James, we’ve met in person and I feel we have a connection, so I’m going to ask you nicely to channel your enthusiasm so that you never lose sight of charity. This isn’t a game of gotcha.

Chimera, I have to stand by my review of the film. Remember, it was a review of the film, not the book, so the Deux ex machina comment is still valid.

I think the other commentators have sufficiently demonstrated that the term “magisterium” is a direct allusion to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church, so I won’t repeat that.

Regarding the pronunciation of “daemon”, you state that the only way to pronounce it is “DEE-mon”, but in fact it could also be pronounced (properly) “DIE-mon”. In fact, according to the Greek and Old Latin origins of the word, this is the way it would have been pronounced (the “ae” ligature taking the place of the “ai” combination in Greek). Regardless, however, my point was the association kids would make between “demons” and “furry animal friends”, which I think is still valid.

As for intercision, I admit that this allusion is the least obvious, but it did leap out at me spontaneously while watching the film.

I’m going to close comments on this thread as well as edit/delete a couple of comments (again, due to the flame war issue). Chimera, if you’d like to keep the conversation going, may I suggest posting something on your own blog? I’m sure people would be happy to wander over.

Now if only we could get this kind of enthusiasm going about the International Eucharistic Congress…!

I suppose “denigrate” would have been the term to use.

Can you picture God taking the stand and taking the oath? On what, exactly, would he swear?

I would purely love to be in the courtroom that day!

You know…that’s a pretty good point. I mean, it becomes a little different when there’s all sorts of new publicity because it is now being made into a movie (more people watch more movies than read books), but I still have to concede the point. I hadn’t heard any furor prior to recently.

I do think it’s possible to both slander the deity and certainly possible to slander those who believe in the greater power, though.

Now, suddenly in the past month or so (or is it longer?…or does it just seem that long?), out of the murk rises a pipsqueak of an alarmist who finds in that book a couple of words that are in common use in the Catholic church. Now he’s making headlines about boycotting a piece of fantasy because he says he’s afraid that children will not only somehow absorb evil through their skin by mere association, but that it will somehow make them turn against their religion because the author is an atheist!

Not incidentally, a bi-product of all this harum-scarum is that the name of the alarmist has itself become a headline. He is now a front-page news item! He’s a leader! He has followers! He’s important! He’s…

…a pain in the tuchus, is what he is. And he has the dubious distinction of fomenting a fear-of-terrorists-under-the-bed-type reaction among ordinary folk, and he’s done it all by himself.

Joseph McCarthy would have given his left *ahem* for this kind of reaction against the dreaded communists, back when they were the ideological enemy!

Guidance is one thing. I’d much prefer if leaders bothered to encourage people to learn and think for themselves, and simply offer to be there if they needed someone with whom to discuss things. But this issue is becoming a full-fledged frenzy of religious suppression masquerading as freedom of religion. Not too far away from the Muslim cartoon thingie which saw blood being spilled all over the world in a glut of religious fervor.

I don’t think it’s possible to slander any diety. I could be wrong, of course. But if I am, I want to hear it from the horse’s mouth, not from some self-appointed spokesman like this current twerp with the money-generating headlines in his cv. I’m a grown-up. If god wants to talk to me, he knows where to find me.

I can see what you mean about backbone, but if Bishops of the RCC won’t warn about possible unintended consequences (what amounts, essentially, to a slanderous portrayal of God) of what is seen as a harmless piece of fantasy, then what should their comments be?

People will make up their own minds anyway, but guidance is not evil; after all, I’d guide someone not to absorb too much from porn or heavily racist material either.

Interesting the at the USCCB has removed its review…I wonder why.

The comment by Bishop Fred Henry can be found in the Globe and Mail, Dec. 5 report on Calgary Catholic Board Dumping the Golden Compass. He really did say there are more pressing issues facing the Catholic Church than a children’s fantasy novel. I agree.

Why do you have to be so uncharitable towards people of other denominations and faiths?

I don’t think Pullman is taking pot shots at any specific branch of the Christian cult, no. I agree with Rowan Williams, when he says that Pullman’s target is the abuse of power by some “religious” personages who claim to have the right to victimize their followers because (they also claim) God gave them the “authority” to do so.

And yes, I would (and do) feel the same if the language seemed to implicate Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Witches, Zoroastrians, Jains, Vodun, Santeria, or any of the other major religions in the world.

It’s not about religion. It’s about the abuse of power and the subjugation of people in the name of religion.

Andrew: Whether or not Pullman has a personal anti-Christian bias is not the issue. I personally don’t care if he does or not. I do not base my enjoyment of a product on the religiosity of its creator. I am also a fan of William Keinzle’s books and Andrew Greeley’s writings (both fiction and non-fiction), who both “take shots” at the abusers of authority, as well. And you can’t exactly accuse them of being anti-Catholic, can you?

And as for Pullman’s saying that his books are about “killing god,” well, stop and think for a minute. He’s an atheist. He does not believe in god any more than he believes in unicorns. Would you give equal credibility to him if he said he was out to kill unicorns?

He’s yankin’ you chain. And you’re letting him.