The Daily Gamecock

Issue date: 11/6/07 Section: Viewpoints

Thomas Maluck Fourth-year English student [Click to enlarge]

Harry Potter made devoted pagans out of children. "The Passion of the Christ" changed people's faith in Jesus. And now, "The Golden Compass" will impress atheism on children and sway them into hating organized religion.

The above suppositions make me wonder if knee-jerk reactionaries aren't threats to their own belief systems.

First of all, while "The Golden Compass" author Philip Pullman admittedly based the "Magisterium" on a twisted version of the Catholic church, the "twisted" should already reassure Catholics that the story is not a direct attack on their beliefs.

Director Chris Weitz has made the allegory universal, only using euphemisms for God and only addressing dogma in general. This censorship is intended to compromise the book's message while also making sure Christian children aren't robbed of their faith by armored polar bears. Everybody wins!

But isn't this a more Christian movie than Catholics will admit? Sure, the depiction of the church in the book is negative, but isn't the intended message one of skepticism of authority? Isn't independent thought a prime tenet of Christianity (atheists, don't answer that)?

Religion, if exercised by the wrong leaders, will only cause harm. I would prefer children learn this than believe in a utopian church that doesn't exist yet. While most religion operates on the ideal of worthiness and following God's plan, it is just as important for a believer to avoid being the frog who slowly boils alive - is that an anti-Catholic metaphor?

As for the boycotting of entertainment because it's supposed to provide us with our daily moral fiber, that is a case of poor priorities. It's more important for a young person to have positive role models who are real people practicing admired virtues. If one of those virtues is investing in matinee morals, stay out of the theater. Books, music and movies are intended to entertain and maybe impart a lesson.

As I'm aware, "The Golden Compass" is about a girl who goes on an adventure in a fantasy world and tries to thwart evil-doers. This resembles almost every popular fantasy movie for the past several decades. The fact that its villains are conspirers in a mean church doesn't make it anyone's in reality, especially if the real-world equivalent is a champion of justice.

The alternative is to believe that any message of dissent will harm a religion permanently. Imparting morals that are never challenged does greater harm.

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