Okay, now I know I made my own separate blog for political issues, but to me, this is more the world of ideas than politics. And here it is: I went to see The Golden Compass tonight, and it was great. Great graphics, great story, amazing actors — it was all there. I felt so satisfied, seeing the plotline develop just as it should, which was how I felt when I saw the Lord of the Rings series.
So why was the theater so empty?
Is it because of all the negative press about the author of the books, Phillip Pullman?
From Salon.com:
A few weeks ago I was only half-kidding when I told friends I was worried that my own open approval of this story — one in which I see an exquisite and Christian vision of the soul, virtue, salvation and (shudder) the feminine divine, aka Wisdom-Sophia, or the Holy Spirit (yeah, Her) — might lead angry mobs to my doorstep. But now the idea seems less funny and more, well, possible.
. . .Apparently, liking “His Dark Materials” — never mind loving it, as I do — is enough to damn you in the God-fearing, agenda-thumping, always so careful to be kind and respectful in a Good Christian manner blogosphere.
I am deeply saddened by the very real effects of a small group of angry Catholics on the wide-reaching world of Catholic schools. Christianity is built on stories, and grand stories at that. In many respects it was my Catholic faith that taught me to love stories. In the process I became a storyteller too. But more important, I became someone who appreciated good literature of all kinds, and with it the grace of sharing it with people I love.
I read His Dark Materials Trilogy (the name of the three books) two years ago, and I was overwhelmed with how incredible they were. Did I catch the anti-religion element? Sure I did. Did I care? Not really. Why should I care when someone writes the truth?
I have decided that the truth is always what offends people the most. Want to offend an American? In this country of rampant obesity, call them “fat.” Want to offend a Japanese person? You can call them fat all day long and they will be unmoved; try calling them “short-legged.” It’s a terrible insult. Want to offend the church? Call it “controlling.”
So, in a perfect example, Pullman calls organized religion controlling and oppressive, and everyone is up in arms. Um, I’m sorry? Wasn’t anyone paying attention? Most organized religion is controlling and oppressive. It’s what religion, particularly the American version, does best. It’s my basic gripe with U.S. christianity, in that church is not about worshiping God, or reaching out to God, or having a spiritual experience with an all-powerful being. It’s about politics, and dogma, and the kind of dress you have on and whether it covers your knees. It’s about the length of your hair and the quality of your make-up and whether or not you use certain key-words. God is somewhere in the middle of it, kind of, if you really look. And I’ll be frank — it totally disgusts me.
So am I surprised when a talented author writes a completely fictitious story set in another world about a controlling religious group called the Magisterium? Not really. Are his books about challenging the Authority (both the idea and the guy named “The Authority”)? Absolutely. There’s nothing wrong with obeying authority…until that authority starts to challenge free-will and people’s ability to love (which is really what the story is about). That’s when “authority” becomes “fascism.” And now that I’ve used a key word — fascism — it becomes clear that Pullman’s “Authority” could be God, or it could be Hitler or Mussolini or the leaders of the Inquisition or a number of other figures who made themselves God.
That’s what I saw in the story. Your interpretation is up to you.
You do have free will, after all. Remember that whole “Freedom isn’t free” thing?
Go — watch the movie. Even better, read the wonderful and amazing books. Open your mind. God can take it. You might even ditch the authority and find yourself closer to that Higher Power — regardless of what Fox News says.
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