"Catholic League William A. Donohue say he is aware that the film is tame by the book's standards, but he is afraid that children who see the film will want to read the novel."

Wild Bill is right: reading books is bayad. That's how that whole Reformation and Enlightenment thingy got started which declawed, defanged, and neutered the Catholic Church as a political power.

My 17 year old daughter, Kate, wrote this in a discussion group on FACEBOOK. Premise from some groups (teens) Boycott Movie because it will encourage young people to read the book series and turn against religion.

Kate:

I read The Golden Compass and His Dark Materials when I was a little girl. I enjoyed reading them.
and no, they CERTAINLY did not turn me into an atheist.

People often underestimate children when it comes to books- and believe that they can't separate reality from fiction- Remember when people thought the Harry Potter books would turn kids into Satanists? All they did was turn kids into readers.

Anyone who thinks that His Dark Materials (series) is an attack on God probably hasn't read it. I don't think one can boycott anything until they know what it is- so I mean, you don't have to contribute to Phillip Pullman’s profit margin by actually buying the books, you could use the library. However, before you boycott the books-- you should read them.
(Think "keep your friends close, and your enemies closer") Read them, and THEN disagree with them, hate them, boycott them (but please don't burn them).

And I know a lot of people say, "I don’t have to read the books to know what they're about" but that isn't really true, because everyone interprets literature differently.

I think a book series whose main characters abandon faith and "kill God" in order to "do as they please" would be despicable. I very strongly believe "His Dark Materials" is NOT that book series.

And even if they WERE that book series, I wouldn't try to stop people from reading them- because faith is stronger than a movie or a children's book series. Nobody (not even a child) will read these books and stop believing in God. No one can "make" someone else stop believing in God.

I am not saying I agree with Phillip Pullman, or the movies, or anything. I am just saying that you can't accept that these books are wrong just because someone tells you they are. We have to think for ourselves. I am very much pro-thinking. And I am certainly pro-books.

We can't challenge something by hiding from it, by boycotting it- I mean, obviously, it's not the movie itself that people dislike, its the ideas behind it--
and you can't boycott an idea. In fact, boycotting an idea just makes it stronger, it gives it credibility. Which is the last thing this group wants, am I right? Does this group consider "His Dark Materials" to be a threat to the Bible?
Of course it isn't!

If these books are anti-religious? Well, then Phillip Pullman has the same rights as you or I have- the right to be wrong.

If we believe, and others don't, does this somehow lessen our faith, make it smaller?

I think not.

I am a practicing Catholic, and I thought Pullman's series was outstanding. To me, his theme was not "killing God" but the corruption inherent in all hierarchal systems, particularly those which believe they have a lock on the truth. As a member of a democratic society, I believe that anything which teaches children to look beyond blind obedience to hierarchy is a good thing. As a Roman Catholic, I think Pullman's series is both relevant and timely. The Church has a long and unfortunate history of standing behind power and hierarchy instead of following the principles set forth by Jesus Christ. As all hierarchies on this earth come from humans, all hierarchies are prone to corruption and failure. If it takes an atheist to point out what should already be obvious, so be it.

If Author Pullman is an Atheist or similar, well, thats his problem. However, someone should inform the Catholic League, oh I dunno that THIS IS AMERIKA &
VE DUN'T BAN HERE!!

Twits

Regards,
Chip Thornton