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Talk About It

1. When Lyra tries to "read" the alethiometer, Farder Coram tells her, "You mustn't grasp at the answer. You must hold the question in your mind, but lightly, like it was something alive." Is this principle applicable in our own lives? How does it compare to, say, the way we pray or seek guidance from God? What does it mean for a question to be "alive"? Is the answer "alive"?
2. What is the nature of "authority" within the Church? What role, if any, is there for pastors, elders, deacons, priests, bishops, etc.? How is the nature of leadership described in, say, the Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus)? What should we do when leaders overstep their bounds? How can we know when they have done this?
3. What is the relationship between God's authority and that of his followers? Why does Lord Asriel oppose the "Authority"—that is, the God—of his world? Many people in our world say they are spiritual or believe in God but they do not believe in organized religion or the Church; does anyone in the film believe in the "Authority" but not in the "Magisterium"? Would it make any sense for them to do so?
4. How does Lyra "master" her fear? How does Iorek model courage for her? How does she model it for him? Who has modeled courage in your life?
5. The leaders of the Magisterium say they are doing harmful things to children and others "for their own good." Does the film really give you the impression that they believe this? Would it be more effective if it did or didn't? When have you done things for someone else's good that might not have been so good after all?

The Family Corner

The Golden Compass is rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence, none of which are particularly explicit, though a bear's jaw is ripped off and, every time a human being dies, we see his or her daemon disintegrate in a puff of golden "dust." Scientists perform cruel experiments on children and their daemons. A witch tells Lyra that one of the men helping them is a former lover of hers; and there are references to the possibility that Lyra may be the offspring of adultery. The villains of the film are also very thinly disguised members of a church-like organization which seeks to stamp out "heretics" and decorates its buildings with Christian icons. (For other "anti-religion" elements, read the full review above.)

Photos © Copyright New Line Cinema

© Peter T. Chattaway subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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