Introduction:

Having read all the books comprising the “Golden” Compass Trilogy (officially known as His Dark Materials), I can tell you that, unlike what the commercials say, this book/movie is definitely *NOT* in the tradition of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia. In fact, the whole thrust of this series, and that of the movies (assuming they remain anywhere near true to the books) is nearly the exact opposite of those great classics (technically, Harry Potter has not yet been around long enough to be a classic)

All three books are treated within this quasi-review. The sequels to the current movie will be made assuming this first one is a success. There will be possible spoilers for those who would see this movie, but I hope that you will save your money for something else, as these movies have no redeeming value and will only serve to deceive and confuse children. (Not to mention the great “morals” of lying and situational ethics that will be learned here!).

Virtues of the “good guys”

Lying is the greatest virtue present in this book. While lying and deception have their consequences in other stories, in this lying is the salvation many times for Lyra, the chief character in the film.

At one point the “redeemed” leader of the evil forces of the Christians counts her vile deceptive past (lying, kidnapping, torturing children in the service of the church) as an asset to fool the Metatron, the chief angel of “God” In fact, she wished she had done worse things!

“I told him I was going to betray you, and betray Lyra, and he believed me because I was corrupt and full of wickedness; he looked so deep I felt sure he’d see the truth. But I lied too well. I was lying with every nerve and fiber and everything I’d ever done…I wanted him to find no good in me, and he didn’t. There is none. But I love Lyra. Where did this love come from? I don’t know; it came to me like a thief in the night, and now I love her so much my heart is bursting with it. All I could hope was that my crimes were so monstrous that the love was no bigger than a mustard seed in the shadow of them, and I wished I’d committed even greater ones to hide it more deeply still…
-His Dark Materials, book 3: The amber spyglass (p229)

In fantasy, many times animals are personified (given human abilities, such as thinking, forming friendships, exercising morality). In book 3, we find the personified bear Lorek doing what any good friend would do after a friend has died:

And because the Texan aeronaut was one of the very few humans Lorek had ever esteemed, he accepted the man’s last gift to him. With deft movements of his claws, he ripped aside the dead man’s clothes, opened the body with one slash, and began to feast on the flesh and blood of his old friend. It was his first meal for days, and he was hungry.
-His Dark Materials, book 3: The amber spyglass (p26)

In book 2, Lyra consults her “compass” to see if Will, who becomes her love interest, to see if he is trustworthy (Very ironic that Lyra “Silvertounge” would worry about someone being trustworthy!).

She had asked:What is he? A friend or an enemy? The alethiometer answered: He is a murderer. When she saw the answer, she relaxed at once. He could find food, and show her how to reach Oxford, and those were powers that were useful, but he might still have been untrustworthy or cowardly. A murderer was a worthy companion. She felt as safe with him as she’d felt with lorek Byrnison, the armored bear.
-His Dark Materials, book 2: The subtle knife (p18)

What about God?

The Golden Compass: The movie has likely been cleaned from what little overt anti-Christian message it contained, however it is only the first of 3 books penned by the same author. All 3 books come together to attack most specifically Christianty and the Bible. Despite MSNBC and other’s claims to the contrary, if they had read the books, they would see clearly the assault, not merely on religion or authority in general, but in Jehovah God. I must take a side bar and say that one of two things must be true: Al Roker of the Today show book club has never read Pullman’s Trilogy, or 2: he is an ignorant fool. The books are choke full of anti-Christian propaganda as well as promotional plugs for atheism, wiccan style pantheism (earth/nature worship) as well as humanism (man is God).

Some of the more obvious Anti-Christian quotes (with my comments):

It is more subtle (sort of) in book 1, but there are examples like this:

“But…” Lyra struggled to find the words she wanted: “but it en’t true, is it? Not true like chemistry or engineering, not that kind of true? There wasn’t really an Adam and Eve? The Cassington Scholar told me it was just a kind of fairy tale.”

