talk about the spiritual dimension of life and to engage in genuine dialogue about how the God of the Bible and Biblical Christianity differ from God and religion as presented in the book series and movie.
But make sure you approach it with your eyes wide open and your spiritual radar attuned to God's truth about Himself and the life He calls His followers to. It would be wise to approach His Dark Materials with a solid Christian friend or adult alongside you, someone who you can bounce ideas off of and who will help you think critically about the worldview being depicted.
By now you're no doubt wondering, "What is it that's so disturbing to Christians about Pullman's work?" In a nutshell, his fantasy work describes alternate universes which incorporate half-truths about God and religion and presents them as alternate realities for explaining the supernatural spiritual realm.
Given the less provocative nature of The Golden Compass movie, compared to the later books in the series, you may walk out of the movie saying, "What's the big deal? ...nothing very anti-God there..." But you should be aware of the larger picture of where the author is coming from and where the series is headed.
In interviews Pullman clearly lays out his atheist worldview - going as far as calling C. S. Lewis' Narnia series "one of the most ugly and poisonous things I have ever read." So it should come as no surprise that the HDM series comes across on several levels as an anti-Lewis fantasy story. In the course of the series, the main character, young, charming Lyra (who is joined by the character Will in the second book) travels through multiple universes to uncover hidden truths using special tools. The tools consist of a golden compass that allows Lyra to see the truth and a subtle knife that allows Will to open and close pathways between universes. Lyra and Will's lives and identities are threatened by 'The Church'.
As a consequence, viewers/readers find themselves rooting for the children who are out to destroy evil and oppressive organized religion. They search valiantly to be reunited with their daemons (pronounced demons) and travel to the world of the dead to free the ghosts trapped there. By the end of the series, God has been killed - a God who is depicted as an old, weak, evil, manipulative liar. Plenty of provocative material here...but take a deep breath and do your research, because there's also plenty of opportunity to discuss Biblical spiritual truths.
Toward that end, let's take a look at a few specific distortions in the series and how you might use them as a springboard to a discussion with your friends about God.
