Letters to the Editor
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The Wrong Side of Bill
In general, if Bill Donohue is mad at you; you must be doing something right. I ordered the trilogy from Amazon as soon as I heard that I shouldn't.
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What I Read vs. What I Read to My Kids
When I first learned about the controversy over these books and the new film, I checked out a copy of the third (and reportedly most anti-Church) book from my kids' school library. I knew that I would not get a full picture of the author's message by reading that single installment, however I didn't consider that necessary for my purpose: to determine whether the subject mattter would be appropriate for my children, ages 5 and 8.
I won't keep you in suspense -- my answer was "no."
Someday, I may read the complete trilogy for myself; I'm intrigued by the reviews, and I'm not at all worried that my faith would be threatened by a fantasy story written by an atheist. But I will not be taking my children to see the movie.
I won't take them because my job, as a Catholic mother of young kids, is to BUILD UP their faith in God and our church at this time in their lives. They are too young to comprehend the theological questions that are at the root of all this debate. Someday, they will be responsible for their own faith. Until then, I make the decisions for them, and I am grateful to those individuals and organizations who called the thematic content of these supposed "children's" books to my attention. I am not calling for a boycott -- take your own kids if you want to! -- but remember that groups like the Catholic League exist to support their fellow Catholics. In this case, they have educated me on an issue I consider important to my parenting, and they have fulfilled their purpose.
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Has Salon's Catholic Church bashing quota for 2007 been reached or can we look forward to more?
This one is about as weak as they come. I know, I know, you depend on the athiest and agnostic faithful for paid Salon memberships, but aren't they intelligent enough to see thru this strawman. As other writers (even one rating a star) have pointed out, the Catholic Church doesn't condemn Pullman or his works. But what a terrific marketing strategy. Salmon Rushdie's Satanic Verses received wider readership because of a real fatwa. The bruhaha encouraged by Gibson about his "anti-Semitic" Passion ensured filled theaters. Even Dan Brown cashed in on some "The Catholic Church is afraid" hysteria for what was really a stupid book. Now fans of Pullman manufacture drama about the Church condemning him and Salon just plays along.
Yawn.
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Catholic Church as unbelievably tyrannical.
This author has encouraged me to read these books. I had never heard of them.
But I cannot understand why the question is Am I A Heretic? instead of Why Am I A Member of An Organization Which Thinks It Should Have Control Over My Reading? Or Over Any Part of My Life?
The Catholic Church, which has harbored priests who have done immense, untolled damage to many many children, has also prevented people from preventing AIDS by pressuring money-givers and charities from offering condoms in many countries. It has threatened to withhold, or has withheld, religious rituals (such as communion, which I understand is an important part of Catholics' religious practice) from people (such as politicians) who advocate freedoms the Catholic Church doesn't allow if they don't toe the party line, it has convinced its members that it has proper control over their legitimizing of marriages or divorces, it has denied women proper control over their bodies when they find they are accidentally and unbearably pregnant. Etc. etc.
All of this is unconscionable, immoral and, really, unbelievable to someone who has a separate sense of themselves as a caring, just and thinking human being. Why, is my question, does any human being stay involved in something called The Catholic Church, which is simply an organization, run by flawed leaders carrying out oppressive practices, and which is, has consistently been, so very very unjust, uncaring and wrong?
We HAVE to belong to the United States, if we live here, have family here and a life here, even though our (temporary) leaders are so very wrong. (We could leave but may not want to, and we have realistic hope that we may get good leaders if we work for it.) But in a religion, one can hold the same beliefs but not continue to belong to or participate in, or give money to, practices which support these people's inhumane, unacceptable actions.
Now, do I have to worry about a gang coming to my house to mauraud me?
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to smstroh
Quote<--read all the Pullman books several years ago (probably while waiting for the next Harry Potter book to come out). I did not care for them much (just one person's opinion -- I also didn't like "Catcher in the Rye," and in the third book particularly I felt slapped in the face. Here I was, dutifully following the lead of the writer, who suddenly brought out a very unpoetic character called "Metatron," which I think was some kind of robot Jesus?, and told me that God required euthanasia. It's not that I felt betrayed religiously, but rather aesthetically. I'd been reading a groovy fairy tale and suddenly it turned into a rather strident, stiff, didactic allegory. Bleah.-->
I agree! I loved the first two books then felt the same way I do when Orson Scott Card suddenly starts advocating for no pre-marital sex in his books, like I was reading a manifesto instead of a story.
Also, I'm no prude, but doesn't Lyra act as Eve and have sex at the books end? It made me uncomfortable to think of 13-year-olds sex activity as an initiation to a new era.
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to Rosenkavalier, a question
First off, I loved the Pullman books, especially the Amber Spyglass. But I do understand, on some level, how certain religious types might be disturbed by the book. I don't understand your assertion that you don't mind that Pullman's God gets killed off "since his god looks nothing like the real one."
Huh? What, pray tell, does the "real" God look like? Old man, white hair, long beard? Lakshmi Tatma, the toddler whose fellow villagers in India didn't want doctors to remove her extra arms and legs because she looked like a Hindu goddess? Horus, in the shape of a falcon?
Just curious.
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Emma
Try this:
If you can describe God (or who/whatever), that isn't God.
Anthropomorphism is a tactic that gets us nearer (but not near) the ineffable.
So any physical manifestation is equally false and equally true, although that manifestation might just be useful to helping people who want to believe take a little step in the direction of revelation.
Those who don't want to believe are under no obligation to attempt doing so.
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First of all...
Thanks for a lovely article.
Second- can we please for the love of g-d get over this trope that Salon somehow has an anti-Catholic bias? The Church as its leadership are no more above investigation and criticism than any other institution. If I were a Catholic I'd like to think I would be more concerned with purging those who do wrong from positions of authority than shooting the messenger when someone has the temerity to point out their misbehaviors. That being said, kudos to the American Conference of Bishops for not caving in to the lowest common denominator and going along with old Bill's Father Coughlin act.
Third- Catholic Mom, I don't think your 8 and 5 year-olds should see the movie or read the books yet either. Neither were intended for children of that age. Indeed, the film is rated PG-13 for a reason. I do hope that the lessons you are imparting on your children to strengthen their faith include teachings on tolerance for those of different (or no) faith.