Irregular Books

Right wing Christian organizations are busy sending around an email declaring that good Christians must not go to see the movie The Golden Compass or to read the book upon which it is based. Why? They say that the book promotes atheism

That’s ignorant nonsense. The Golden Compass does not promote atheism. I know. I’ve read the book.

The Golden Compass is not an atheist book because, for all of its trappings of fantasy, it is founded in a Christian perspective.

From that Christian perspective, The Golden Compass plays around with some assumptions of the Christian religion, but in doing so, it only really ever achieves heresy. After all, a Christian idea that’s reconsidered is still at base a Christian idea. It’s not an atheist idea.

Atheism is not just rebellion against orthodox Christian ideas, or rejection of the authority of Christian church organizations. Such rebellion and rejection remains Christian, just as Martin Luther’s followers remained Christian, though they rejected the authority and ideas of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Golden Compass is like a new Protestant Reformation, reworking Christianity, but not truly stepping away from it.

Atheism is simply life without belief in gods. It isn’t rebellion against Christianity. Atheism is completely outside of Christianity, and other religions like it. Atheism leaves religions such as Christianity behind, and doesn’t concern itself with them, except in as much as atheists defend their right to live outside of the ideas of religion.

Maybe Philip Pullman meant to write a book of atheist ideas. Maybe that’s not what he meant to do at all.

However, whatever Philip Pullman meant to do, he did not write a book that promotes atheism. For most of The Golden Compass, there aren’t any religious ideas at all.

In the last few pages, one character engages in semi-coherent ramblings about Adam and Eve and The Garden of Eden, suggesting that the story is in some sense true. That places The Golden Compass within Christianity, not outside of it. The many supernatural beings and magical happenings throughout the book also lend it a spiritual character that is not at all typical of atheism.

Perhaps you’ve been told that The Golden Compass promotes atheism, but if you haven’t read the book, you don’t really know that.

I’ve read The Golden Compass, and I’m telling you that from what I’ve read, the book is not atheist, and doesn’t promote atheism. For anyone to be provoked into becoming atheist by reading The Golden Compass would be extremely unlikely. That’s just not what the book is about.

Don’t believe me? That’s your right - if you’ve read the book yourself, and know what you’re talking about. If you’re just relying on the word of a religious group to tell you what the book is about, then you don’t really know what The Golden Compass is about.