1052 Signatures
- Start Date:
11-2-2007 - Last Signed:
2-7-2009
Description:
To: New Line Cinema
Attn: Robert Shaye & Michael Lynne, co-chairmen and CEO
This petition is also being distributed to all major retail video distributors.
The undersigned are boycotting the movie
The Golden Compass.
THE GOLDEN COMPASS, a new movie targeted at children, will be released December 7, 2007. This movie is based on the first book of a trilogy by atheist Philip Pullman. In the final book a boy and girl kill God so they can do as they please. Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview that "My books are about killing God."
The movie is a watered-down version of the first book and is designed to be very attractive in the hope unsuspecting parents will take their children to see the movie -and that the children will want the books for Christmas.
The movie has a well known cast, including Nicole Kidman, Kevin Bacon, and Sam Elliott. It will probably be advertised extensively, so it is crucial that we get the word out to warn parents to avoid this movie.
Sign in below to register your objection to this film and to go to a page tell your friends.
You can research this for yourself. Click on the "Learn More" link to the right to read about this on snopes.com as well.
If you didn't read the books, then how can you be so sure your children made the most well-informed decision? What was the "storyline" you explained to them? If it is anything like the "storyline" depicted on the top of this page, then it is off-base and extremely inaccurate.
Did you people read the trilogy of books, his dark materials? They don't kill god, for christs sake, they kill an angel named metatrone claiming to be god. Shouldn't you religious people be finding a way to spin that to your favor?
Something along the lines of-though shall not worship a false idol ought to work. Seriously think you're overreacting. They banned to kill a mocking bird, remember that? The book is still receiving reprints to this day. I have to agree with the below comments stating that you're only putting fuel on the fire.
I want to see replies to this where all of you people who say this movie is evil give me a point why it is evil and bad, I do not want to see the same answer as the person above you or anything that is obviously copied. As a YOUNG IMPRESSIONABLE child with no common sense to see that this is a book (fiction book mind you) would like to see why im a little lost lamb who is going to hell. Please help me "shepeards".
Dear Aqua B
responding to comment on 1-8-08
Okay, I hope this will help you understand what Christians are trying to say. Now, I must quote scripture; so, please try not to be offended...
(I say that with all due respect)
In the Bible Paul wrote, "All things are permissable, but not all things are profitable."
For instance. If you're buying a home. You see two houses side by side in the same neighborhood.
One is 2,500 sq.ft. with all the upgrades you could possibly have and the other is 1,300 sq. ft. with no upgrades at all. They both have the same price tag of $350,000. Which do you choose. Obviously, the more profitable one. That in the long run is going to profit your pocket book. You make a wise decision. Now, that being said and I hope this doesn't get lost in translation. With Christians , saying something is "Evil" is more of a defense mechanism rather than an offense mechanism. It's our way of reminding ourselves what is not profitable for us to do, watch or take part in. If we choose to relay that belief to others and then step back and let them make their own decisions, I don't see anything wrong with that. If there was a young boy about to walk into a busy street would you as a human being try to stop him, or would you just stand there and say, "Oh well, "I guess someone might help him." Granted some of us newer Christians get a little(or a lot) over zealous at times. But most have a good heart and good intentions. So try not to be so critical. You may be offending what some of us like to call "Babys in Christ." And believe me, for new believers, some of the non-believers can be very offensive to us as well. Thank you for your time reading this and please give it some thought the next time you go to attack any Christian's beliefs. For whatever reason that this person felt that he had to boycott the movie, I can't really say. I believe that maybe this website might actually turn out to be a good thing and help people start thinking of being more considerate of others. And may I say something to New Christians, if you do get hurt or offended by someone's words. Please try to keep these instructions from God's Word. "A soft answer turns away much wrath." Open up the Bible and find out what God's Word says about how to talk to unbelievers instead of turning them away with unkind words and making them hate "Christians" in general.
I am going to go see this movie. I really didn't have too much desire to see it, but with all this controversy brewing It has really sparked my interest. I can make up my own mind. Don't people think for themselves anymore??? Apparently not. This reminds me of a friend who mentioned when he was a teenager, the Catholic Church published a list of 'banned' movies. He was told if he watched any of those 'banned' movies it would be a mortal sin and would go to hell for it. Downright hilarious! Oh ya... he is now what he calls a 'recovering catholic' I think your petition may have the opposite effect. The more attention drawn to something, the more curiosity it creates. I know I will see it because of all the hub-bub being stirred up by the religious zealots!
