The Golden Compass
With all the faxes and emails I've received in the past weeks (and this past Sunday morning) I thought I'd check out the Golden Compass myself to see if I think it an aethiezing force. (Read my former blog entry on this HEREl.
This Movie will NOT make your child into an atheist (in my humble opinon).
This Movie WILL convince your child that violence is not only an appropriate answer to solve conflict but also the only and best one.
If you're going to the Movies this weekend, wondering if you should see it or not: I'd suggest seeing Atonement instead.
I wouldn't take my daughters to see it because of the violence. A bear's face is ripped off and flies across the field. Hundreds of people are stabbed, shot or empaled. The heroine, a 10 year old girl, finishes the movie by becoming violent herself.
I found the movie visually stimulating and beautiful, and the story too complex to be explained so briefly. I was not enthralled by any of the characters or sucked into the power of the story. (I'm reading the novel at the moment - an entry to come soon on Monteskewed - and it is entirely different.)
Here's the Movie Preview
Theologically the themes that are treated in the movie are way about the heads of children, and most likely so complex philisophically that most adults might not even catch the nuances regarding free will, temptations, and our nature. The movie seems a bit gnostic to me, encouraging duality versus integration. (I'd say that's my biggest beef with it). There is one scene in which a church is painted as the haven of the bad guys.
Things that the movie does treat in an interesting way:
Free Will: do we have it? at what age? what does it mean? is it a good or bad thing? can only children choose good?
Daemons (the animal respresentations of the soul that lives on the exterior of the human body). In the movie they're called "demons", yet in the novel it's "daemons." The difference is that a demon is always bad. A daemon can be good or bad, while a demon is always bad. A subtle difference that appears in ancient & medieval Christian Theology, but largely absent today in our post-This-Present-Darkness-Evangelical Age.
The Church: ok in the movie it's called the Magisterium. The Catholic church feels slighted and attacked by the metaphor (it's a Catholic word about the teaching institution of the Catholic hierarchy) It's there. (Much more in the book - but I'm only on page 85). It's a group of leaders that control the world by controlling the way that people can think, ensuring that they can only choose the "good", or what they deem to be the "good." Is it really that far off from some of the things that the church does? I don't think so. And I'm a card-carrying, ordained member. It could lead to great conversations about faith, religious communities, and the way in which we share with one another what we believe and base our lives upon.
If you haven't heard about this movie/book and the brouha-ha that it will convert our children into atheists you can read about this ideas and campaigns in the following links:
A Briefing for Concerned Christians (Albert Mohler)
Focus on the Family (on the Book) (on the Film)
Mary Fairchild Blog Entry on about.com
Spiritual Lessons from the film on Beliefnet.com
ABC News Report
RogerEbert Movie Review
If you've seen the movie and/or read the book, do leave a comment and contribute to the conversation that I'm hoping to start through the monteskewed blog community!
Thanks
6 comments:
The trailer looks great. I think I might actually go to the theater for this one.
Hey Monte,
I've enjoyed reading your blogs and am following particularly closely your "Are You A Heretic?" series. With your permission, I may use the same approach here at some point. I think it's brilliant.
I appreciate your taking on "The Golden Compass" and our reactions to it and I like what you've said so far. It strikes me that some of the fear about the movie's potential to influence an atheist world view might be related to the hope some hold that distinctly Christian music, literature or whatever will work the same magic for "our side". For example, we're told that we ought to take our neighbors to see "Narnia" or "The Passion" and schooled on how to initiate discussions based on them.
From my point of view, I think it is important for Christians to engage with movies and other media which clearly challenge our own beliefs. For one thing, they challenge us to think about and re-articulate the reason for our own faith. For another, it gives us a view into what sorts of important questions the folks around us are asking. It gives us a window into their world and hopefully the ability to interact with them on the level of their own questions. That's why I'd commend a critical reading of Nietzsche to curious Christians.
The other thing I appreciate about your thoughts is that it's ok for us to be critical about all movies, no matter their source on their artistic and ethical content. Why go see a movie that is poorly done or that glorifies violence, no matter who has made it or what point it is trying to make?
Matt Edminster
"It could lead to great conversations about faith, religious communities, and the way in which we share with one another what we believe and base our lives upon."
Monte, I am continually pleased by how you confront topics with openness instead of fear. I believe in the power of critical thinking, which every one of us has access to, no matter our religious beliefs. Thank you!!!
Patchizinho,
I'm glad that you're part of the conversation and ongoing dialogue. I think that's what it's all about in terms of building community, nurturing faith, and growing in our spirituality.
If you're online now - it's Thursday at 3:25pm The author of the Golden Compass is being interveiwed at the moment (old 2000 inteview) on 94.1 fm. It's good.
Hope you can catch some of it.
Hey Matt,
Fun to hear from you. Are you in Estonia at the moment?
Feel free to use the RUaHeretic stuff. It's been one of the most lively and best attended Faith Discussion Groups that we've done at Fruitvale Church in the past 6 years. I update the entries to include some of the readings that I passed out to folks so that they could continue reading/learning and the discussion after the 'formal' class time.
I think it's all about engagment. Who needs followers of Jesus, Bouddha, Islam, or the Torah who disengage with the rest of the Universe. For me following Jesus is about doing so in the world in which we live....not in an imaginary one. That means in the cineplex, at Peet's Coffee, online,....everywhere. (of course I'm preaching to the choir in our conversation!)
We should be critical - critical in our thought, faith practice and taste. Like I suggested...there are better movies out there. The book is good so far...very interesting, different, much deeper. I'll blog on it when I finish.
Another new thing I just heard about online re: the Golden Compass is this week's entry on www.tothesource.org.
PS - I think this whole thing - integration as a spiritual practice is at the root of discipleship - not syncretism, but cricital, collaborative, constructive engagement - is what Summer Seminar/AD Events is all about. Looking forward to seeing how this one shapes up. I have a great new book on Neitzsche. If that should interest you drop me a note.
Corn Dog.
It is a cool trailer. But the special effects is what it's all about. Go see Atonement - beautiful and well crafted - instead.
Love your blog this week! If you haven't checked it out do so
http://rubbercorndog.blogspot.com
Go Elvis!
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