Movie Review: The Golden Compass

Full speed ahead! No need for a story when the pictures are flashy!

In the weeks and months leading up to the release of The Golden Compass, it was hard to escape reading about how the Catholic League was calling for a boycott of the film. I guess it was to be expected. The fantasy novel's author, Philip Pullman, is an atheist and the series does take the Catholic Church and authority in general to task, more... Read more

[Richard]

I saw this movie and I neither enjoyed it or saw anything relavant to bashing the Catholic Church or even God. I've never read the books either so maybe they left some things out

[Marsand]

I read the reviews and it appear to be anti-Catholic in a subtle way. Using the word Magisterium etc.

[deicide]

It is a great movie if you value truth, science, honesty, reason, and evidence. All the things that makes the church shit its pants.

"Religioneering"
A man says,

"I am the messenger of Fat Tony. Fat Tony is very powerful. He has the power of life and death. Fat Tony rewards obedience and loyalty. Fat Tony says you should give some of your money to him. If you do this, good things will happen to you. You will be protected, now and in the future, by the power of Fat Tony. No harm will come to you, or your loved ones. I am the Bag Man for Fat Tony. I will collect your gift to Fat Tony once a week, on his behalf."

Another man says,

"I am the messenger of God. God is very powerful. He has the power of life and death. God rewards obedience and loyalty. God says you should give some of your money to Him. If you do this, good things will happen to you. You will be protected, now and in the future, by the power of God. No harm will come to you, or your loved ones. I am the servant of God. I will collect your gift to God once a week, on His behalf."

One is prosecuted as a "protection racket". The other is excused as a "religion".

Racketeering.

Religioneering.

"We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart."

H.L. Mencken

Let's take a quick look at the basic biblical narrative:

There is an indescribably powerful and intelligent being called God who is in existence prior to the dawn of time. For whatever reason, he decides to create the universe and pays particular attention to planet Earth. Having created the universe, Earth and all the species on it (through 'creating' the Big Bang and 'guiding' evolution in the Williams style of interpretation), he decides to focus all his attention on a collection of tribal groupings in the Middle East, in particular the Israelites who are his 'chosen people' and who he obsesses over, while apparently ignoring the rest of the world's population. He lays down numerous often primitive and arbitrary moral and ceremonial laws, then gets involved in inner tribal politics and land disputes, inciting acts of brutality, war crimes, genocide, and rape along the way. Fast forward to the Middle East under Roman occupation and God decides it's time to put in an appearance. By mystical means he comes to earth in human form, being born of a virgin. He becomes incarnate as a Jewish male and wanders around what is today Israel-Palestine, imparting pithy social commentary (but never giving any systematic explanation of how such ideas might be made politically useful), engaging in faith healing (removing 'demons' from people), magic tricks (such as walking on water and raising a dead man), and ranting on and on about sin, eternal punishment for the majority of the world's population, and the impending end of the world. He gets himself crucified, in order that he can sacrifice himself to himself for our good. A few days later he walks out of his tomb and wanders round with some of his followers (noticeably not bothering to make himself known to anyone but those who already believed in him), before 'ascending' into 'Heaven', to wait for the time when he will return to raise every human who has ever lived.

[Soldier of Jesus Christ]

deicide wrote:

It is a great movie if you value truth, science, honesty, reason, and evidence. All the things that makes the church shit its pants.
"Religioneering"
A man says,
"I am the messenger of Fat Tony. Fat Tony is very powerful. He has the power of life and death. Fat Tony rewards obedience and loyalty. Fat Tony says you should give some of your money to him. If you do this, good things will happen to you. You will be protected, now and in the future, by the power of Fat Tony. No harm will come to you, or your loved ones. I am the Bag Man for Fat Tony. I will collect your gift to Fat Tony once a week, on his behalf."
Another man says,
"I am the messenger of God. God is very powerful. He has the power of life and death. God rewards obedience and loyalty. God says you should give some of your money to Him. If you do this, good things will happen to you. You will be protected, now and in the future, by the power of God. No harm will come to you, or your loved ones. I am the servant of God. I will collect your gift to God once a week, on His behalf."
One is prosecuted as a "protection racket". The other is excused as a "religion".
Racketeering.
Religioneering.
"We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart."
H.L. Mencken
Let's take a quick look at the basic biblical narrative:
There is an indescribably powerful and intelligent being called God who is in existence prior to the dawn of time. For whatever reason, he decides to create the universe and pays particular attention to planet Earth. Having created the universe, Earth and all the species on it (through 'creating' the Big Bang and 'guiding' evolution in the Williams style of interpretation), he decides to focus all his attention on a collection of tribal groupings in the Middle East, in particular the Israelites who are his 'chosen people' and who he obsesses over, while apparently ignoring the rest of the world's population. He lays down numerous often primitive and arbitrary moral and ceremonial laws, then gets involved in inner tribal politics and land disputes, inciting acts of brutality, war crimes, genocide, and rape along the way. Fast forward to the Middle East under Roman occupation and God decides it's time to put in an appearance. By mystical means he comes to earth in human form, being born of a virgin. He becomes incarnate as a Jewish male and wanders around what is today Israel-Palestine, imparting pithy social commentary (but never giving any systematic explanation of how such ideas might be made politically useful), engaging in faith healing (removing 'demons' from people), magic tricks (such as walking on water and raising a dead man), and ranting on and on about sin, eternal punishment for the majority of the world's population, and the impending end of the world. He gets himself crucified, in order that he can sacrifice himself to himself for our good. A few days later he walks out of his tomb and wanders round with some of his followers (noticeably not bothering to make himself known to anyone but those who already believed in him), before 'ascending' into 'Heaven', to wait for the time when he will return to raise every human who has ever lived.