Tammy T and Bonita G I see you are close to getting 1,000 signatures. I hope you get them.
I have read Philip Pullman's books and I believe you have done Christian parents a good service in making this petition.
I find Philip Pullman's books revolting and talking about them even more so. I wonder if other Christians experience the books the same way I have, talking about them is like talking your experiences in a traffic accident.
I don't know about other Christians, but my first approach Christianity was as one ancient Christian writer put it, I was trying to understand faith in God as from "A Cloud of Unknowing."
In otherwords I don't understand God's gift of faith through reason, but yet I know that it is there. How do you explain this to anyone? I find I can not but yet other people can and are qualified to do so.
But thank you for this petition, you have done many a good service.
You do realize by making this petition and by bigoted idiots shouting antichrist is why this movie gets so much publisity. Speaching of let me make sure that my name is removed and what the hell happens if they do get 1000 signatures? All it shows is how narrowminded and evil christians can be therefore anyone who might have been trying to become christian will run away and non-christians will have more reasons to have not so nice views of christians as a whole, even though there are some rational and nice christians.
Whilst we're at it lets boycott all books or movies which have negative attitudes towards religion in general
oh and then lets also tell everyone not to watch any kind of tv which isn't songs of praise.
I am a Christian, and i read and loved the books
has anyone ever heard of fiction?
And stop telling people what to do, are you my mother? no.
and fyi the film was rubbish and i truly recommend reading the book, its an incredibly well written piece of FICTION.
Get over it people. Surley there are bigger things in life to worry about than wasting your time creating pointless petitions.
Bless
For an in-depth article and interview with Pullman, look at this piece by The New Yorker's Laura Miller .
http://urbanl egends.about.com/gi/dynamic...
Here are just a few of Pullman's quotes from that article.
“we can learn what’s good and what’s bad, what’s generous and unselfish, what’s cruel and mean, from fiction. ‘Thou shalt not’ might reach the head, but it takes ‘Once upon a time’ to reach the heart.”
“My story resolved itself into an account of the necessity of growing up, and a refusal to lament the loss of innocence.”
Here is a full excerpt from the article regarding C.S. Lewis and the Narnia Series:
In a 1998 essay for the Guardian, entitled “The Dark Side of Narnia,” he condemned “the misogyny, the racism, the sado-masochistic relish for violence that permeates the whole cycle.” He reviled Lewis for depicting the character Susan Pevensie’s sexual coming of age—suggested by her interest in “nylons and lipstick and invitations”—as grounds for exclusion from paradise. In Pullman’s view, the “Chronicles,” which end with the rest of the family’s ascension to a neo-Platonic version of Narnia after they die in a railway accident, teach that “death is better than life; boys are better than girls . . . and so on. There is no shortage of such nauseating drivel in Narnia, if you can face it.”
Pullman also makes the argument that Lewis really isn’t all that Christian. The fate of Susan Pevensie, he told me, indicates “some sort of crazed, deranged Manichaeism. Here’s a simple test: What is the greatest Christian virtue? Well, it’s charity, isn’t it? It’s love. If somebody who knew nothing about Christian doctrine, and who had been told that Lewis was a great Christian teacher, read all the way through those books, would he get that message? No.”
Sexual love, regarded with apprehension in Lewis’s fiction and largely ignored in Tolkien’s, saves the world in “His Dark Materials,” when Lyra’s coming of age and falling in love mystically bring about the mending of a perilous cosmological rift. “The idea of keeping childhood alive forever and ever and regretting the passage into adulthood—whether it’s a gentle, rose-tinged regret or a passionate, full-blooded hatred, as it is in Lewis—is simply wrong,” Pullman told me. As a child, Lyra is able to read a complicated divination device, called an alethiometer, with an instinctual ease. As she grows up, she becomes self-conscious and loses that grace, but she’s told that she can regain the skill with years of practice, and eventually become even better at it. “That’s a truer picture of what it’s like to be a human being,” Pullman said. “And a more hopeful one. . . . We are bound to grow up.”
