Is 'Golden Compass' 'selling atheism to kids'? — OZONE Asylum, home of the Mad Scientists

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Is 'Golden Compass' 'selling atheism to kids'?

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Your Text: Insert Slimies » Insert UBB Code » Close Last Tag \| All Tags UBB Help	I finally got around to seeing this film last weekend, and on the whole I would say I enjoyed it. There's still a lot to think about, but in brief, I never got the impression that it was "selling atheism." There are indeed "anti-religious" elements, if by "religion" you mean "an institution that keeps people ignorant and docile, claiming to do it for their own good but really doing it to maintain power." My own personal faith is something different, so I wasn't offended. Like I said, there's still a lot to think about. What I really want to do is get my hands on the books. [quote] [b]Gideon said:[/b] I do remember watching a film with similar hype: Happy Feet. It was an adorable movie with many well known actors and actresses in it...but you could tell that several main figures in the movie depicted religious leaders, based off secular stereotypes. I loved the idea of individuality and perseverance in the movie...but I was weary about the challenge of authority.[/quote] Wait, are you saying that [i]Happy Feet[/i] was an anti-religious movie? [quote]That seems to be the main thought of this movie: challenging the authority. I feel like this could be detrimental to teaching children.[/quote] Are we talking about [i]Happy Feet[/i] here or [i]The Golden Compass[/i]? Whichever the case, I don't think the main thought of either movie is "challenging authority." Rather, it is, "don't blindly accept as the truth whatever those in authority tell you." This is not the same as challenging authority. In essence, it is the quote from Tertullian at the end of your post. [quote]Hopefully they each have wonderful parents who will take them aside and talk to them for as long as it takes to help them understand what the themes of the movie relate to and how those themes relate to their lives. Unfortunately, that won't happen very much. Far too many children are going to watch this film and be affected by it, perhaps deeply, with no parental counseling.[/quote] I'm curious--what exactly do you think will happen to these children who are deeply affected by these films? You do realize that for centuries children's stories have played on the theme of a wicked or oppressive authority being overthrown by a lowly hero or heroine, right? These movies are just (two of many) modern adaptations of that theme. I will grant you that there is more going on in [i]The Golden Compass[/i], but you seem to be focusing specifically on this "challenging authority" theme, and I think your fears may be misplaced. [img]http://www.liminality.org/asylum/sigs/suho_text_factory_02.gif[/img] ___________________________ Suho: [url=http://www.liminality.org]www.liminality.org[/url] \| [url=http://www.ozoneasylum.com/4837]Cell 270[/url] \| [url=http://www.ozoneasylum.com/5689]Sig Rotator[/url] \| [url=http://www.ozoneasylum.com/22173]the Fellowship of Sup[/url] Loading...
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