“The Cassington Scholarship is traditionally given to a freethinker; it’s his function to challenge the faith of the Scholars. Naturally he’d say that. But think of Adam and Eve like an imaginary number, like the square root of minus one: you can never see any concrete proof that it exists, but if you include it in your equations, you can calculate all manner of things that couldn’t be imagined without it.”

“Anyway, it’s what the Church has taught for thousands of years. And when Rusakov discovered Dust, at last there was a physical proof that something happened when innocence changed into experience. “Incidentally, the Bible gave us the name Dust as well. At first they were called Rusakov Particles, but soon someone pointed out a curious verse toward the end of the Third Chapter of Genesis, where God’s cursing Adam for eating the fruit.” He opened the Bible again and pointed it out to Lyra. She read: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return….”Lord Asriel said, “Church scholars have always puzzled over the translation of that verse. Some say it should read not ‘unto dust shalt thou return’ but ‘thou shalt be subject to dust,’ and others say the whole verse is a kind of pun on the words ‘ground’ and ‘dust,’ and it really means that God’s admitting his own nature to be partly sinful. No one agrees. No one can, because the text is corrupt. -book1 p224.

Throughout the books, Pullman draws on a mystical definition of “original sin” In reality, the intimate and immediate physical relationship with God was broken when man broke God’s one law regarding the forbidden fruit. That is all the original sin was, breaking God’s law. God created man from the dust of the ground, very lowly material. Fellowship was broken when man disobeyed God by listening to the words of the serpent. Thereby man was corrupted, choosing the shortcut to knowledge (without wisdom) instead of waiting for God to teach them. Through the books, the example of the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve is looked to as a wise guide. In book 2, lyra is told by the alethiometer to play the serpent(p150).

Further , Lord Asrael’s rebellion against “God” is linked to the one lead by Satan, though never by that name.

“Well, Lord Asriel has never found hisself at ease with the doctrines of the Church, so to speak. I’ve seen a spasm of disgust cross his face when they talk of the sacraments, and atonement, and redemption, and suchlike. It’s death among our people, Serafina Pekkala, to challenge the Church, but Lord Asriel’s been nursing a rebellion in his heart for as long as I’ve served him, that’s one thing I do know.” Book 2, p28.

Atonement and Redemption in the true Christianity is a sign of God’s love, that he gave himself to take our punishment and condemnation. He does illustrate a truth here, however, that rebellion begins in the heart, and it began in Philip Pullman’s heart long ago.

I’d be afraid to speak it aloud to you if you weren’t a witch and beyond the power of the Church; but that makes sense, and nothing else does. He’s a-going to find the Authority and kill Him.”

“Is that possible?” said Serafina.

“Lord Asriel’s life has been filled with things that were impossible. I wouldn’t like to say there was anything he couldn’t do. But on the face of it, Serafina Pekkala, yes, he’s stark mad. If angels couldn’t do it, how can a man dare to think about it?”

“Angels? What are angels?”

“Beings of pure spirit, the Church says. The Church teaches that some of the angels rebelled before the world was created, and got flung out of heaven and into hell. They failed, you see, that’s the point. They couldn’t do it. And they had the power of angels. Lord Asriel is just a man, with human power, no more than that. But his ambition is limitless. He dares to do what men and women don’t even dare to think. And look what he’s done already: he’s torn open the sky, he’s opened the way to another world. Who else has ever done that? Who else could think of it? So with one part of me, Serafina Pekkala, I say he’s mad, wicked, deranged. Yet with another part I think, he’s Lord Asriel, he’s not like other men. Maybe… if it was ever going to be possible, it’d be done by him and by no one else.” book 2, p 29.

Throughout the series you have reference to the serpent, and his rebellion, however, never does Pullman call the Serpent and leader of this rebellion by his other more familiar names: Lucifer, Satan.