I personally do not see anything morally wrong or unethical with this idealogy. I find it comforting that someone is providing an alternative perspective. But I stand by the fact that the only way to be 100% informed about the books and the movie is to be personally exposed to them - that is read the books FOR YOURSELF, watch the movie, rely on your own intellect and not some chain email. It is frightening how little people are beginning to think for themselves.
The poet Keats said that people would never understand the gift faith as the ability to have a personal relationship with Christ but non Christians would only look on what Keats described as philosophy by which he meant human reason. Keats argued rather than face the fact that faith which can not be understood by reason and might actually result in people seeing the face of God, then people whould choose to use reason to lead them away from God. Keats said in an article defending his poetry that those opposed to "dissenter Christian faith" would only attack the theology by using logic rather than run the danger of possible confronting God himself. And without that Keats said people "can not truly transcend the ugliness in themselves to see the beauty God has placed in the world." (Keat's letter to Leigh Hunt.) I quoted Keats because like Lewis, Keats is another person Pullman distorts in Pullman's writings.
"misogyny" "racism" "masochonistic" relish for violence." "boys are better than girls" "Lewis is not really a Christian" Even in a later 1998 essay I think any reader of those sentences can draw their own conclusions. Pullman states, "My story resolved itself into an account of the necessity of growing up, and a refusal to lament the loss of innocence. But Jesus not Lewis said "If you want to enter the kingdom of heaven, then you must become like this child." This is what Jesus said, yet Pullman criticises "the idea of keeping childhood alive forever" which is "the rose-tinted glasses." His description IS part of that which all Christians believe is part of the process of entering heaven. It comes from the Bible, not C.S. Lewis as Pullman states. But that's the whole point isn't it, Pullman can not disquise his hatred of the most basic Christian doctrine. "misogyny" "racism" "masochonistic" relish for violence." "boys are better than girls" "Lewis is (not) really a Christian" are not words of unobjective debate but their derrogatory attitude are self-evident.
God is a God who does throw people into the lake of fire for all eternity, there is no getting around that. Pullman points out about Susan growing up, yet God is someone who will deal with someone who "grows up" in that they deny their childhood faith, then according to the Bible, that person has gone far wrong as Susan has, it is sound Christian doctrine. Susan is not thrown into Hell in the Narnia books, that is a distortion. Susan only denies that what happened to her in Narnia did not happen. Furthermore, numerous adult women who did buy stockings and went to parties and wore lipstick in their lifetime do make it into heaven in the Narnia books. Susan is an example of the one sheep who has left the flock and the shepherd will have a response to that.
Most Christians, not all, but most, would argue that Susan would eventually make it into heaven. Susan's denying that she went to Narnia and valuing going to parties and getting invitations, wearing lipstick is an anology of throwing God out of your life in favour of worldly pleasures, it has nothing to do whatsoever with Susan's salvation. The Bible warns believers that some of them will value worldy pleasures more than their relationship with Christ and to guard against it. That is all Susan represents, someone who has "backslided" not someone who has earned damnation. In the Bible some believers come back to their original love for God. Jesus will leave the other 99 sheep and look for Susan. Another distortion.
In the Narnia books people interact directly with Aslan. In the Gospels people interact directly with Jesus. It is ability to directly interact with God is the point where Christians part company with non-believers and even some "Christian" church
Galations Chapter 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — 7which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!"
The words in the Bible "let him be eternally condemned" are pretty strong language. It means condemned for all eternity, it precludes cherry picking and ignoring those parts of the Bible where God condemns real people to the lake of fire for all eternity. This is God as well.
Pullman says "Charity may be the greatest virtue" But the Bible says even that Pullman's definition greatest virtue will not get a person into heaven -- it will get them into Hell. This is exactly what C.S. Lewis states in the Narnia books, there is no misrepresentation as Pullman claims. In Christian doctrine there are not scales where good deeds are measued against bad. The Bible says in Galatians that if that were true then it was USELESS for Christ to die on the cross.
Christian doctrine holds that no person is good, all humans, including myself deserve Hell. Faith Hope and Charity are NOT human virtues but they are God's virtues. Human's can only receive and virtue including Faith Hope and Charity by accepting them as a free gift from God as a child receives a gift. Humans can not get into heaven on their own, period. But Christ died on the cross taking our punishment for us. Humans can only get into heaven by putting their faith in Christ and believe that because they accept Christ's free gift of salvation and they believe that Christ took their punishment on the Cross as an act of love for them -- that is the way humans get into heaven. But Christians believe that heaven can never in nowise and in no situation can ever be earned.
