Guest guest Posted October 29, 2007 Report Share Posted October 29, 2007 Sat Nam, I have received an email this morning from some Christian friends warning me of the new movie The Golden Compass and stating that the author Philip Pullman is an atheist who wants to kill God in the minds of children. Has anyone info on this book? or ideas of why this is being circulated? I have looked on Amazon and through the library where I have read that Pullman has won many awards for his books. The movie previews look pretty cool to me. Thanks ahead of time for your reply. Siri Kirin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2007 Report Share Posted October 30, 2007 The books are fantasy. Pulliman is an excellent writer. I don't know if you'd call it anti God but they certainly don't promote a spiritual agenda. Luckily, I've practiced KY long enough to enjoy them for what they are, entertainment. It's like not getting involved in TV or sports ... if we view them from our own hopefully secure position as spiritual beings having a human experience then they are just part of our human outlook that we " know " the truth of because we have experienced our divine souls. My daughter and read the Golden Compass together and nothing untoward has happened to her! KartaPurkh S Khalsa Your job is to deal with everything in life with affection, love and kindness. --Yogi Bhajan http://kartapurkhkhalsa.typepad.com/ http://kckundaliniyoga.com http://kartapurkh.smugmug.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2007 Report Share Posted October 30, 2007 Dear Siri Kirin Kaur: I would say with KartaPurkh Singh Khalsa that your e-mail is pointing a finger in the wrong direction. I read the series of 3 books by Pullman with my son. They are fun and more complex than the Harry potter series. In a similar vain some folks would say Harry Potter is messing with the devil and that he will draw kids away from God. The latest Harry Potter movie shows exactly what it takes to face difficulties in one's life (even evil things) and turn to God. It is not so easy to do but with practice it gets easier. The story tells Harry Potter to stop thinking that he is evil and entertain thoughts in that direction and instead to start remembering the beauty in things and in relationships. It works. With the Golden Compass Pullman has created a series that engages the imagination more deeply than the Harry potter series. He has really created a new universe with interesting relationships and conflicts. If you read until the end of the third book of the series, you will see that love is the core issue. In that sense, it is very spiritual and very godly. The books mention God... You can choose for yourself if it is the God spiritual teachers talk about or if it is some other God. My take is it is about an oppressive view of God. If your see it like I do then the book is really freeing. Blessings, Awtar Singh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 31, 2007 Report Share Posted October 31, 2007 Sat Nam. I have no idea what it means to " kill God in the minds of children " but I know that extremism and intolerance are more dangerous to the minds of children than a movie based on a well respected series for children. My kids never took to the series - we have one or two on a bookshelf somewhere. But several of their teachers highly recommended The Golden Compass, et al, and I look forward to seeing the movie! (It looks good, doesn't it?) And I'll be sure to bring my kids! In love and light, Jiwan Kaur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 31, 2007 Report Share Posted October 31, 2007 Siri Kirin, My son read this book a few years ago and loved it. Other than that I do not have any info. Barnes and Noble also has reviews. Blessings GuruBandhu Kundalini-Yoga , " kathleen " <katheforrest wrote: > > Sat Nam, > I have received an email this morning from some Christian friends > warning me of the new movie The Golden Compass and stating that the > author Philip Pullman is an atheist who wants to kill God in the minds > of children. Has anyone info on this book? or ideas of why this is > being circulated? I have looked on Amazon and through the library where > I have read that Pullman has won many awards for his books. The movie > previews look pretty cool to me. Thanks ahead of time for your reply. > > Siri Kirin > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 2007 Report Share Posted November 1, 2007 First, I question anyone giving me a " warning " about anything when it comes to art etc. That just gives me the willies. Secondly, goodness me, I welcome anything that tries to " kill God in the minds of children. " Hopefully they'll, for the first time, be able to experience God in their entire bodies and lives. " If you see the Buddha walking down the road, kill him... " and so on. Ground their circumstances in empiricism (eat, sleep, pooh) and lift the veil that separates them from infinity with the Infinite reality of all things. Hazaa! Personally I feel that atheists (the regular non-believing, but spiritual kinds, not the Atheist Society of North America lobbyists), agnostics, et al are some of the best friends a God-conscious person can have. Keeps you on your toes! though I've NEVER met a true atheist. It's impossible to