The golden compass

Originally posted by shavixmir
These books denigrate Christianity, trash the Catholic church, and sell the virtues of atheism

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6498947.html

Well... if that doesn't draw crowds to the cinema begin December, I don't know what will!

What do you's all think? Are stories like Harry Potter or "His dark materials" reason for Christia ...[text shortened]... orried?
Or is it long overdue... some kiddy films which question the premise of religion?

This was one of the worst movies I can remember sitting all the way through. The bears were cool, though. God-mongerers have nothing to fear. The books, however, are a different story. Too bad they didn't let David Mamet do the screenplay (he wrote the first version, but it was too true to the books).

Originally posted by bbarr
This was one of the worst movies I can remember sitting all the way through. The bears were cool, though. God-mongerers have nothing to fear. The books, however, are a different story. Too bad they didn't let David Mamet do the screenplay (he wrote the first version, but it was too true to the books).

I have to agree with you about the movie: I thought it stunk except for that battle for the crown between the two bears.

Originally posted by bbarr
This was one of the worst movies I can remember sitting all the way through. The bears were cool, though. God-mongerers have nothing to fear. The books, however, are a different story. Too bad they didn't let David Mamet do the screenplay (he wrote the first version, but it was too true to the books).

Dammit, why do they always screw these things up? I depserately wanted this to be good, I loved the books.

The post that was quoted here has been removed

'was'

Originally posted by Starrman
Dammit, why do they always screw these things up? I depserately wanted this to be good, I loved the books.

I haven't seen it yet (not yet release in SA) but my guess is that they tried to change it for children and to condense it into a movie format.
The problem with changing the story is you make it harder to make the sequels as it no-longer all adds up (Eragon for example)
The Lord of the Rings movies were excellent if you had read the books because they did mostly stick to the story but I would imagine that anyone who had not read the books would be rather lost.

The post that was quoted here has been removed

Since when was love a reason to marry?

Originally posted by The Dude 84
It has been the Christian agenda to manipulate kids into believing their religion before they are capable of remembering their own phone number. How many babies have given express consent for their baptization?

And how are children being "fed" this movie? Unlike religious parents who force their kids to go to Sunday school a child has a choice whethe would only be doing the exact same thing as religion, albeit in a much more enjoyable way.

I had decided to leave these posts unreplied to as I was what I assumed other peoples opinions were, and these were not necessarily my own.

However, I was contemplating children being "brainwashed" by religion in the shower today, and I realised that most religious events/propaganda that a child would be subject to could be avoided if the parents so wish. A teacher would, I'm sure, take no offence in removing a child from a schools christmas celebrations, and I'm equally sure a good teacher would try to do this subtly!; a child does not go to sunday school without their parents consent, etc.

Such things have a clear Christian message. However, this film, had different parts of the church not started voicing their opinions, would have been subtly knifing* religion - many would not know what the story portrayed until they were in the cinema. I had no idea what the books were about before I started reading them. The church's fuss is, in effect if not in intent, a warning to parents of what the film is about.

*I had originally written "subtly against", then though I couldn't resist the pun, but then i realised it doesn't quite get my point across. I am not saying that the story is subtle in it's stance against religion, meerly that before entering into the trilogy/the cinema there is nothing that gives any impression of the religious content of the story. Before reading the books or entering the cinema, it's sentiment is suble.

Originally posted by Starrman
Dammit, why do they always screw these things up? I depserately wanted this to be good, I loved the books.

I just saw the movie after reading, thus far, only the first book of the trilogy.

If you didn’t read the book, I think the movie was marginally better than the Harry Potter ones (which is not saying much). I wasn’t even that impressed with the bears. I thought the best part of the movie was Sam Elliot’s appearance as his ole mustachioed self.

If you read the book, the movie was positively irritating almost throughout.

I used to think it was a horrible crime that parents raised their kids as religious, thus indoctrinating them with their religio-political ideology.

Then I grew up and realized that, in human society, parents get to raise their kids how they want. Being exposed to the worldview of your parents, and inheriting it to some degree, is just the way human culture works. It's part of our natural socialization. And it's not going to stop, or even slow down, so there's absolutely no point in complaining about it.

There's still plenty of room to question the assumptions of society without trying to tell parents how or how not to raise their kids.

Originally posted by darthmix
I used to think it was a horrible crime that parents raised their kids as religious, thus indoctrinating them with their religio-political ideology.

Then I grew up and realized that, in human society, parents get to raise their kids how they want. Being exposed to the worldview of your parents, and inheriting it to some degree, is just the way human cult he assumptions of society without trying to tell parents how or how not to raise their kids.

Your kids are going to be more impressed with how you lived than with what you taught.

And between the ages of about 15 and 18, their gonna become their own person for the most part.

Maybe some of what you taught will stick. But they'll be more influenced by watching you day in and day out for about 18 years.

Oh, mine are both over 25 now.