In Christianity everything is received as a free gift or it can not be had at all.
Christian doctrine is that once Christians accept Christ they are not only saved, but Christ comes to live within them in their hearts through the Holy Spirit. Christ decribed this event in the four gospels as "eating real food" "having living water within oneself." "having light within oneself" "a shepherd leading his sheep" "a house built upon a rock" That is why Christians describe Christianity as a direct relationship with Christ and God and the Holy Spirit, Christians believe that Christianity is a relationship not a religion.
A relationship with a person that grows and changes a person from the inside out. A relationship that will make changes and a person is given more of God's Faith, Hope and Charity. Christ said that it is impossible for that relationship NOT to make changes within a person and that relationship will bear fruit. Christ said in the Bible that is how someone can tell if someone is really a Christian, they will not be ashamed of Him and God's Charity will work within the person so the believer demonstrates God's gift of love to others through their actions and do good for others.
But it is God's charity, not human charity. But most of all, everything is free, it can not be earned. The free gift is described in the Narnia books to describe Gods free gift, "misogyny" "racism" "masochonistic" relish for violence." "boys are better than girls" "Lewis is not really a Christian"
But at the very center of Pullman's critcism is that all is a free gift, because it is a free gift the children of Narnia do not have "the necessity of growing up, and a refusal to lament the loss of innocence" But in Christianity when it comes to receiving the free gift Pullman's words equally apply, why charge Lewis when the Bible says the same thing?
But in the Narnia books the children do indeed grow up and they lose a considerable amound of innocence, another distortion by Pullman, two of the children enter heaven as old people and two as parents. No Pullman's attack is not on Lewis but the Christian belief of becoming a Christian through a free gift, one does not have to grow up or lament the loss of innocence.
At the end of your post you say "I personally do not see anything morally wrong or unethical with this idealogy. I find it comforting that someone is providing an alternative perspective. But I stand by the fact that the only way to be 100% informed about the books and the movie is to be personally exposed to them - that is read the books FOR YOURSELF, watch the movie, rely on your own intellect and not some chain email. It is frightening how little people are beginning to think for themselves."
Pullman's distortion after distortion after distortion after distortion and people see nothing morally wrong with that? In that case, God has definetely given that church a youth pastor with the courage to speak out under his own name about a popular author who has the worldly media on his side and expose these distortions for what they are. He is a responsible shepherd who will not be dissuaded from protecting his flock. Shepherds are not prison guards, any member of his flock is free to investigate for themselves. This shepherd is not stopping anyone. He is doing a courageous job of warning his flock. He has accepted a heavy responsibility given to youth pastors to guard children against stumbling blocks
Matthew Chapter 18 NIC 2He (Jesus) called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
7"Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin!
10"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
Seems to me he is doing his job and doing it well.
hmm....just an observation. I don't have the desire to debate this movie because I haven't researched it, but the dynamics on this page are quite fascinating.
I commend Wesley for being informed in the statements he made, for giving an intelligent and coherent argument, and for maintaining his integrity without insulting his fellow debaters.
To be quite honest, apart from that I have seen little but frantic attempts to cut down every statement against the movie that has been made. (which is in itself the greatest sign of fear) Michael M. made a relatively good argument, but resorted to speaking with disrespect towards Christians once again. I think Christianity is the most judged/despised religion in the world-and I'm glad that the forum has started getting to the root of that.
In general I just see that the tiniest little reason that can be found to discredit a solid argument from the opposing side is clung to and used to jump to great conclusions with. I have seen both Christians and Non-Christians do the same thing. But in this forum, the trend is obvious.
Before moving on with this discussion, please consider shifting your platform from hating and proving one another wrong to growing and expanding. Accept the solid arguments being voiced. And remember that you are a human, with a finite mind. "Don't be so open-minded that your mind falls out."
"Faith Hope and Charity are NOT human virtues but they are God's virtues. Human's can only receive and virtue including Faith Hope and Charity by accepting them as a free gift from God as a child receives a gift"
This is dogma not fact. There is no way on earth to prove this. I'm sorry, but to think that humans are not inherently able to express hope, charity, and even faith (because faith does not equate religion) is to deny what it is to be human. My ability to love and be charitable were not gifts. Does every one harbor these virtues equally? No. There are some that allow these virtues to manifest while others simply disregard them, but all in all they are OURS to express. I am sick and tired with Christians acting like they have a monopoly on virtue.
