I saw this on Peter's Blog:
Toronto-area Catholic school board bans Pullman fantasy trilogy reports the CBC:
At a board meeting Tuesday evening, the trustees of the Halton District Catholic School Board voted to ban the title [The Golden Compass] as well as the remaining two books in atheist author Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy: The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.
It’s remarkable to me that such things can still go on, especially given that, although Catholic in name, the Halton District Catholic School Board is completely funded by the public. Kind of makes you wish we had some sort of over-arching law that protected our fundamental freedoms from book banners like this. Oh, wait, we do.
I have just finished book II and will be reading the last book this weekend. I wonder how many of the Board have read any of the trilogy? The main point that Peter and I make is surely this - that our freedoms are just that. When we self select for others what can be seen and read, we drive a wedge into freedom.
We each of us have a choice to read or see what we want. If you don't want to read Pullman then don't. But what gives you the right to prevent others and what grounds do you select to make such a ban?
Content is not the point - freedom is.
Having said that, what is the content for those who will not read them or have not read them?
The trilogy is about freedom itself - it is about a titanic struggle between those that believe that they know best and will do anything to protect their position - for our own good! - and for those that wish freedom. So it's ironic that the film has spurred the same struggle. It's a struggle between positional power and personal power.
The protagonists are a remarkable girl and a boy - they are brave, resourceful, honorable and self sacrificing. The setting while "fantastic" is emotionally realistic - good people die and bad people do well. I am reading the trilogy as I also watch the Wire. There is a strong link - The "System" is boundlessly dreadful and eats away at our souls while all the time purporting to be doing the right thing
For me the irony is that the gospels tell the same story. My bet is that many so called Christians don't know their Bible very well either. They have not read either Pullman or the Gospels!
Just a reminder then for those that use Christianity as a shield but have not read the Bible:
- Jesus makes it clear that God needs no building or organization
- Jesus has little patience with those that take a legalistic view of their relationship with God
- Jesus gets angry with those that seek to make money out of tawdry businesses connected to the church
- Jesus shows through his own life and choices that God loves us all including the worst sinners
- In particular Jesus, living in an extreme patriarchy, loves women and includes them as his closest friends
- Jesus was so anti institution that he was killed by it
When I have finished Book III I will review it in detail.
