Customer Reviews

Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children's Fantasy

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Philip Pullman has, perhaps, said a bit too much about his own atheism. As a consequence, defenders of the faith pounce upon his books, reading for the "evils" they seek to find and ignoring the overall ethical and even potentially Christian message they impart (if loving one's neighbor remains the second great commandment). The two essayists in this book, Peter Vere and Sarah Miesel, come at Pullman's trilogy prepared to find it specifically designed to indoctrinate children to atheism and anti-Catholicism. Vere provides the clumsiest attack as it seems he really hasn't read the novels carefully. For example, he asserts that Roger is "seeking solace from the Church during a harsh Arctic blizzard" when Roger shows up at Lord Asriel's house on Svalbard, never mind that Asriel's home is about as far from the Church as anyone could get in that world--physically or spiritually. That is, alas, not the only gaffe. Miesel's essay makes for some interesting reading as she ties the novels to gnosticism and other heresies and attempts to rebut Pullman's attack on the Narnia novels. Yet like Vere, she straps the novels to her own pre-interpretation and ignores what doesn't work to her purpose of denigrating the books.

Neither writer assumes that children have the critical intelligence to read fantasy as fantasy.

The novels are open to scrutiny for their heavy-going attacks on organized religion and the Judeo-Christian world view. Christian parents might well want to discuss the issues raised by the novels with their children. Many others have written commentaries criticizing Pullman's irreligiosity. For a far stronger, more balanced, and more intelligent critique of His Dark Materials from a Christian perspective, readers would be well-served by picking up Tony Watkins's Dark Matter.

It is a book that helps one think about Mr. Pullman's trilogy. But there were moments, when I read this book, where I could not help but sympathize with Mr. Pullman, as they make him to be a darker devil than he ever hoped to be. Certainly more than I hope him to be. Christians nowadays, for reasons unknown, give this Oxford man far too much credit, and a great deal too much attention. I don't suggest ignoring the man (goodness no): but why not swallow his trilogy with a smile? It is quite hard to stumble across Pullman's books without knowing what he preaches.

Furthermore, read this book AFTER reading through His Dark Materials. Whereas if you have read the trilogy, you can shuffle through this book and think to yourself, "Yes, alright, that's well and good," or "No, no; I don't think Pullman ever intended that." But for parents who desire some insight into Pullman's own head, the book does what it says. But I suggest reading Pullman himself to figure out the mind of Philip Pullman.

Oxford man? Not sure why this matters. Pullman is not a fellow of any of the Oxford colleges and is probably, like me, one of the legions of Oxford MAs floating out there.

The point is Pullman does have an agenda that is explicitly anti-Christian and uses his books to make his case. It is a little ironic to see the atheistic-agnostic left jump and down crying "foul" when the Narnia movies come out but to purr approvingly when the shoe is on the other foot.

This book is one of the most eye-opening reads ever. Parents who are looking for tips on how to judge whether a movie or book is appropriate for their children will gain general insight from reading this, as well as particular insight on Philip Pullman's revolting agenda. Entertaining and well-written, this book is a must-read for anyone who has kids.