Michael, thanks for the link--it's been quite some time since I'd read that article. Thank you for the reminder!!
David,
Congrats - you recieved a completely biased email with mis-represented quotes describing the books in an ignorant manner and you spread it on to others. You must feel proud and rightous. Why don't you "youth pastors" find some real conviction and make arguements based on pragmatic experience rather than chain mail and dogma. Most of the people arguing against this series have not read it and cannot provide a legitimate arguement against it (other than "phillip pullman is an atheist" - which is the lamest arguement of them all). there is a reason pullman despises the narnia series and that is because lewis kills off the children in the end - making their experiences null and void in the real world (and that is a legitimate gripe). I wish people would become more informed about the things they hate - it's so sad that so many people are blindly led to despise things they don't even take the time to properly research. that is what is brewing all of the hate in the world (not secularism).
I really don't see the Youth Pastor's post as spreading ignrance to others. People can go back and read Pullman's earlier interviews, information in the e-mail not only can be verified, it has been verified. If the Youth Pastor's quotes from Pullman are not accurate or taken out of context that can be pointed out by using other quotes from those very same interviews.
Perhaps people have become informed but they do not like what they see. Yet the argument seems to be if people don't like Pullman's works then they can't possibly be informed. The problem theough is if someone is not informed then Pullman's defender's can go back to his interviews and set the record straight. However where are the quotes from his defenders?
A Youth Pastor's job description includes defending his flock -- a pastor or a leader of young people. He is just doing his job and protecting his flock. And he is doing it in just the way he is instructed to in the Bible.
Some of Pullman's defenders claim the books are fantasy, but they can't claim his interviews are not fantasy. Pullman has stated that he believes that his fantasies are capable of turning children away from Christianity. That is documented and researched and verified.
Leaving that aside, Many of Pullman's defenders say in their first sentence that Pullman's works are not anti-Christian and then in the second sentence they say that religion in general and/or Christianity in particular is resposible for most of the cruelty and wars in the world. The second statement makes a lie out of the first.
This Youth Pastor is just doing the job he is paid for.
But you people are bitching about the book and movie not the author. Your acting like primative puritans, please rejoin this century and get over your selves. Protecting his flock...hmm... so why dont you keep children locked in a closet and and only let them watch bible man, dont let them go to school, only let them read the bible if you want to give them that kind of "protection". Do you agree that children cant make decisions or know what they want or how they feel until their 18 birthday? Do you read the bible when you wake up to make sure God ssays you can eat and get out of bed? We're humans, we make mistakes, and your God lets it happen
you can't kill god. I plan to see this movie more than once as I am in favor of free speech and see no harm in this movie.
I agree with you on a lot of this. I am a Christian and a youth leader. The only problem with this movie. The youth of this country is very influenced by what they see on TV in the movies and so on. We as Christians, parents, and leaders of this country we need to protect the youth from stuff like this. So on this note I am going to post a letter that got sent to me and I have also posted it on my website. Keep in mind I did not Wright this.
There will be a new children's movie out in December called
"The Golden Compass". The movie has been described as "atheism
for kids" and is based on the first book of a trilogy entitled "His
Dark Materials" that was written by Phillip Pullman. Pullman is a
militant atheist and secular humanist who despises C. S. Lewis and
the "Chronicles of Narnia". His motivation for writing this trilogy
was specifically to counteract Lewis symbolisms of Christ that are
portrayed in the Narnia series.
Clearly, Pullman's main objective is to bash Christianity and
promote atheism. Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when
he said in a 2003 interview that “my books are about killing God".
He has even stated that he wants to "kill God in the minds of
Children". It has been said of Pullman that he is "the writer the
atheists would be praying for, if atheists prayed."
While "The Golden Compass" movie itself my seem mild and
innocent, the books are much different story. In the trilogy, a young
streetwise girl becomes enmeshed in an epic struggle to ultimately
defeat the oppressive forces of a senile God. Another character, an
ex-nun, describes Christianity as "a very powerful and convincing
mistake." In the final book, characters representing Adam and Eve
eventually kill God, who at times is called YAHWEH. Each book in
the trilogy gets progressively worse Pullman's hatred of Jesus Christ.