Fat Tony and God.
You're right, they sound real similar, crazy similar. But there are a few differences that should be taken into account.

God is the Creator.
Fat Tony created...nothing.

God is our Father.
Fat Tony...not my daddy.

These beliefs, to keep it really simple, pretty much give Him every single right possible to desire obedience from us.

Oh, yeah, He invented existence.

[Soldier of Jesus Christ]

There are tons of parallels between the Golden Compass and the RCC. Not only the RCC though, but any authority in general. Even though the movie is told from an atheist perspective, I saw the movie from a Christian perspective. Dust represents sin and the Golden Compass represents the Word of God, the Truth. This interpretation compares the Golden Compass to “Lord of the Rings” or “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

I am not familiar with previous books or future movies of this series though. Maybe later it may get more specific. With that sad, this movie will only be as “evil” as people allow it to be.

From what I saw in the theater, the movie wasn’t so bad. I only hope it doesn’t go bad later.

[Aging Hippy]

Soldier of Jesus Christ wrote:

There are tons of parallels between the Golden Compass and the RCC. Not only the RCC though, but any authority in general. Even though the movie is told from an atheist perspective, I saw the movie from a Christian perspective. Dust represents sin and the Golden Compass represents the Word of God, the Truth. This interpretation compares the Golden Compass to “Lord of the Rings” or “The Chronicles of Narnia.”
I am not familiar with previous books or future movies of this series though. Maybe later it may get more specific. With that sad, this movie will only be as “evil” as people allow it to be.
From what I saw in the theater, the movie wasn’t so bad. I only hope it doesn’t go bad later.

Well said. Perspective matters. There are multiple interpretations. If you want to end up with Fat Tony, no problem. If you want to end up with God, no problem. If you want to end up with Fat Nothing, no problem.

[Soldier of Jesus Christ]

Aging Hippy wrote:

<quoted text>Well said. Perspective matters. There are multiple interpretations. If you want to end up with Fat Tony, no problem. If you want to end up with God, no problem. If you want to end up with Fat Nothing, no problem.

I agree with Aging Hippy to a degree. However, I prefer to end up with God over Fat Tony any day, especially Judgment Day.

[Aging Hippy]

Soldier of Jesus Christ wrote:

<quoted text>
I agree with Aging Hippy to a degree. However, I prefer to end up with God over Fat Tony any day, especially Judgment Day.

Me too, Soldier. I was only acknowledging to each their own.

[Soldier of Jesus Christ]

Anything goes?

[deicide]

Fat Tony even has a taped confession of Fat Ronny molesting his own little sister when he was over 14. Fat Tony has he taped confession given my Fat Ronny's little sister and won't even turn it over to the police.

[Soldier of Jesus Christ]

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
John 20:31

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
2 Corinthians 4:13-14

[Golden Compass]

Soldier of Jesus Christ wrote:

I am not familiar with previous books or future movies of this series though. Maybe later it may get more specific. With that sad, this movie will only be as “evil” as people allow it to be.
From what I saw in the theater, the movie wasn’t so bad. I only hope it doesn’t go bad later.

The future books in this series, the Amber APyglass and the Subtle Knife make it perfectly clear what Pullman thinks of the Church. It is clearly explained that Dust is the fabric of reality, and Lyra is here to save it. But at the same time, she is there to serve as a second Eve, who will make the same choices and fall into sin as the original one did. The Church begins to wage all out war to destroy Lyra, and in doing so, the universe, to stop her from creating sin once again. What they don't realize, is that what she is creating is not sin, but science. This series is a wonderful set of books to read, and if Jesus nuts would learn to have an open mind, they would get many good things out of this series.

[Soldier of Jesus Christ]

Golden Compass wrote:

<quoted text>
The future books in this series, the Amber APyglass and the Subtle Knife make it perfectly clear what Pullman thinks of the Church. It is clearly explained that Dust is the fabric of reality, and Lyra is here to save it. But at the same time, she is there to serve as a second Eve, who will make the same choices and fall into sin as the original one did. The Church begins to wage all out war to destroy Lyra, and in doing so, the universe, to stop her from creating sin once again. What they don't realize, is that what she is creating is not sin, but science. This series is a wonderful set of books to read, and if Jesus nuts would learn to have an open mind, they would get many good things out of this series.

It sounds like a good story. As long as it doesn't start teaching against the Word of God, it'll be ok.