‘Golden Compass’ angers Catholics, sparks controversy
- posted: 04 Dec. 2007
- scrollarts@byui.edu
The new film The Golden Compass comes to theaters Dec. 7. Based on the anti-religious book series His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass is creating controversy around the world, including BYU-Idaho.
“I definitely don’t understand how our society can accept a global film that actually promotes anti-religion,” said James Nygard, a junior studying art. “I just don’t see how it’s more ‘ethical’ to not allow religion in schools or other atmospheres, but anti-religion is OK to implement in books and movies.”
The novel The Golden Compass is about a young orphan named Lyra who lives in an alternate world where all human souls are in the form of animals who follow each person throughout their lives.
According to www.randomhouse.com, Lyra’s world is run by the “Church,” and she discovers a plot in which the Church is responsible for kidnapping children and separating them from their souls. According to Entertainment Weekly, references to Catholicism have been removed from the movie — for example, the Church is referred to as “the Magisterium”— but the controversy still remains.
“They want to sell atheism to kids, and they want to do it in a back-door, stealth fashion,” said President Bill Donahoe of the U.S. Catholic League in a post on www.catholicleague.org.
People involved in The Golden Compass have come to its defense. Actress Nicole Kidman, who was raised Catholic, said to Entertainment Weekly “I wouldn’t be able to do this film if I thought it were at all anti-Catholic.” Director Chris Weitz also told EW that the film is about “loyalty, kindness, courage, independent thought — all good things, last time I checked.”
The Catholic League has staged a two-month protest campaign against The Golden Compass, but in EW Pullman speculated that all the controversy “will make more people see the film.”
The Da Vinci Code, which faced a similar boycott last year, still grossed $217 million in spite of protests, according to www.imdb.com. 
