[FoRK] His Not-So-Dark Materials

[Lion Kimbro]

  Well it IS true to the books.

  Disclosure:  I've only read the first two, but it was clear to me
  when I read the first, way back 1997, that this was a Gnostic
  story.

  Now, I was studying Gnostic thought by taking visits to the
  Claremont School of Theology and checking out books there,
  so I have some sense to what these stories are about.

Gnosticism (from Greek gnōsis, knowledge) refers to a diverse,
syncretistic religious movement consisting of various belief systems
generally united in the teaching that humans are divine souls trapped
in a material world created by an imperfect spirit, the demiurge, who
is frequently identified with the Abrahamic God. The demiurge may be
depicted as an embodiment of evil, or in other instances as merely
imperfect and as benevolent as its inadequacy permits. This demiurge
exists alongside another remote and unknowable supreme being that
embodies good.

  I don't know if there is a "unknowable supreme being" talked
  about in the 3rd book -- I only read the first two.

  But I can tell you that the dust is viewed as sacred.

  So, atheists, anti-sacreds, ...be gone;  Go back to telling us
  that we're all just monkeys hurling dung at each other.

  I don't think you want anything to do with The Golden Compass.
  There's too much religion in it.  You don't want masses
  of people thinking that life is sacred and such.  That'll just
  turn into jackbooting!



On Nov 30, 2007 2:51 PM, Aaron Burt <aaron at bavariati.org> wrote:
> On Wed, Nov 28, 2007 at 11:25:12AM -0600, Jeff Bone wrote:
> >
> > While we're on the topic of the pernicious influence of religion,
> > check out the implicit and pervasive censorship caused by our
> > unjustified deference to the religious.  Philip Pulman's novels are
> > inherently about "killing God."  However, in fear of the church lobby
> > and general American religious mania, the studio and director of the
> > movie adaptation have played down the religious aspect of the story
> > --- the whole point of the story --- and instead substituted the
> > notion of a political, dogmatic authority for the notion of religious
> > authority.
>
> Actually, that sounds true to the first book.  The Magisterium is best
> described as a tyranny with ancilliary religious functions, and the
> "Killing God" storyline isn't really introduced 'til halfway through the
> second book.  This might explain why at least one reviewer didn't care
> for the series after that point.
>
> Jolly good read, BTW, with lots of explicit and implicit instruction in
> character, morality, friendship, and dealing with Adult Stuff.
>
> Which reminds me, I'll have to try and make it to a BC Humanists meeting
> in Vancouver.
>
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