know anything with such certainty. God or God-less-ness. Some of the best yogis have been rather atheistic, or at least unconcerned with such things. And yet, therefor totally immersed in it all, or not, or definitely, or sort of, or kind of, or... Fun. Kundalini-Yoga , " kathleen " <katheforrest wrote: > > Sat Nam, > I have received an email this morning from some Christian friends > warning me of the new movie The Golden Compass and stating that the > author Philip Pullman is an atheist who wants to kill God in the minds > of children. Has anyone info on this book? or ideas of why this is > being circulated? I have looked on Amazon and through the library where > I have read that Pullman has won many awards for his books. The movie > previews look pretty cool to me. Thanks ahead of time for your reply. > > Siri Kirin > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 2007 Report Share Posted November 1, 2007 I am just finishing the last book in the series. They do clearly deal with spiritual issues but you would have to be well versed in Christian metaphors to understand Pullman's focus. Pullman created this series as an " antidote " to C.S. Lewis " Narnia " . Narnia is filled with strong Christian metaphors. That being said- I read Narnia as a child and did not get any of the Christian metaphors. For me, Narnia was just a wonderful fantasy story. As an adult, I was shocked to find that Narnia was filled with these metaphors. So what I am trying to say is that, children will just see these books as a fun fantasy series and it is adults that will make a big to do about them. And that is funny because that is exactly Pullman's point. Read the books and find out why. Also, the movie makers said that they took out all references to religion from the movies. So it will really be about witches and talking polar bears and no religious criticism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 2007 Report Share Posted November 1, 2007 Sat Nam, When ever I get an email such as you received, I stroll over to Snopes.com http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp a small portion is copied below: The series' author, Philip Pullman, is an avowed atheist who has averred that " I don't profess any religion; I don't think it's possible that there is a God; I have the greatest difficulty in understanding what is meant by the words 'spiritual' or 'spirituality.' " Critics of Pullman's books point to the strong anti-religion and anti-God themes they incorporate, and although literary works are subject to a variety of interpretations, Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald that " My books are about killing God. " (Conservative British columnist Peter Hitchens labeled Pullman " The Most Dangerous Author in Britain " and described him as the writer " the atheists would have been praying for, if atheists prayed. " ) I also want to mention that as a parent, I appreciate and applaud your investigating a movie before your kids see it. Children often think that just because it is on TV, or in a movie it's true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 Sat Nam! I had to chuckle reading your Snopes.com quote. It's so easy to talk about things of which one has no experience. Read the books. Pullman was pulling the reporter's leg and saying something provoking. A great way to get someone's attention. YB did it all the time. There is an theme in the trilogy regarding the destructive power of organized religion and how children are stifled by it and their power taken away. But the trilogy is so much more than that. Just read the books and draw your own conclusions. Personally I loved the trilogy and highly recommend it along with Pullman's other work including the great " Sally Lockheart " mysteries the heroine of which is a fiesty 19th century 19 year old girl trained in martial arts and marksmanship by her father before his death. Great reading. BBC did the first one " Ruby in the Smoke " which was aired in the USA as a PBS Mystery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 Dear Siri Devta Kaur: Of course Pullman is all about killing God. But what God is he killing? You should see what church is being attacked... the very same church Yogi Bhajan used to attack. Have you ever been in a class where Yogi Bhajan said: " Wake up! There is no God! " The next day he would say: " What are you doing? You are living like there's no God! " I am paraphrasing. It is all about removing ego attachments and misconceptions. And waking up to something beyond our imagination. If you read the series, you'll see that Pullman is very spiritual... and it is all about good vs evil like any American story. Yet this one is intelligently written! And it does leave space for love to grow deeper! Blessings and smiles, Awtar Singh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 5, 2007 Report Share Posted November 5, 2007 Sat Nam, I have been reading The Golden Compass and see no killing of God yet but perhas it is near the end of the series. My question is why did Yogi Gi come down on the Catholic church and why would he do that? What purpose is there in attacking any religion? In light, Siri Kirin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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