Having given a review of "The Golden Compass" previously on this blog, I will now address whether Christians should or should not see the movie, independent of the quality of the movie itself.
Many of the fans of the books on which "The Golden Compass" is supposedly based object because the atheism is watered down. Many in the Roman Catholic Church object because the books are anti-church. Many others object to the movie because of the books. Not having read the books, I cannot judge that.
My biggest objection to the controversy over the movie is that such controversy often promotes a desire to see the movie. Many people went to see "The Last Temptation of Christ" because of the controversy who would not have seen it had they simply been told that it was a mediocre to poor example of a movie. More people go see a controversial movie than are kept away by the controversy. Therefore, the controversy raised over this movie by Christians is probably counter-productive.
Generally I take the position that censorship as a whole fails. Therefore, if anyone knows that their faith is strong, reading the books or watching the movie will not damage their faith. If it is weak, they should probably avoid such things.
The one seemingly valid complaint of Christians is that the movie is so good that children will be prompted to read the books. Normally I would say that is a good thing. In this case, it may be a neutral thing. Since I have not read the books, I must base my comments on what I have heard from others, or the small parts of it I have read quoted in e-mails or reviews. For our children, whatever they read or watch should be monitored (not necessarily controlled) by parents. This movie and the books on which it is based may begin a productive discussion about the nature of God and the church, as well as admirable themes such as loyalty and courage.
Based on what I saw in the movie, the Magisterium is supposed to equate to the church, but more specifically to the Roman Catholic Church. Any non-Catholic Christian who reads the book with this in mind will have little problem with the first book. There have been abuses by the Roman Catholic Church, which even they must admit. But abuses by one group that claims to be Christian does not negate the validity of Christianity as taught in the Bible. Those Christians, including preaching students, that I know who have seen the movie and read the first book point out that it is more a condemnation of the Roman Catholic Church, and Christ’s church is not the issue.
One theme, apparently, of the books is that God is old, senile, and eventually dies. One passage in the book refers to Daniel’s characterization of God as "the Ancient of Days." The author interprets that to mean senility. I interpret that to mean eternity. God is older than time, but unaffected by time. He cannot grow old and senile. The God that dies in the later books on which The Golden Compass is based is not the God of the Bible, so I would be unaffected by such a book.
Does that mean I will read the books? Not necessarily. Does that mean I would recommend the books? That might depend on the level of faith of the person reading it, and whether they have someone who is willing to talk out the issues raised in the books.
The controversy will not end. I just wonder if the controversy is playing into the hands of those who would promote the atheology of the books.
