On December 7, 2007 the United States will be the site of another sneak attack.  This time it will not be in the form of an air attack on a naval installation, but rather an attack to win the hearts and minds of children and adults.  We are discussing the movie from New Line Cinema called The Golden Compass.  Fortunately for Christians everywhere, and anyone else who wants to know, the author of the trilogy on which the movie is based has been clearly and boldly stating his intentions for years.  Maybe we just don’t pay attention anymore, having been lulled into a false sense of security by Star Wars and the Lord of the Rings, but this time, there is no possibility of a gray area.

  The website www.snopes.com is a great help in finding out the truth or fallacy of many assertions. It has the following claim: “The 2007 Film The Golden Compass is based on a series of books with anti-religious themes.” This is followed by a simple word: “True.” [1] There is source material listed, and some commentary as well, but make no mistake, the evidence has been examined, the proof is there. Often, true Christians are accused of overreacting or looking for something by which to be offended. Not this time. Even the unbelievers know what these books are about.

    “My books are about killing god”, [2] says the author, William Pullman.  How much more direct need an enemy of the cross be? Well, how about this: “We’re used to the Kingdom of Heaven; but you can tell from the general thrust of the book that I’m of the devil’s party, like Milton. And I think it’s time we thought about a republic of Heaven instead of the Kingdom of Heaven.” [3] There are many other statements that could be referenced, but surely these are sufficient.

    In the entertainment crazed world we live in, far too many are willing to compromise their beliefs for the next new thing that will divert their attention from everyday life. Mr. Pullman is a clever and cunning man. He recognizes the importance and power of a great story, even to the point that he recognizes the Bible’s power of narrative. He therefore has set out to tell a story that will cause 

The Golden Compass By Steve Higginbotham     This weekend, a new movie will premiere in theaters all over our nation. It is entitled, “The Golden Compass.” If you like allegorical fantasy, you probably have been intrigued by the previews to this movie if you have seen them. However, before you see this movie, there are a few things you should know.     This movie is based upon a trilogy of books written by Philip Pullman, entitled, “His Dark Materials.” This series of books and now a movie is, in my estimation, yet another attempt at trying to undermine Christianity, or at the least, to create doubts in the minds of impressionable young people. You see, Philip Pullman is an avowed atheist. In fact, Pullman said he wrote this trilogy because of C.S. Lewis’ “Christian evangelism” presented in the “Chronicles of Narnia.” Pullman said he wanted to “expose the ‘lie’ of the Christian church and assert his truth of an atheist vision of reality.”     The “Golden Compass” is the first book in Pullman’s three part series which ultimately ends with the main characters killing God. Each book grows increasingly more and more anti-Christian, so one can be caught up in the adventure before he realizes the nature of the allegory and the direction the books/movies take.     Sandra Miesel, who co-authored a book entitled, “The Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children’s Fantasy Literature” said, “Pullman is brilliant at hiding what he is really saying.” In a 2001 interview, Pullman said, “I’m trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief.” Two years later, in another interview, he said, “My books are about killing God.”     In Pullman’s second book, entitled, “The Subtle Knife,” one of the main characters is told that he possesses the weapon that can kill the “tyrant.” This “tyrant” is God. In Pullman’s third book, entitled, “The Amber Spyglass,” this “tyrant” is called “God,” “the Creator,” “the Lord,” “Yahweh,” “El,” “Adonai,” “the King,” “the Father,” and “the Almighty.”     The Golden Compass may not have any “obvious” or “overt” anti-Christian statements that your children pick up on. That’s the intent of this first movie. It’s subtle. It’s designed to pull you in, get a following; get you interested, and then purchase the books, which contain the overt message that God needs to be killed. This trilogy is an assault against the God of Heaven, our Savior. Shall we join those who hold our God in such contempt by supporting this movie with our presence and financial support? To ask the question is to answer it.

people to believe that God can be killed or he is already dead.

    Mixed in with his story of a young girl and an armored bear and other fantastic creatures are science fiction and science fact. In other words, he blurs the line between truth and reality. What must be remembered is that what Mr. Pullman is writing is fantasy. It is fiction. In other words it is completely, wholly, totally, untrue. We have been so exposed to interstellar travel through the movies that we have forgotten that it isn’t possible. We’ve seen so much about alternate worlds that we have forgotten that they are not there. All Mr. Pullman’s fantasies and all of his writings and all of his personal beliefs simply will not change the facts. The danger is that some will not bother to examine the evidence. Others will be naively influenced, forgetting the difference between truth and fantasy.

    Mr. Pullman believes that mankind in and of himself is the best authority for governing what is right and wrong. He believes that as time goes on we will adopt ideas of how to treat one another and how to act toward one another – a condition which will basically be like heaven on earth. He outlines this idea in an article called The Republic of Heaven. [4]

    There is no Republic of heaven, and there never will be. Mankind left to himself is a sad and sorry creature, as witnessed by those great atheistic empires the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. Jeremiah said so long ago: “I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). Like many other atheists, Mr. Pullman believes that mankind is essentially good, and that if we could just throw off the shackles of religion we would enter a bright and wonderful age in which all people would care deeply about one another. Perhaps he too has read too much fantasy. All he needs to do to convince the world of the truthfulness of this apparent belief is to take all of the considerable money that he has made from his work and give it to the poor while he yet lives (Matthew 19:21).

    The funny thing is he knows he is on the losing side. He believes that the “impulse toward theocracy” will outlast his own way. [5] He does not seem to know that this is exactly what the Bible says. In Isaiah 55:11 the Bible reads, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” In simpler terms: God’s will, will be done, and nothing can stop that.

    Ignorance of Scripture and its’ meaning pervade the books. The most malevolent character in the book, Metatron, is actually Enoch, the man translated by God. God, called “The Authority,” is an ancient angel, who apparently at one time was also just a man. He is old and senile and just wants to die. He is even referred to in the book as “the ancient of days.” Other denominational ideas, chiefly those of the Catholic Church are contained as well.

    Amazingly, now that the movies are being made, he claims that he is not trying to influence anyone toward atheism:

On the Today show on Friday, Pullman denied to Al Roker that his books are anti-religious. “As for the atheism,” he adds, “it doesn’t matter to me whether people believe in God or not, so I’m not promoting anything of that sort,” [6]

    When someone claims one thing at one time and the opposite at another, he has either changed his mind, or he is lying. Could it be that there is a great deal of money at stake here, and he does not want to mess that up? Another example of the wonderful goodness of man without the shackles of God!

    The Golden Compass is a tool of Satan, pure and simple. For $12.97, you can pick up the whole trilogy at Wal-Mart. Don’t. Please do not be ignorant of Satan’s devices, or act like it just does not matter. The Bible still says in Psalms 14:1, “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God…” Despite all of Mr. Pullmans’ supposed brilliance, there is one character missing from his novels: A fool who does not believe in God.

Endnotes

1 Snopes.com, https://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

2 The Shed Where God Died, Steve Meacham, https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/12/1071125644900.html

3 This is the Most Dangerous Author in Britain, Peter Hitchens, https://home.wlv.ac.uk/~bu1895/hitchens.htm

4 The Republic of Heaven, Philip Pullman, https://www.hbook.com/magazine/articles/2001/nov01_pullman.asp

5 Far From Narnia, Laura Miller, https://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/12/26/051226fa_fact?printable=true

6 Phillip Pullman Realizes “Killing God” Not The Ideal Sales Pitch, Dan Lois and Lane Brown, https://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/11/philip_pullman_realizes_underm.html

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Copyright 2007