| New Line Cinema was probably praying that this would happen.
It seems that no one can agree about whether the new Nicole
Kidman and Daniel Craig flick, “The Golden Compass,” is anti-Christian.
The Catholic League has called for a boycott of the film,
accusing it of “selling atheism to kids.”
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is on the other side
of the spectrum, calling the movie “intelligent and well-crafted entertainment”
and “entirely in harmony with Catholic teaching.”
Britain’s National Secular Society, which touts atheist
author Philip Pullman as one of its members, claims that changes made to film
(in which it departs from the book) amount to “taking the heart” out of the
work.
The movie studio altered the characteristics of the wicked
group in the story and disassociated it from the Church but still retained the
name “Magisterium,” which is Catholic terminology.
A note to parents: I wouldn’t typically discourage reading,
but in this case hide the books from the kids.
James Hirsen is a
media analyst, Trinity Law School
professor and teacher of mass media law at Biola University.
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