A Few Quick Facts…

2. A Few Quick Facts… • The book has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide • British columnist Peter Hitchens described Pullman as the writer “atheists would have been praying for, if atheists prayed.” • Like many atheists, Pullman grew up in the church • Detests “organized religion” and C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series

3. Let’s Meet the Characters… • Lyra • Lord Asriel • Mrs. Coulter • the daemons • Iorek • Magisterium • gyptians • Dust

4. Pullman’s View of God • God as a metaphor, a character in fiction • “One of the greatest and most complex villains of all - savage, petty, boastful and jealous, and yet capable of moments of tenderness and extremes of arbitrary affection”* *http://filmchatblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/philip-pullman-extended-e-mail.html

5. Pullman & the Church • In His Dark Materials, freedom is found in the Republic of Heaven, not the Kingdom of Heaven “It depicts a struggle: the old forces of control and ritual and authority, the forces which have been embodied throughout human history in such phenomena as the Inquisition, the witch-trials, the burning of heretics, and which are still strong today in the regions of the world where religious zealots of any faith have power, are on one side; and the forces that fight against them have as their guiding principle an idea which is summed up in the words The Republic of Heaven. It's the Kingdom against the Republic.”* *http://www.randomhouse.com/features/pullman/author/qa.html#q1

6. Pullman & the Church • The Church is portrayed as subjugating free will • Organized religion leads to “cruelty and tyranny and repression”* • The Crusades • The Inquisition • Salem Witch Trials • Anti-Semitism • How do we respond? *http://bridgetothestars.net/index.php?p=FAQ#4

7. Pullman & the Church • A theocracy: should Christians support one? • Is it an attack on Christianity or an attack on dogmatism? *http://bridgetothestars.net/index.php?p=FAQ#4

8. The Fall • Becoming conscious of one’s self is sin, but “sin” here is not seen negatively • The fall of mankind is continual, natural and good. • Here, he departs from Lewis’s “innocent” portrayal of children in the Narnia series “So, for instance, the book depicts the Temptation and Fall not as the source of all woe and misery, as in traditional Christian teaching, but as the beginning of true human freedom, something to be celebrated, not lamented. And the Tempter is not an evil being like Satan, prompted by malice and envy, but a figure who might stand for Wisdom.” - Philip Pullman* *http://www.randomhouse.com/features/pullman/author/qa.html#q1

9. A Final Thought… http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/12/1071125644900.html "I've been surprised by how little criticism I've got. Harry Potter's been taking all the flak. I'm a great fan of J.K. Rowling, but the people - mainly from America's Bible Belt - who complain that Harry Potter promotes Satanism or witchcraft obviously haven't got enough in their lives. Meanwhile, I've been flying under the radar, saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry has said. My books are about killing God.“ (emphasis mine)