I love the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, of which The Golden Compass is the first book. As most of you know, the movie version of that book was released last weekend. I have yet to see it, although I want to.
A couple of weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a friend about the purported atheistic themes in the book and film. I did not reply thoughtfully, although several of my other friends who received the e-mail did reply thoughfully. My reply was basically, this is bs.
Then I started thinking about the books and Pullman, who does claim to be an atheist. But so what? What’s wrong with atheism? In my mind, nothing. It’s a belief system, and one that those who choose it have thought through carefully, in most cases. It’s not subversive or wrong, it just is, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be taught alongside other belief systems such as Buddhism, Christianity, or Hindi.
I’ve written before about my take on religions. Basically, if a religion makes someone happy and, most importantly, doesn’t hurt anyone, I’m cool with it. In truth, there aren’t many religions that fit into the second part of that equation. Atheism, while more a belief system than a ture religion (whatever that is), doesn’t hurt anyone. As far as I can tell, atheists, often known also as secular humanists, have never started a war or killed anyone for not believing what they believe.
To my mind, religious discrimination is one of the last barriers that needs to fall for this earth to become a more peaceful place. Again, if a religion or belief system makes someone happy and doesn’t hurt anyone else, what’s the problem?
The reviews of The Golden Compass note that there are no overt references to atheism, and that most people won’t get the possible connections between Pullman’s Magisterium and the Catholic church. So, enjoy the movie for the fantasy-filled adventure story that is it, and leave the atheists alone.
