The Golden Compass

The film “The Golden Compass” does indeed attack Christianity. The writer of the book, Philip Pullman, expresses his views on the ridiculousness of “spirituality” and ideas of the sort. His argument throughout the story is that there is no God, only the ideal of God that has been set forth by the “Authority” to keep people in check, when the real truth comes from our own minds. Pullman is basically saying that we are a brainwashed people. In an interview with Peter Chattaway, Pullman discusses his “revulsion” at the word spirituality. “So the word 'spiritual', for me, has overtones that are entirely negative,” he explains. “It seems to me that whenever anyone uses the word, it's a sign that either they're deluding themselves, or they're pulling the wool over the eyes of others.” Pullman believes that spirituality is false, just as the teachings of the Authority in the movie “The Golden Compass” were false. People, according to the outspoken author, turn to spirituality rather than their own human intellect, and that is something that Pullman does not understand. In the movie, the Authority tries to poison Lord Asriel because he spoke out against their teachings. This is Pullman’s way of exposing the church’s guilt of silencing anyone who does not succumb. To put it simply, spirituality is a joke. This is a radical way of attacking the church and accusing it of brainwashing a congregation. Yet, couldn’t the same be said for this movie? Could it not be subtly urging young children to rebel against their faith and turn to atheism? This movie and the book are pure hypocrisy.