Too dark for Christians

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J.K. Rowling sparked headlines this week by declaring that a major character in her Harry Potter book series is homosexual. Christian critics, meanwhile, are paying more attention to Britain's second-most-popular children's author.

His name is Philip Pullman, whose best-known work is the "His Dark Materials" trilogy, which has won critical acclaim, but Mr. Pullman's critics charge that the books undermine the Christian faith and promote atheism.

The first book, "The Golden Compass" (originally titled "Northern Lights"), won England's Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Fiction Prize. The American Library Association deemed it a Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults. "The Golden Compass" also attracted the attention of Hollywood. A movie adaptation starring Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman and Dakota Blue Richards is due for release Dec. 5.

Mr. Pullman's critics say the story inverts the Christian imagery used by C.S. Lewis in "The Chronicles of Narnia," portrays the Catholic Church as evil and depicts the Judeo-Christian God as an evil liar.

Sophia A. Sproule, assistant editor of This Rock magazine, a Catholic monthly based in San Diego, was stunned when she read Mr. Pullman's work for the first time. Miss Sproule, whose master's degree is in English literature, described the author as well-versed in the tradition of British fantasy that began with "Alice in Wonderland," continued with J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" and Mr. Lewis' "Narnia" series and recently gave rise to Mrs. Rowling's much-loved Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Like his predecessors Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis, Pullman is an Oxonian with a facile command of classical mythology, literary allusion, and inventive nomenclature," Miss Sproule said. "Drawing on a mythos suggested by the works of John Milton and William Blake, he creates a daring, exciting world — or worlds, as it happens — that engage the imagination and the intellect. His sly references to the Narnia books will no doubt spark the recognition of readers, young and old, who have long cherished the children's classic."

Miss Sproule sees "The Golden Compass" and the other books in Mr. Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy as a source of concern for Catholic parents, describing the books' negative portrayal of God and the church as potentially damaging to the spiritual well-being of young readers.

"Pullman, an outspoken atheist and critic of religion, offers in these novels a vitriolic denunciation of religious faith in general, especially of Christianity and most pointedly of the Catholic Church (a version of it, anyway)," Miss Sproule said.

"Whether or not one believes that 'mere fiction' should be cause for alarm, the simple truth is that to enter into a fantasy realm is to accept the world presented on its own terms," she said, adding that the Pullman books represent "not merely a wholesale rejection of religion — it is an invitation to reject God."

Seattle blogger Mark Shea (markshea.blogspot.com), one of the most-quoted Catholic defenders of "Harry Potter," has frequently criticized those who fail to distinguish between the fantasy use of magic in Harry Potter and the occult. Yet he too is concerned with Mr. Pullman's work, as well as its marketing to children.

"Pullman's a zealous atheist, so you get what you pay for," Mr. Shea said. "Unlike Rowling, Pullman is not subtle. He states in interviews that he is writing an anti-Narnia series."

Like much of Mr. Lewis' work, Narnia presents heavily Christian allegorical themes and images. "What Pullman wants to do is proselytize for atheism," Mr. Shea said. "Pullman is writing with an agenda. He's a good writer, what it makes his books even more insidious."

Of particular concern to Mr. Shea is Mr. Pullman's use of children's literature. Most atheists promote their ideas through dry academic treatises, Mr. Shea said, "but the masses don't pay attention to that. They pay attention to story and fiction. And this is where Pullman is dangerous — he promotes atheism through children's story."

Miss Kidman assured Entertainment Weekly during an interview that the books' anti-Catholic elements were toned down for the movie. "I was raised Catholic, the Catholic Church is part of my essence," the actress said. "I wouldn't be able to do this film if I thought it were at all anti-Catholic."

Hollywood screenwriter Barbara Nicolosi said it is not possible to tone down the anti-Christian elements of the story without compromising Mr. Pullman's work. Miss Nicolosi is chairwoman of Act One, a training and mentoring organization for Christians starting out in Hollywood, and the co-editor of "Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film and Culture."

Miss Nicolosi first became aware of Mr. Pullman's work a few years ago when the idea was first proposed to adapt "The Golden Compass" for the screen. A friend's agent asked her to pitch on the project. The friend wanted to know whether the project was reconcilable with her Christian faith.

"We read [the book] and there was just no way we could come in on this," said Miss Nicolosi, who describes Mr. Pullman's fantasy universe as nihilistic and rooted in chaos. "You cannot fix that in a rewrite without changing the story Pullman is trying to tell — which is an atheistic, angry and at times polemical story. It isn't fair to Pullman to gut him from his own story and present it in the same light as 'The Lord of the Rings.' "