"There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church, which is, of course, quite a different thing." -Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
Placating terrorists, meeting with dictators, compassion for murderers... but no humanity for the unborn... incredible.
OOT
I was referring to the works of fearless English atheist Phillip Pullman, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Dark_Materials
In a country with a long history of anti-Catholic bigotry, where the greatest national celebration consists of burning a Catholic man in effigy, our fearless atheist, PP, attacks not the fatwa wielding Islamists newly arrived in his land, nor the the divines of his very own national church, but the dread evil Papists Englishmen have long been taught to fear and despise. Courage!!
I'm afraid I haven't been charitable enough to Achilles and it has driven me back to explain myself despite my pain.
My perception is that he is not as firmly opposed to the world as I believe a Catholic should be. He looks for accommodation and affirmation, in my view. That is to be expected at his age. I do not think it is possible for an adolescent to set his jaw as firmly against the world as I try to do at 38. Such a mindset could only be the result of experience, not theory or theology or catechism.
I dived into the seething waters myself and swam after changeable goods. I have associated with drug dealers, addicts, thieves, alcoholics, strippers, prostitutes, 2 rapists, 2 armed robbers, and one murderer (killed his wife and chopped up her body at the family tool & die shop). I have sinned mightily, and have seen the depths of human cruelty, although thank God was never able to practice all that I witnessed. At the end of it all I struggled ashore and sought the unchanging Light. Every soul must go through this to some extent.
Achilles is frighteningly smart. He spent this summer reading City of God, of all things. I imagine he is on his way to Oxbridge. He is not fully formed, though, and I would not like to lose him. Let the world itself attack him. He will certainly have his faith severely tested in the years to come. I have said before that atheism, although I now find it a far fetched proposition, is reasonable. I was a vicious atheist myself for a dozen years. It might well happen to him for a time. That would be a great loss, in my opinion. He is a very knowledgeable and faithful young man, though God knows not perfect. Anyways, I don't think it is right to hold an adolescent's views up for public reproach.
Re: The Golden Compass I think I will have to apologize a little in this matter. From the previews I had seen of the movie it appeared to be harmless fiction. From the descriptions here, I can definitely see why it would strike a chord...
I would still say there is a huge difference between this and writings like those of Scientology and the DaVinci code. After all, L. Ron Hubbard encouraged people to see his made up faith as true, and the DaVinci Code was cleverly worded to seem plausible, where this still does seem to be fantasy, and given the unbelievables contained therein, is not truly a threat.
If we 'protect' the faith by bad mouthing every piece of fiction that gainsays our beliefs, it is my stance that we will only weaken ourselves, because we seem to be encouraging people not to think - which is the first stage of beguiling people as well as protecting self interest.
It is a very thin hard line to walk, between discouraging the use of harmful ideas with impressionable minds and discouraging healthy thought and speculation about faith and life...
Re: The Golden Compass OK, I now see AD's concern with the film, and I am inclined to agree. This is a very dangerous movie and this is a very dangerous writer. For e is targeting children.
Pullman's intentions with his writing is to convey the message that he is killing God. And he does so in messages to children with his books. He is an avid Atheist and has already been labeled the most dangerous author in Britain.
And now his message has been hollywoodized, and unsuspecting parents, and ignorant alike will take their children to see this film. The movie has apparently been dumbed down enough to appeal to children in hopes that they will purchase the books!!
I am a firm believer that in todays age, in order to properly save our children, the faithful must go out into the middle of the wilderness, build a home and raise their children with no TV, radio, or even other human contact.
Extreme? YES. And I think extreme measures are needed in todays perverse Godless society.
--- "My Sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
Re: The Golden Compass Though I understand your wish for the extreme, Tony (only too well), such an approach would leave people unaware of how society functions, and next to incapable of functioning. Interaction is an important part of growing up.
Perhaps a happy medium would be better - a bit of the discipline of old, more involvement by the parents in what children are exposed to at every level - proper research done to ensure that what they are seeing is going to be conducive to their upbringing.
Taking them to the wilderness would really just be hiding from the problem, wouldn't it...?
Lauchlin
P.S. Love the dark background on the site, now. Gives it a certain something
Perhaps a happy medium would be better - a bit of the discipline of old, more involvement by the parents in what children are exposed to at every level - proper research done to ensure that what they are seeing is going to be conducive to their upbringing.
This is excellent advice my friend. Many Parents today just seem so involved in other things. Children's minds are so impressionable. If we do not guard them, they may become lost.
I'm glad you like the background. I am reminded of a certain Silent Night
--- "My Sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
Re: The Golden Compass The film is about murdering God, by its author's own admission. And it is not so much story telling as preaching the atheist creed according to reviews I have read. I am wondering if this may be reason to return to the IMDB.