Monday, November 12
I've gotten several emails in the last few weeks encouraging me not to let Griff see the new Nicole Kidman movie, "The Golden Compass." I hadn't heard anything about it before then, and so I did some research of my own. The movie is based upon a book by Philip Pullman. And I have a hard time saying we won't read something or see something based merely upon the word of others. I'm not going to be one of those parents at school who encourages the banning of books she hasn't read. (I'm actually the mom at the Book Fair with $150 worth of books, several to read herself.)
I consulted Josh, who reads fantasy stuff (me, not so much), and he hadn't read it, so I requested the book from our local library (the library, by the way, is the very best expendature of tax dollars ever). After all, I fell in love with Harry Potter when people said it was a horrible book & that no one should allow their children to read it.
So I read it. And it is blasphemous. Without a doubt. And for a non-fantasy person, quite frankly, there were parts that I found confusing. But it was also an amazing adventure story. I found myself annoyed because I couldn't read it faster (the fantasy stuff slowed me down) and find out what happened next.
Now, unlike the Harry Potter books, I won't be reading the next two. While Harry was warm and comforting and funny and inviting, this book was cold. There wasn't any warmth or kindness. I don't need to know what happens next. I don't care. With Harry, I cared. A lot.
We will take Griff to see the movie. I know that may seem odd since I've already said the book was heretical. But I think we need to acknowledge that there are different perspectives out there. I always believed that, but I believe that now more than ever. We were all complacent living in the Deep South, where everyone was a Christian. Here, not so much.
So we'll take Griff to see the movie, and we'll discuss it after. Probably over ice cream. I like to have theological discussions with ice cream. Actually, I like ice cream with pretty much anything.
[ posted by Chel on Monday, November 12, 2007 ]
[ 1 comments ]
1 Comments:
Just a suggestion. If you're going to see the movie, consider seeing it on video that you borrowed from someone else who was going to rent it anyway. That way you won't be supporting something blasphemous with your money.