“Scientist Dr. Mary” (who becomes Lyra’s friend) on God:

“Ah, but I knew about them. I used to be a nun, you see. I thought physics could be done to the glory of God, till I saw there wasn’t any God at all and that physics was more interesting anyway. The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that’s all.” -book 3, p249

After this, she goes on into a discourse about how she had wanted to serve Jesus and but that somehow serving God is against romantic love, so she reasons:

There’s no one to fret, no one to condemn, no one to bless me for being a good girl, no one to punish me for being wicked. Heaven was empty. I didn’t know whether God had died, or whether there never had been a God at all. Either way I felt free and lonely and I didn’t know whether I was happy or unhappy, but something very strange had happened….“And I took the crucifix from around my neck and I threw it in the sea. That was it. All over. Gone.” -book 3, p251.

Never mind that forced celibacy (non-marriage) is nowhere commanded in the Bible. True romance was authored by God for marriage. Marriage was authored by God as a blessing to man, as was physical intimacy:

(Heb 13:4) Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

Here’s a gem:

There are some people who claim that God is dead already. Presumably, Asriel is not one of those, if he retains the ambition to kill him.”

“Well, where is God,” said Mrs. Coulter, “if he’s alive? And why doesn’t he speak anymore? At the beginning of the world, God walked in the Garden and spoke with Adam and Eve. Then he began to withdraw, and he forbade Moses to look at his face. Later, in the time of Daniel, he was aged, he was the Ancient of Days. Where is he now? Is he still alive, at some inconceivable age, decrepit and demented, unable to think or act or speak and unable to die, a rotten hulk? And if that is his condition, wouldn’t it be the most merciful thing, the truest proof of our love for God, to seek him out and give him the gift of death?” -book 3, p185.

Here we have the Hero Asriel out to kill an aging senile pseudo-deity. Pullman draws on a very deceptive chronological use of the names and actions of God. Also, as a side note, this is an endorsement of so-called “mercy killing” And finally, we have the death of God(surely this isn’t an attack on Christianity or a promotion of atheism(note: sarcasm)

Will cut through the crystal in one movement and reached in to help the angel out. Demented and powerless, the aged being could only weep and mumble in fear and pain and misery, and he shrank away from what seemed like yet another threat.

“It’s all right,” Will said, “we can help you hide, at least. Come on, we won’t hurt you.”

The shaking hand seized his and feebly held on. The old one was uttering a wordless groaning whimper that went on and on, and grinding his teeth, and compulsively plucking at himself with his free hand; but as Lyra reached in, too, to help him out, he tried to smile, and to bow, and his ancient eyes deep in their wrinkles blinked at her with innocent wonder. Between them they helped the ancient of days out of his crystal cell; it wasn’t hard, for he was as light as paper, and he would have followed them anywhere, having no will of his own, and responding to simple kindness like a flower to the sun. But in the open air there was nothing to stop the wind from damaging him, and to their dismay his form began to loosen and dissolve. Only a few moments later he had vanished completely, and their last impression was of those eyes, blinking in wonder, and a sigh of the most profound and exhausted relief. Then he was gone: a mystery dissolving in mystery. Book 3, p 231

There it is. This passage is almost like a side note, indicating that such an event was inconsequential and in no way shocking. A dumb senile god, this is the being that Pullman has clothed in the names of Jehovah God.

Al Roker and the Today Show Book Club

Al Roker’s article is called “Pullman not promoting atheism in ‘Golden Compass’” which, is a bold faced lie, in the style of Lyra Silvertounge, intended to deceive well meaning parents into buying this trilogy by a self proclaimed God killer.

Pullman on CS Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia

Pullman hates CS Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, alleging that the books are racist(Ha!) and that they do not contain Christian love (ironically, Pullman’s books don’t contain any at all!). He must have missed when Aslan the Lion gave himself to die in place of the Edmund who was a traitor. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Conclusion:

Philip Pullman is much like his Lyra Silvertongue, a liar. He is much like his beloved serpent, leading a rebellion not only against moral absolutes, but ultimately against the God of the Bible and those who worship him. Due to its release timing, you could aptly call it “the anti-Christmas story”

What some others are saying about this series

Chuck Norris on The Golden Compass

WorldnetDaily Commentary on The Golden Compass

Urban Legends: Is the Golden Compass anti-religious?

What readers on the now defunct yahoo mirror said: