The Golden Compass

It's been awhile since I alienated my readers, and what better way to get back into it than by talking about religion? I won't get into a straightforward explication of my religious views, but if you'd like some insight into those, my second post on this blog is probably the closest thing you're going to get. Anyway. Onward!

The release of The Golden Compass has impelled the Catholic Church to take action against it in its usual manner, and by that I mean denunciation and censorship. You can watch the movie in theaters now (trailer here) or you can read the book on which the film is based. If you're like me, you'll do both. The Church has an inveterate history of being wrong, so it's best not to take their word for it. I say this, by the way, not to degrade the Church; it's simply a statement of fact, albeit written by a frustrated non-Catholic.

The second paragraph of this post might offend some readers, and I'm sorry if anyone feels offended by my words, but I'm not sorry for giving offense by writing them. There's simply nothing objectionable in The Golden Compass, and the Church's objections are based, at best, on insecurity and discomfort with its own history--which, let's face it, there's good reason for; at worst, however, they're based on prejudice against the author, an avowed atheist--which, well, it wouldn't be the first time, would it?

If the Church sees itself in The Golden Compass's Magisterium, then perhaps it ought to think about that. If it sees its own reflection in a fantasy film about an oppressive religious authority, surely that's a reason to do something about the image in the mirror, and not a reason to destroy the mirror.

Granted, the movie isn't completely neutral, and the books are admittedly subversive, but this is often true of good fiction. Anyway, critical thinkers can decide for themselves what to believe. But we don't develop critical thinking skills in young adults--or, for that matter, adults--by keeping ideas away from them. Quite the opposite. Which is why it's so troubling to see Catholic school boards pulling the books from their shelves. The primary purpose of education should be to inculcate critical thinking skills, not ideology, and the Church appears unable to understand that.