“The Golden Compass" is set to premier on December 7,
during the Christmas Season, and will probably be heavily
advertised. Promoters hope that unsuspecting parents will take there
children to see the movie, that they will enjoy the movie, and that
the children will want the books for Christmas.
Please consider a boycott of the movie and the books. Also, Pass this
information along to everyone you know. This will help to educate
parents, So that they will know the agenda of the movie.
David Stringer
Extreme Days Christianity
David@extremedayschristianity.co m
www.extremedayschristianity.com
In the alternate world in the book, there is no God, only the first angel, who called himself the Authority and made himself all-powerful. Lyra and Will find him old and decrepit in a cradle and free his spirit so that he can at last become part of the world around him instead of trapped in an ancient, badly functioning body. Key points here: Alternate world (so, not your God). Not God (at all, period). Not killing.
They are not on our Earth, they are not killing and it is not God. For all the sense it makes, this petition might as well be boycotting all the hopscotching rhinoceroses in the original Star Wars trilogy. Before you make a big to-do about something, try checking the facts.
I am now officially irritated.
I wont go and see it or support the auther. Infact I have a letter about this movie on my web site. You can check it out at www.extremedayschristianity.com
I just hope you know you are truly an imbecile. If it's so bad then why didn't you boycott the books when they were released? Is it because you know the majority of people are too damned stupid to read a book? And if you care what they are about then don't watch the movie you dumb sack of crap, don't go protesting and whining about your bible-thumping ideals because frankly, your religion is about as real as any of these movies. All of it is just entertainment and a movie won't hurt anyone, if someone's child becomes atheist then the kid must be smart because the ages it's intended for are probably too full of the nonsense their parents feed them and that child deserves a medal for forming such an opinion and being different. But oh, people can't be different can they? If someone is different they go to Hell don't they? "Love thy fellow man" is written in your book, and i think part of loving your fellow man includes respecting him and letting him live his own life.
I dont have a comment for the movie, or for the man who made it. I have a comment for the children in whole world, I am a big beleiver in God and I believe that God will have victory, i will pray for the children of the world with all my heart. I have 6 children myself so children are verry important to me. God Bless!
Oh yeah.... and as far as the movie goes....I don't care! Anybody who thinks this movie thing is important needs to find something better to do. Who cares who wrote the movie, what they believe? Personally, the movie trailer looked dumb and I have better things to do than spend my money seeing this garbage. People have a choice to see the movie or not and I doubt that the philosophy is that great that it would damage little psychi's forever. Further, go see it! Looks like a much better quality Narnia is coming out soon. CS Lewis wrote his novels fifty years ago and they are still great on the big screen today. Put Narnia up against Compass and then try and tell me how great Compass is when it comes to fantasy! And frankly, I would like a Christian (and i am one) to tell me what verse in Scripture tells them to condemn entertainment. In fact, if Christians were truly following Christ, we would not have this issue in the first place.
actually i like it, sucked compared to the book but i still liked it
Uhh.. Somebody's probably mentioned this already, but Lyra and Will don't kill God at all. They see him(and they don't even really know who or what they're seeing) trapped and free him, and help him to his feet.
I saw the movie and I thought it was ok, but it didn't compare to the books, which were some of my favourites when I was about 14. I liked them because they were well written, imaginitive, and they encouraged me to think more deeply about the world we live in. I definitely thought more about religion after I read them. Seriously. I don't think there's anything at all wrong with kids wanting the books for christmas. As far as I understand, the movies are going to be a fairly watered-down version of the books(the first one certainly was), so young kids watching it are hardly likely to grasp the subtext. (they didn't even mention the church in the first movie) It'll just be another pretty fantasy movie with talking animals and sweeping scenery, and there's nothing particularly wrong with that. As for the books, if a child is old enough to read and understand them, they're definitely old enough to process what they find there, and realise that it is a FANTASY book and that it is set in an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE.
But anywho, I'm not here to bash anybody, because we're all entitled to our opinion. (:
Every one is taking GOD out of everything we cant have it in our schools we cant have on our currency we cant even use it in govenment. We have people running our country that dont even believe in GOD or the country itself we are a pitiful bunch when it comes to just letting our beliefs fall to the wayside.
