"Golden Compass" Points Out Religion's Dangers

I've been reading all this hubbub about "The Golden Compass" and why good Christian folk shouldn't go see it, let alone take their kids to it. Telling me that I can't see something has always sparked my curiosity. I decided to see what the big fuss was all about.

Seems some people have been calling the movie, which is based on some fantasy book, an attack on Christianity. If you take your kids to it, they say, it's the fastest boarding ticket on the train to atheism. After watching "The Golden Compass" with my own eyes, I can tell you it's a fun movie to take your kids or grandkids to. It's also got a message, which is gonna fly right over your little ones' heads faster than aeronaut Lee Scoresby's balloon ship. It's a message that's gonna be a threat to anybody who's got some measure of power in Christian circles and don't want to see that power questioned.

The story's about this spunky girl named Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards). She's being raised by her uncle in this university, and she don't like anyone telling her what she can or can't do. I liked her right away. She lives on a world that's parallel to ours, but everyone there has their souls living outside their bodies. They're called "daemons," and they look like animals and you can chat with them.

There's also this organization called The Magisterium. They fear "free thinkers and heretics" and want to prevent folks from falling under the influence of Dust, this sparkly stuff that gives them the ability to exercise their free will. Somehow, adults' daemons channel this Dust to them. With the help of Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman), The Magisterium is kidnapping kids and experimenting on them to find a way to separate them from their daemons and "protect our children from the corrupting influence of Dust," Mrs. Coulter explains.

Lyra learns that The Magisterium is behind the kidnappings and decides to rescue these kids. She's been given this golden compass, an alethiometer, that tells the truth to the person who knows how to ask it questions. Turns out, Lyra is one of the few people able to use it.

Borrowing one character's description, "The Golden Compass" is about "a war over free will." The sad truth is that there will always be those people in the church who want to control the agenda. They claim they speak for God. They claim they know what's best for everybody else. Ask questions, and you're a heretic.

They are represented in "The Golden Compass" by The Magisterium. It's an organization that "keeps things working by telling people what to do." Their motives are good, Mrs. Coulter tells Lyra, because The Magisterium tells people "what to do in a kindly way to keep them out of danger."

Some critics of the movie say that it's anti-Christianity. Frankly, I don't see it. If anything, "The Golden Compass" has aimed both its barrels at manmade religion, which is all about control and holding on to power. True Christianity ain't like that. It's about people seeking the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, and that's something that power-obsessed Christians fear, just like The Magisterium feared the effects of Dust on people's lives.

Bottom line is this movie is a fun adventure that your little ones will love, and it's got a message and thoughtful story that adults will enjoy. That's why I'm giving "The Golden Compass" my highest rating -- four cups of coffee.