Filmchat has an email interview with Philip Pullman. This quote from Pullman is worth thinking about.
But that doesn't prevent me from pointing out the arrogance that deforms some Christian commentary, and makes it a pleasure to beat it about the head. What on earth gives Christians to right to assume that love and self-sacrifice have to be called Christian virtues? They are virtues, full stop. If there is an exclusively religious sin (not exclusively Christian, but certainly clearly visible among some Christians) it is the claim that all virtue belongs to their sect, all vice to others. It is so clearly wrong, so clearly stupid, so clearly counter-productive, that it leads the unbiased observer to assume that you're not allowed in the religious club unless you leave your intelligence at the door.
And maybe this offers some insight into the current divisiveness in the homeschooling community. One group of homeschoolers have decided that they should be the voice for all homeschoolers because they are more 'moral' then the rest of us. Those of us who don't measure up to the Fundamentalist Evangelical Christian mold should be excluded from the homeschooling club. When we start our own inclusive/secular groups the Fundamentalist Evangelical Christians flock to them and attempt to take them over because as JJ explained over at Unity~N~Diversity
The biblical principles crowd (several posters here, apparently) is commanded to believe that we ALL belong under their religion's rule. From a biblical principles "education" directive called CLASS:". . .the teacher must self-consciously teach all subjects in the framework of biblical authority. . . The proper method is to use the Bible in each and every course both directly and indirectly. Biblical doctrines must regulate the way we teach and learn. . . . teach the student to reason biblically.. . .This worldview is a unified system of principles that . . . requires that every thought be made captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ.. . .Culture, society, and education are thus bound to religion.. . .Christ is now reigning, but not everyone has bowed the knee to His authority. Not every area of life and thought has been made subject to Him. Christian education serves as part of His purpose to subdue people from all nations to the glory of God."
I for one am tired of them trying to ram their beliefs down my throat. Secular homeschoolers have as much right to homeschool as the Fundamentalist Christians do. We also deserve to have homeschooling groups that meet our needs. Homeschooling Groups that are focused on HOMESCHOOLING, not groups that are intent on ramming their worldview down everyone's throat.
As an interesting aside I learned during the Christmas Holidays that The Golden Compass has been banned from the reading list at Clarkdale (Meridian, MS) Public Schools and one of the Mobile, AL County Public Schools.
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4 comments:
We just saw the movie a few days ago with some hs'ing friends and I don't get what the fuss is all about.
I think it's the same deal that happened with Harry Potter when the book first came out. Without even reading the book or seeing the movie a certain 'group' decided to demonize the books & movie. Unfortunately many of the sheeple will blindly follow in demonizing the books and movie without reading them, hence all the email alerts, letters to the editor ect warning you will go to hell if you see the movie.
What exactly is meant by "banned"? Taken off the shelves at the school library? Or simply not included on required reading lists? I would support the latter but not the former.
I've read the books and feel that while they are interesting stories, they do present a horribly distorted picture of Catholicism. Someone who is mature in his/her spiritual beliefs is not going to get confused by Pullman's distortions, but I object to the books being pushed for children.
There are so many literary classics out there that schoolchildren can read- why require them to read something that deliberately undermines the beliefs of the world's largest Christian denomination?
What I was told by the kids was the book was on the list for their grade to read, but their teacher had taken a pen and marked through it and told them they would NOT get credit for reading it and that it was a school wide policy. The children were always allowed to choose what books on the list they wanted to read and were never forced to read a particular book so I am baffled as to why the 'school/teacher' felt the need to remove it from the list and imply that they couldn't read it.
Another child told me she had bought the book to read but a teacher had told her she would go to hell if she read it; so she wasn't going to read it or see the movie.
Maybe it is because I am a Protestant, but I didn't really pick up on the Anti Catholicism others have claimed. This probably has something to do with not being familiar with Catholic terms. I had no idea the Magisterium was the teaching authority of the Catholic Church until someone told me, long after I had read the books.
I did I suppose see it as the Catholic Church of the Spanish Inquisition/Crusades not the Catholic Church of today.
But honestly I saw them as more anti-totalitarianism/total authority then anti-God
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