Leave Our Kids Alone!
Readers say they're concerned about The Golden Compass because they fear the movie is targeting their kids—and trying to lure children into atheism.
by Brett McCracken | posted 11/27/2007
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In a recent CT at the Movies newsletter, we noted that last year, many Christians embraced The Da Vinci Code—a film full of heresy and blasphemy—as a "witnessing tool" and an "opportunity" to engage culture. But now, a little more than two weeks away from the release of TheGolden Compass, many Christians are responding differently. The film is based on the first book of a trilogy by Philip Pullman, an atheist who believes Christians have it all wrong and who, incidentally, loathes C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. Some Christians are calling for a boycott of The Golden Compass.
We wondered why there has been such a negative response from the Christian audience to The Golden Compass, when the response to Da Vinci was relatively positive. The e-mails came flooding in, and the sentiment is loud and clear: While Da Vinci was aimed primarily at adults, The Golden Compass is targeted at kids. And that's why so many are so upset.
A sampling of some of the replies:
As a mother, I absolutely know the major difference between The Da Vinci Code and The Golden Compass: It's being marketed to my children! As an adult I am able to read or watch something and know it's not the truth, but simply a story being spun for entertainment. But children's minds are not so developed yet; they can carry the "truths" of a story or movie around with them forever in those wonderful little minds. So my responsibility as a parent is to do what is best for my children, and in my opinion, not allowing them to see The Golden Compass is one such decision.
It's the children, silly.
It boils down to this one factor—targeted audience. Christians get upset when they view secular culture overtly trying to influence our children toward atheism. (Oh, and don't mess with Narnia).
Why is the church responding differently to these two films? I can sum up my theory in one sentence: "Don't mess with my kids." Many parents are willing to wrestle with culture and ideas in adult circles but become reactionary and defensive when it involves their children. The logic isn't necessarily absurd: "I can discern flawed worldviews, but my kids cannot." Nevertheless, I think there is a better reaction than outrage and boycott, and that is to use the opportunity to discuss these themes with your own children and with other adults. We Christians often feel the need to defend truth and defend God. But they're not the ones at risk here; the souls of non-believers are. We are still to speak God's truth into others' lives, but the tone of our reaction will be different. Instead of anger and outrage, we respond with compassion and grace.
If the compass weren't pointing directly at "the least of these"—children—I would probably be saying let's wait and see. But Pullman very calculatedly aimed his writing to children, and that is a whole different game than Dan Brown's. Surely you can see the danger of putting fantastical blasphemy in the chubby hands of one whose theology is in its larvae stage. Millstone fittings by appointment.
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