R. Albert Mohler Jr. has an informative piece on The Golden Compass at Baptist Press.
Mohler has read all three of Philip Pullman's books and seen the movie at an advance screening, so he has a very informed analysis.
None of us welcomes an attack on our beliefs or belief systems, especially when those who are led astray by a cleverly packaged lie will end up suffering for it.
But as Mohler points out, this can be an opportunity to explore our worldview with our children, so that they have a better grasp on why we believe what we believe. It can also be an opportunity to talk about how Pullman's worldview has already been tried in various corners around the world in history, and point to its disastrous consequences. Just like the lie going all the way back to the Garden of Eden, this lie always promises freedom and fulfillment, yet always delivers enslavement and suffering.
Read Mohler's entire piece here for some good information, but here's a glimpse into what you can do with that knowledge:
I can only wonder how many parents and grandparents will allow children and young people to see the movie and then buy them the books -- blissfully unaware of what is coming in books two and three.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ has enemies; this we know. Christian parents must be informed about His Dark Materials and inform others. We must take the responsibility to use interest in this film to teach our own children to think biblically and to be discerning in their engagement with the media in all forms. We should arm our children to be able to talk about this project with their classmates without fear or rancor.
Philip Pullman has an agenda, but so do we. Our agenda is the Gospel of Christ -- a message infinitely more powerful than that of The Golden Compass. Pullman's worldview of unrestricted human autonomy would be nightmarish if ever achieved. His story promises liberation but would enslave human beings to themselves and destroy all transcendent value.
The biblical story of the Fall is true, after all, and our only rescue is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The curse of sin was not reversed by adolescents playing at sex in a garden, but by the Son of God shedding His blood on a cross.
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