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Plan to Turn Anti-Christian Books into Super-Series after "Golden Compass" Released

By Hilary White

HOLLYWOOD, California, November 28, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - British author Philip Pullman's anti-religious children's fantasy stories will become a multi-million dollar Hollywood "super series", according to a Reuter's report, along the lines of Lord of the Rings and the still unfinished Chronicles of Narnia. At the same time, opposition to the anti-religious, and specifically anti-Catholic themes of the book are coming under greater scrutiny with the US Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights calling for a boycott.

The film adaptation of the first book of Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy, "Northern Lights", published as "The Golden Compass" in the US, is being released in the United States on December 5. Movie makers plan to produce the other two books, published in the UK as "The Subtle Knife" (1997) and "The Amber Spyglass" (2000).

Although the film has toned down overt references to the Catholic Church, it is specifically referred to by characters in the novels. In "Northern Lights", one character, called a witch, says, "For all of [the Church's] history...it's tried to suppress and control every natural impulse. And when it can't control them, it cuts them out," and, "That's what the Church does, and every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling." Another character, a former nun who gave up religious life for "love" says, "The Christian religion…is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that's all."
 
The Hollywood movie machine is investing heavily in the film adaptations. Reuters news service reported that movie industry insiders confirmed New Line Cinema's price tag for producing the Golden Compass was twice what each of the Lord of the Rings films cost to make. New Line also produced the Lord of the Rings series, based on the book trilogy of the same name by the devoutly Catholic scholar J.R.R. Tolkien.

Pullman, a leading British promoter of atheism, told the Washington Post that a key goal of his writing was to "undermine the basis" of Christian belief. Pullman is also an Honorary Associate of the virulently anti-Catholic lobby group the National Secular Society that campaigns against any involvement by religious people in public life.

The story of the novel surrounds a young girl's battle against a mysterious worldwide religious organization called the Magisterium that seeks to rule the world. The climax of the trilogy is an epic battle to "destroy God".

The US Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has called upon Catholics to boycott the films and books citing them as spreading anti-Catholic hatred. Calling them a "stealth campaign" against religion, Catholic League president William Donohue said, "They want to make money. They want to make sure there's a second and third movie based on the books in the trilogy."

Donohue told CBS news' Early Show, "This teaches atheism to kids. Phillip Pullman is very open about this. The movie is basically innocuous, but parents may want to say to their kids, 'You know what? A great Christmas present would be to buy his 'Dark Trilogy,' the name of the three books.' Now you've introduced your kids to atheism. I don't think most parents want to do that."

Far from answering these criticisms, Pullman has insulted his opponents calling them "nitwits" for their objections to his assaults on religious belief.

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Anti-Christian Children's Novel Coming out as Time Warner Film in December starring Nicole Kidman
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/aug/07082004.html

Catholic League Takes Scholastic to Task for its Co-Production of Atheist Movie
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07111306.html

Ontario Catholic School Board Removes Anti-Catholic Book 'The Golden Compass' from Library
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07112202.html

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