Row over religious themes in Compass
The church is a central theme of Philip Pullman's acclaimed novel Northern Lights, but there is no mention of it in a new blockbuster Hollywood adaptation.
The Golden Compass, a $US180 million ($204 million) picture to be released on December 7, is caught between a US Catholic group that has called for a boycott of what it sees as an attack on religion and Pullman purists who do not want the original watered down.
The US-based Catholic League has urged Christians not to see the movie, fearing even a diluted version of the book might draw people to read the best-selling "His Dark Materials" trilogy.
Calling Pullman "a noted English atheist," the group said on its website: "It is his objective to bash Christianity and promote atheism. To kids.
"Though the movie promises to be fairly non-controversial, it may very well act as an inducement to buy Pullman's trilogy, 'His Dark Materials'."
In the fantasy world created by Pullman, the church and its governing body, the Magisterium, are linked to cruel experiments on children aimed at discovering the nature of sin and attempts to suppress facts that would undermine the church's legitimacy and power.
Pullman's main character in the books, a girl named Lyra, battles the dark forces controlled by the Magisterium.
Read more here
No comments:
Post a Comment