The Golden Compass

I recently listened to the audio books called the His Dark Materials Trilogy by Phillip Pullman, of which The Golden Compass is the first book. The movie of the first book comes out today, and it is already stirring controversy. Many religious organizations are getting up in arms about the themes of it, and more specifically the second and third books. They are claiming that it promotes an “atheist agenda.”

They are right. It does. But why is this a problem? It is fiction, after all. You certainly didn’t hear these guys claiming and problems with the Chronicles of Narnia, since it is just as heavy-handedly pushing a Christian agenda in its last book. (Basically to paraphrase, “Oh, we’re all dead! YAY! Everything will be perfect now! I can’t wait for the rest of my family to die!”)

Here is the problem. You constantly here the Evangelicals talk about the constant attack by secular society, and yet they are the one that are actively going after literature that they do not agree with its message. Look, I don’t care what these guys say; I believe in Free Speech. The problem is that the media eating this up and it seems very one-sided. I am personally tired of hearing about it. Its fiction. Get over it.

So if by chance any Evangelicals are reading this (ya right), I have a bargain for you. I won’t complain about your fiction if you leave mine alone. Deal?

Oh, and be sure to keep your Book of fiction out of public policy… Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, George Bush, and friends, I am talking to you. Separation of Church and State is a good thing.