Here is a movie that I have personaly watched and found no refrences to the anti Christ or any refrence to being agnostic. I am sick of seeing people trash things they feel are a threat to thier religion. Everone has a right to thier own oppinion and to worship their own gods goddesses ect.....that they choose to follow them doesnt mean that we dont all believe in a highter power.
It may not be your gods name they choose to follow but they keep that god in thier hearts and that is the key to loving a god who is all powerful and loves all his sons and daughters unconditionaly. Everyone is trying to tear down the others religion and that is the bigest problem today we all need to accept that everyones belifs are diffrent, but in the end they come to the same results you either get excepted by your god or you dont.
Just because some one wrote a book and got a movie made you have decide it is something horrible and bad or something other than your religious tastes doesnt mean its naturaly bad for you and your children!
Its fantasy people the charicters on the screen are not going to pop off the page and tell you god doesnt exsist so get a life.
If this is the way religion is currently made to work and act then maybe i should become agnostic. At leased they are left with thier own beliefs and are allowd to believe in what they expect waits for them on the other side.
Oh Wait that cant happen because ther is no religion that people dont tear down and apart im sorry.
very nice
Nevin, you might be rational....your just not right! First of all, the philosophers of the enlightenment did not found the U.S.; religious separatists who left England did. The majority of founders were attempting to run away from a church/state in England and therefore began settlements in the Americas. I would like you to cite your supporting documents that claim that the Dark Ages was so named because religious people could not provide any historical contributions. One of the craziest things I have ever heard is your assertion that the Dark Ages meant we do not have any historical knowledge because it was not yet the Enlightenment? hehehe .... rofl.... I don't remember any dragons in the Bible, but your point about not believing in the supernatural is well-taken; yet I think many that would argue this point seem to be involved in mythical fascinations like dragons and such....just look at the rave about witches and dragons in Harry Potter. Christians and Muslims do not believe in the same God; in fact Muslims deny that Christ was God and even died on a cross, a historical certainty that is attested to by even irreligious sources. Nevertheless, the Christians were not the war-like religion that began the Crusades, the Muslims who came 600 years after Christ were in their attempts at a bllody conquest of Europe. As far as what God has given us? Through Christianity we have been given civilization....education (Harvard and Yale were Christian schools); equality for women (even the Bible allows a women to speak where she was before to be silent). These are just a few! Essentially, Christianity brings righteousness in a world of self-serving evil. I would like you to give me the Bible citation that says, "God helps those who help themselves," because it is not there! WOW! I think it really says, "Love your neighbor!" Lying about the truth does not help even the so-called enlightened! You pretend as if God has not helped anyone....that no miracle has ever occurred. The Bible essentially responds, look at the creation that obviously resulted from a Creator, but I would personally submit this: If it were not for the general grace and mercy of God acting in the world today, your average person would just end it all and commit suicide. By the way, if your history book puts the enlightenment at the same time of the founding,..... better get another book.
Your point about the Dark Ages is well taken. The term "Dark Ages" comes from the Renaissance. There is a ton of historical documents that come from the Dark Ages. The linqua franca at the time was Latin and there are rooms and rooms of untranslated books and letters from the Dark Ages in various libraries across Europe. Most of them deal with the missionary journeys and the establishment of churches throughout Europe that eventually resulted in the Christianization of Europe. The Renaissance didn't consider this to be "real" history and hence coined the term the Dark Ages.
I also thought America was settled by religious "dissenters' Potestants who were Puritans, Baptists, Anabaptists and Presbyterians, not intellectuals of the enlightenment. America was started by Christians who wanted to worship without the interence of the State and the State religion which at that time was Anglicanism in Great Britain and Catholocism in the rest of Europe. The enlightment did not even believe in democracy as a viable form of government but they pushed for the sharing of power with the wealthy classes -- the meritocracy of Plato. The enlightment believed educated people should hold power, not tenant-farmer peasants.
The only thing you poeple are being is no better than TERRORISTS or NAZIS. you are imposing your beleifs on others. are we as americans been reduced to book-burning nazis? stamping out a creative flame. Ibelieve in GOD, but I DON'T need some relgion telling me how to do that. I can count 100's of WARS started in the name of relgion. Christians, catholics, jewishs, and muslims are the worst offenders. they are ones who has the most extermiists. From King Richard to Bin Ladem.. so think ,,,maybe the book is not bad,,,maybe the poeple who conderm it are the bad ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank You,,Have a nice Day,,,