“How did Coulter get to the cave so quickly after abducting Lyra when it was thousands of miles away and in a different world? ”
“i was disappointed by this one”
“Just to chime in on what ghost of a rose just mentioned concerning demons: I was under the impression that in this series, the author had divided the human individual into a trinity of body, soul, and daemon. The body and soul are pretty obvious to discern(with the soul being most directly represented as ghosts in the World of the Dead), but I think the daemons are most reminiscent of the Holy Spirit, which God put into the world to help guide man on the path to righteousness and whatnot. Another way to put it, the daemons are your conscience, or Jimminy Cricket (sorry, couldn´t help it), if you will. So, just like God, according to Catholic doctrine (which I was raised under) is a synthesis of three aspects (The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, ie. "The Holy trinity"), so Phillip Pullman is subtly pointing to man´s own divinity by also attributing these aspects to him... Deviously seditious, non?”
“The analyses of John W, Francis, and Adamreck are very in-depth, knowledgeable, and thoughtful. They raise some good points.But for the general public, I think that the main problem is the demons. Which is really quite silly. The demons in His Dark Materials are not the same as the Christian concept of demons at all. The concept and role of these demons are very lovely and positive. It made me long to have one for myself! It's just a matter of getting past the semantics.”
“The reaction of the religious community, particularly the Catholic church and evangelicals was over the top and made religious people look as ridiculous as Pullman probably sees them. I myself am not a particularly religious person but I've been raised in a strong religious community in a religious family so it's very strongly imbedded in me and my thoughts. I liked The Golden Compass quite a bit, it's an amazing book and the anti-religious sentiment is less prevalent. The Subtle Knife and especially The Amber Spyglass were considerably less subtle. That really irritated me and, I feel, detracted from the overall story. If that were not enough, the two people who end up killing God and Metatron, are not sympathetic, they're evil, selfish monsters. To me, that hardly strengthens Pullman's argument. But what made me the most upset is how Lyra and Will basically sacrifice their lives and their happiness because Lyra's parents and the church screwed up. I was very disappointed with this series.”
“I read this book when I was 10, and after I was like O.o Whoa....It's so deep, what he's saying in his trilogy. I had to re-read it just to fully understand the extent of what he was saying. It changed my whole outlook on religion. I love this book so much!! ^-^ In my opinion His Dark Materials is much better than Harry Potter. ”
“While I thought the first two books in this series were intriguing and kept me entertained, I felt this book was quite boring. In the end I was a bit disappointed about how easy Metatron was to depose. Still I enjoyed the underlying themes.”
“LOVED the book! It raised so many questions, and its not sacreligious, or whatever, he's just trying to make you think! And I think he's right. You should enjoy life while you can. If God truely loved us he would want us to be happy, not suffer just to get into heaven. And those who hated the book, just because there was gay angels in it arre incredibly narrow-minded. Who cares if your homo-sexual. It's doesn't make you evil, or doesn't change who you are. Dumbledore was gay!The ending was incredibly sad. If the two of them were together, surely they would make enough extra dust to compensate for the extra hole.”
“I don't see what all the fuss is about. But maybe that's because I agree with so much of what Philip Pullman is saying throughout his three-volume fantasy epic His Dark Materials. The thesis boils down to several basic ideas:1. Human beings should make our living world a paradise through experience, creation and exploration instead of living chaste existences in expectation of a paradise to come in the afterlife. 2. Sin is a natural side effect of experience, creation and exploration and therefore necessary to live. 3. In death, our energy will be transferred to other living creatures so that we can in essence continue life through other life. 4. Even those who do not believe in God can still tell good from evil.The Catholic Church and the Evangelical community has played its role exactly of recent. With a homogenized The Golden Compass film in theaters, each organization has released literature suggesting families not take their children. The condemnation fits perfectly with Pullman's over-the-top characterization of Christians in general. That churches would not think its congregations intelligent enough to make up their own mind, believing instead that the faithful are weak enough to be proselytized into Atheism by a simple two hour film, they recognize their own attempts to shield their membership from alternate viewpoints. I suggest that - like the Quakers - questioning faith in God should be a part of faith. It's a lot better than blind allegiance. If God is truly a part of everyday life, he will be whether he's doubted or not.Let's forget all that stuff for a second. Let's talk about the amazing piece of fantasy that Pullman has managed to generate here. We're talking polar bears with thumbs, witches, gypsies, multiple dimensions, tiny little people who ride on dragonflies. What could be better? For anyone who enjoys the emersion into a whole new world, these books cannot be missed. On top of all the scenery, Pullman has created a rich cast of believable characters whose depth increases with each volume. In particular, I was very interested with his depiction of Mrs. Coulter (played in The Golden Compass by Nicole Kidman), a heartless liar whose change of heart does not represent a change in character. From every angel to the shape-sifting animal daemons that symbolize the soul, Pullman has fleshed out living, breathing creatures who interact in realistic, sometimes cold terms, each trying to get what they want. Despite the wild trips into the unreal, all of it seems grounded by the motivations the characters bring to the table.I hope that anyone with an open (or close) mind about their faith can get on board here. I have already preceded two possible recommendations of the books (one to a cousin, the other to my mother) with an asterisk regarding Pullman's beliefs. I am going to stop doing that. I feel as bad as those churches who are telling their congregations not to see the movie. It devalues the strengths of the belief systems of those who might enjoy this story. If anyone finds themselves shaken - emotionally, spiritually, or otherwise - I'm sure Pullman will be satisfied.”
“I think he knew the Authority was a liar, that It was not the creator, there for, It should be destroyed in order to have a truthful religion, not one based in a lie.I love the character of Lord Asriel. So complex and deep. He wanted to do good but he wasn’t a good person and didn’t do good actions. He did whatever he felt was necessary to be done to reach a goal. Pullman did a great job creating his characters.”
