THE DEVIL IS IN THEM BOOKS!

So...a viewing of the new film The Golden Compass and a reading from the blog of a friend have prompted the following post.

As most of you know, a great deal of controversy has risen at the production of this new film due to the intent of the author of the book on which the film is based. The author(Philip Pullman), being a staunch atheist, has stated that his intent in writing is to undermine Christian values, viewing his trilogy of books as a direct rebuttal to CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, a series Pullman views as religious propaganda. He is considered to be one of England's most outspoken atheists, and the production of The Golden Compass has caused a large outcry from the Christian community of evil and attempted brainwashing.

However, this outcry is far from being the first. For years, the church has boycotted and protested scores of movies, burned thousands of books as heresy, and condemned non-Christians everywhere for their viewpoints. Now, arguments on God's existence aside, this is getting really ridiculous. Have we forgotten, church, that we are also to love God with our minds? Are we so afraid of something different from our own thoughts that we must so insecurely strike at it? God is much more secure than any of the writings of this world, so why aren't we? Where is our lack of fear of such things that may challenge our faith and its validity, and therefore challenge us, as human beings, to understand it better?

One thing I've noticed in these times is that the church often shies away from something that it could learn from. In most of these instances, the item in question displays the church in a way that is tyrannical and oppressive. Naturally, as any average person would, the church strikes out against such a thing, and thus proves the item in question to be correct. If the world is viewing us as oppressive and tyrannical, don't you think it might be time to alter our thinking into a way that shows that our heart is to love them, not to oppress them? This doesn't make opposing ideas go away, nor should it. It's a principle that shows that love is more important than dogma, and in our society today, no person is more sick of dogma and condemnation than a non-Christian.

If you're a Christian and you're wondering about seeing the Golden Compass, I would recommend that you go and view it, but remain objective, and see it through the eyes of someone who maybe really just wants the oppression to stop. This goes for any book, movie, or music you may think is evil. There might be something very, very good (and spiritual) underneath it all.