More Thoughts on The Golden Compass

About a month ago (yes, it’s been a while), I went to see the Golden Compass at the theater. It was as I expected; the movie was very anti-authority. It’s hard to understand how it is so much about “killing God” as the author claims. It seems that this is only possible if the “authority” is God. In the movie however, the authority was a group of people, much like a government or law/rule makers, maybe even similar to a church. So, in my mind, it would be more logical to say it is about anarchy, or at the least against organized religion. Because the church or religion does not equal God, either the author is confused, or I am. Christianity isn’t even about rules; it’s about following Christ’s example, trusting, and believing His sacrifice paid for sins.

As it was, it may be dangerous for the implications an anti-authority view might have, but I have a hard time understanding what everyone is upset about. I don’t think these concepts are new in entertainment.

The Golden Compass

Controversy will always draw attention, especially, it seems, in entertainment. The Golden Compass will be opening at theaters this weekend, and for those that are unaware the author claims it is about “killing God” (or the authority – as the movie calls it). Many Christians are considering boycotting the movie because of this. Personally, I agree with those who think this is an excellent opportunity, for mature Christian adults, to engage with our culture.  While hardly any Christians will strike up a conversation about God at the theater, opportunities to discuss the movie and the beliefs portrayed will undoubtedly arise. My only concern for myself is giving the author more money or popularity, and this may be the sole reason some people refuse to see it. However, I claim that those who are boycotting it are actually promoting its popularity. Saying, “no” to something personally, and being vocal about the decision, actually tempts others to say “yes”. This is especially true if they don’t share the same convictions.

As for content, it seems no more harmful than The Chronicles of Narnia. Really, we should be more concerned about other movies out there, that really do have bad content. Ratings are becoming more and more liberal. It really upsets me when a movie is rated PG-13 and has what used to be R-rated content. Teenagers are seeing these movies without parental permission. I guess that’s the main cause for concern – for teenagers and younger children.

The real threat a movie like The Golden Compass poses is for children who are forming their world-views. I heard that the intention of the movie was to present a preview of the book series that families will see with their children, and then have the children ask their parents for the books for Christmas. I believe parents should first screen and be ready to discuss the movie if they allow their children to watch it.

For those of us who are firm in our faith, we know the Gospel will prevail.

Christian Themes

Two movies really caught my attention in the last two weeks. One reminded me of something I wrote previously, and the other had a good recurring theme.

Ratatoulli
Pixar, though taken by Disney, always surpasses my expectations. Maybe I’m reading too much into the movie, maybe not, but I did catch that it encouraged us to be who we are and live a balanced life. If you’re a chef, be it, regardless of whether or not you’re a rat. If you’re a rat, be it, regardless of your aspirations. It reminded me of the post I made on balance a while back. I saw this while I was really being convicted that I’m living for others rather than God. I’ve always tried to please, satisfy, or conform to what was expected of me. Now, I’m at least trying to be who God has called me, wholly His, wholly myself.

Transformers
I’m not sure if I remember this being an original Transformers theme (I grew up in the 80s), but I remember the phrase “Through sacrifice comes victory” from the movie. I thought, This is really the heart of Christian belief. We’re living in Christ’s victory on the cross, through the sacrifice of his body.

Maybe I’m justifying seeing too many movies lately, but these really made me think.

Movies

It seems the Christian community has many differing opinions of movies in general. I’ve been cautioned to be very careful of what I watch, and, being a careful person by nature, I favor this point of view. I have known those who will watch anything and believe it to be harmless, and I’ve known people who will not set foot in a movie theater. I believe movies shape what we believe; they effect our world view. However, I’m not sure if the psychological effects, some claim that movies have on people, are actually real. For example, some say watching violent movies will cause people to view violence differently. This article prompted my thought on this subject. For the most part, I agree with JoeThorn.

My favorite movies:

• The Prestige
• The Count of Monte Cristo
• Patch Adams
• The Family Man
• Frequency
• October Sky
• Remember the Titans
• Facing the Giants
• End of the Spear
• The Truman Show

Facing The Giants

I was privileged to be able to see Facing the Giants in a pre-screening at the theater when it was first coming out, and since, I’ve kept up on news about the film’s success. It really hit home a few days ago, though, when my personal trainer at LifeTime Fitness said that he rented it, not knowing that it was a film made by a church. It’s amazing how far something like this can reach.