THE GOLDEN COMPASS as another LORD OF THE RINGS. Their teaser trailer opened with a spinning ring turning into a compass with the legend "In 2001 New Line Cinema opened the door to middle earth. This December they take you on another epic journey." Unfortunately, that journey was originally scripted by an avowed atheist. The full movie preview opens with the following voice-over "There is a world where witches rule the northern skies, where ice bears are the bravest warriors, where every human is joined with an animal spirit as close to them as their own heart. But the world is dominated by the Magisterium - which seeks to control all humanity and whose greatest threat is a golden compass and the one child destine to possess it." The author presents the animal spirits as noble creatures and the Magisterium as mean and domineering.
In reality we live in a world where people are born with a sinful nature. You don't have to train a child to be selfish and rude. They will be that way unless you train them otherwise. Human nature leads to all manner of cruelty and brutality if not kept in check by a society ruled by Gods laws.
Phillip Pullman is the author of HIS DARK MATERIALS, the book on which THE GOLDEN COMPASS is based. He's an avowed atheist. He presents the church as "The Magisterium" out to dominate individuals and restrain their "animal spirits." At one point in the preview, his heroine screams out to the Magisterium agent: "I'll never be yours."
Scriptwriters and filmmakers can make anyone look good or evil. Nazi films made Hitler look like a god and his enemies look deserving of death. Christians do not need to buy tickets to Nazi movies or THE GOLDEN COMPASS.
When Jesus spoke in the synagogue in Nazareth, He opened the Book of the Law and read, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, beca! use he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Jesus came to set us free from bondage to a sinful nature. He came to release those captive to lust, greed, drunkenness, pride and the other sinful attitudes that make one man mistreat another. Jesus came to reveal the TRUTH that sets men free.
Pullman prefers spiritual bondage. He sees lust as an exercise of freedom. He sees the Laws of God as totalitarian decrees rather than the foundation of human rights. In his writing, and in the movie based on his writing, animal spirits opposed to God will be portrayed as healthy, wise and cute.
As with THE DAVINCI CODE, the movie version of THE GOLDEN COMPASS is supposedly tamed down so as to not scare off Christian audiences, but a tame lie is still a lie. A mild attack on the truth is still an attack. America has long been known to be a Christian Culture. While this can b! e easily disputed looking at American Culture in the 21st Century, it can justly be shown that the Christian influence still present is what separates America from third world depravity and poverty. The further we move from Christian civility the more barbarism we will face in our local communities. Human nature is not a cuddly little chipmunk cracking jokes and providing good advice. Human nature set free from the restraints of Christian society can be found in the torture chambers of North Korea, the Gulags of Russia and the gas chambers of Germany.
If you are looking for a savior, you need look no farther than Jesus Christ. If you are looking for bondage, go see THE GOLDEN COMPASS.
(c) Baehr, 2007
NOTE from Dr. Ted Baehr:
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Distributor New Line Cinema is promoting its movie
Phillip Pullman is the author of HIS DARK MATERIALS, the book on which THE GOLDEN COMPASS is based. He's an avowed atheist. He presents the church as "The Magisterium" out to dominate individuals and restrain their "animal spirits." At one point in the preview, his heroine screams out to the Magisterium agent: "I'll never be yours." 
As with THE DAVINCI CODE, the movie version of THE GOLDEN COMPASS is supposedly tamed down so as to not scare off Christian audiences, but a tame lie is still a lie. A mild attack on the truth is still an attack. America has long been known to be a Christian Culture. While this can b! e easily disputed looking at American Culture in the 21st Century, it can justly be shown that the Christian influence still present is what separates America from third world depravity and poverty. The further we move from Christian civility the more barbarism we will face in our local communities. Human nature is not a cuddly little chipmunk cracking jokes and providing good advice. Human nature set free from the restraints of Christian society can be found in the torture chambers of North Korea, the Gulags of Russia and the gas chambers of Germany.