The Golden Compass

On Thu, 01 Nov 2007 09:39:27 +0200, Steve Hayes
<hayesmstw.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote:

>On Thu, 1 Nov 2007 00:03:08 -0400, "AJA" <ahnemann.RemoveThis@optonline.net> wrote:
>
>>Pullman's book is soon to be a movie starring Nicole Kidman.
>>Book reviews of The Golden Compass run the gamut from "masterpiece" to
>>"anti-Narnia" to "anti-God". What do you think? I know we've discussed
>>Pullman before here- now brought to my attention by church people who are
>>very much against this as "children's literature".
>
>Well Pullman is very anti-Lewis, but all the faults he criticises in Lewis
>seem to be even more apparent in his own books. "The amber spyglass", in
>particular, is rather preachy.

If we're talking solely about "Golden Compass", the description of
'masterpiece' isn't too wide of the mark. It's a superb book.
Unfortunately the second and third books (the third in particular as
Steve says) fall well short of the standard set by the first.
 >> Stay informed about: The Golden Compass 

There seem to be several current atheistic writers who are getting their 15
minutes of (in)fame: Dawkins, Harris, Dennett, Hitchens, Pullman, others?
They all take potshots at Lewis, somewhat like the A.N. Wilson biography.

Last year it was the "DaVinci Code" that tried to throw a hand grenade into
established religion.

Perhaps it is literary jealousy that drives such people?

Personally, I consciously ignore such writings. I prefer to fill my head
with 'good stuff': the Bible, anything Lewis, Bonhoeffer, Kreeft,
Polkinghorne, etc; hymns and worship songs and the BCP. For me these are
sufficient unto the day...

Hopefully the negative stuff can be safely ignored and trail away into the
dustbin.....

Here is an interesting article about the subject of current atheists:
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2007/05/21/070521crbo_book...ottlieb

and this concise list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_atheists

Humanists & Atheists & Agnostics, oh my.....

Cheers,

John Hanley

"AJA" <ahnemann DeleteThis @optonline.net> wrote in message
news:8ccWi.1021$8u4.320@newsfe09.lga...
> Pullman's book is soon to be a movie starring Nicole Kidman.
> Book reviews of The Golden Compass run the gamut from "masterpiece" to
> "anti-Narnia" to "anti-God". What do you think? I know we've discussed
> Pullman before here- now brought to my attention by church people who are
> very much against this as "children's literature".
> Blessings,
> Ann
 >> Stay informed about: The Golden Compass 

On Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:46:01 +0000, steerpike-100.TakeThisOut@removethis.freeuk.com wrote:

>On Thu, 01 Nov 2007 09:39:27 +0200, Steve Hayes
><hayesmstw.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 1 Nov 2007 00:03:08 -0400, "AJA" <ahnemann.TakeThisOut@optonline.net> wrote:
>>
>>>Pullman's book is soon to be a movie starring Nicole Kidman.
>>>Book reviews of The Golden Compass run the gamut from "masterpiece" to
>>>"anti-Narnia" to "anti-God". What do you think? I know we've discussed
>>>Pullman before here- now brought to my attention by church people who are
>>>very much against this as "children's literature".
>>
>>Well Pullman is very anti-Lewis, but all the faults he criticises in Lewis
>>seem to be even more apparent in his own books. "The amber spyglass", in
>>particular, is rather preachy.
>
>If we're talking solely about "Golden Compass", the description of
>'masterpiece' isn't too wide of the mark. It's a superb book.
>Unfortunately the second and third books (the third in particular as
>Steve says) fall well short of the standard set by the first.

Actually I thought the second was the best.


--
Steve Hayes
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/litmain.htm
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/hayesstw
http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/Methodius
 >> Stay informed about: The Golden Compass 

On Thu, 1 Nov 2007 15:46:43 -0500, "OnRequest" <Onrequest@mychoice> wrote:

>There seem to be several current atheistic writers who are getting their 15
>minutes of (in)fame: Dawkins, Harris, Dennett, Hitchens, Pullman, others?
>They all take potshots at Lewis, somewhat like the A.N. Wilson biography.
>
>Last year it was the "DaVinci Code" that tried to throw a hand grenade into
>established religion.
>
>Perhaps it is literary jealousy that drives such people?

My son, who works in a bookshop, has just been ranting all the way home from
work about people who buy Dawkins, whom he describes as the Benny Hinn of
evangelical atheism.

I see little need to read, much less buy their books. They don't seem to say
anything different from what people like Bertrand Russell were saying 70 years
ago, and they said it a lot better than the current bunch.




>
>Personally, I consciously ignore such writings. I prefer to fill my head
>with 'good stuff': the Bible, anything Lewis, Bonhoeffer, Kreeft,
>Polkinghorne, etc; hymns and worship songs and the BCP. For me these are
>sufficient unto the day...
>
>Hopefully the negative stuff can be safely ignored and trail away into the
>dustbin.....
>
>Here is an interesting article about the subject of current atheists:
>http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2007/05/21/070521crbo_books_gottlieb/?currentPage=1
>
>and this concise list:
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_atheists
>
>Humanists & Atheists & Agnostics, oh my.....
>
>Cheers,
>
>John Hanley
>
>"AJA" <ahnemann.RemoveThis@optonline.net> wrote in message
>news:8ccWi.1021$8u4.320@newsfe09.lga...
>> Pullman's book is soon to be a movie starring Nicole Kidman.
>> Book reviews of The Golden Compass run the gamut from "masterpiece" to
>> "anti-Narnia" to "anti-God". What do you think? I know we've discussed
>> Pullman before here- now brought to my attention by church people who are
>> very much against this as "children's literature".
>> Blessings,
>> Ann

--
Steve Hayes
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/litmain.htm
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/hayesstw
http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/Methodius
 >> Stay informed about: The Golden Compass 

On Thu, 1 Nov 2007 21:44:54 UTC, Steve Hayes <hayesmstw.RemoveThis@hotmail.com>
wrote:

> My son, who works in a bookshop, has just been ranting all the way home from
> work about people who buy Dawkins, whom he describes as the Benny Hinn of
> evangelical atheism.

So not knowing who Hinn was, I had to look him up. His quote about the
imminent Rapture "unless the Lord changes his mind" somehow tickles me
enormously.

We may have two years before the Rapture. Can I be blunt with you? I don't
know if we have two years left. I'm going to prove to you from the Word
tonight, that we have less than two years, unless the Lord changes his
mind.
* November 9, 1990 Praise-a-Thon Trinity Broadcasting
[from wikiquote]

There's a man who doesn't slavishly follow St Augustine's ideas of how God
can know what we'll do even though we have free will. I gues Hinn's
explanation is that God knows what will happen, but he might change his
mind.



--
Dan Drake
dd.RemoveThis@dandrake.com
http://www.dandrake.com/
porlockjr.blogspot.com
 >> Stay informed about: The Golden Compass 

On Thu, 1 Nov 2007 15:46:43 -0500, OnRequest wrote:
/snip/

> Perhaps it is literary jealousy that drives such people?

Naw, it's Bulverizing.


Bree
 >> Stay informed about: The Golden Compass 

Good answer, thanks!

"Bree" <no RemoveThis @onoe.com> wrote in message
news:ld54rev6lqw9.wpcrn9sj3yd2.dlg@40tude.net...
> On Thu, 1 Nov 2007 15:46:43 -0500, OnRequest wrote:
> /snip/
>
>> Perhaps it is literary jealousy that drives such people?
>
> Naw, it's Bulverizing.
>
>
> Bree
 >> Stay informed about: The Golden Compass