Parents Beware - The Golden Compass

There is a movie coming out on Dec. 7 called The Golden Compass. It stars Nicole Kidman, and at first glance may appear to be in the same league as The Chronicles of Narnia. Nothing could be further from the truth. The movie is based on the first book in a trilogy by Philip Pullman called His Dark Materials. Pullman is an avowed atheist, and his mission is to destroy the faith of young Christians.

Lest anyone think that Christians are overreacting, take a look at the review at the secular, urban myth-debunking site Snopes.com:

Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview with the Sydney Morning Herald that "My books are about killing God."

Some of the more overt instances of anti-Christianity have been toned in the movie. But on their website, the Catholic League lays out the primary concern with the movie:

The Catholic League wants Christians to stay away from this movie precisely because it knows that the film is bait for the books: unsuspecting parents who take their children to see the movie may be impelled to buy the three books as a Christmas present. And no parent who wants to bring their children up in the faith will want any part of these books. [Emphasis added]

Dark materials, indeed. I can't imagine a worse Christmas present for a child.

I think it also bears mentioning that the first book in the series, Northern Lights (on which the movie is based) was awarded a Carnegie Medal for Children's Literature in 1995, and in 2007 was named the "Carnegie of Carnegies" as the best children's book of the last 70 years. I know a lot of parents see that a book has received a Carnegie Medal and assume that it's a quality book that their child should read. Just another reminder to be careful who you trust to make recommendations for your child's reading material. I think it speaks volumes that this was the best book they could find in a 70 year span.