I received an email with a link to a Snopes.com article that states The Golden Compass, is a movie based on the first book of the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman that has anti-religious themes.
http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp
I read other related articles and I have heard some of the controversy and I just want to scream. Supposedly Philip Pullman wants to convince children to turn away from God with his books. The Catholic League has denounced The Golden Compass because of the anti-god themes. What upsets me is I know that people will listen to the media and these groups and actually scorn these books, forbid their children to read them and never know for themselves that these books are quality literature. This is madness! These books are fantastic, completely fascinating and enchanting. Is it too much to just read books to enjoy them and not take them literally? It’s fantasy for crying out loud.
What actually happened to making up our own minds based on our own thoughts and not the collective thoughts of closed mindedness? Instead of immediately depriving yourself and your kids of these books, I ask that you borrow the book from a library and read it with an open mind. Maybe you’ll find it offensive and decide that your kids should not read it but maybe you’ll find it wonderful and just interesting literature. But won’t you feel better knowing that you made an informed decision and you didn’t let the media and other groups form your opinions for you?
Philip Pullman is a confessed atheist but this is what he states on his website:
‘As a passionate believer in the democracy of reading, I don't think it's the task of the author of a book to tell the reader what it means. The meaning of a story emerges in the meeting between the words on the page and the thoughts in the reader's mind. So when people ask me what I meant by this story, or what was the message I was trying to convey in that one, I have to explain that I'm not going to explain. Anyway, I'm not in the message business; I'm in the “Once upon a time” business.’
http://www.philip-pullman.com/about_the_books.asp
I am not here to argue atheism versus religion and which one is right or wrong. I just want you to read a few good books and not think of the baggage associated with them. Just read them to escape from this world and step into the life of a little girl who embarks on fascinating adventures. Maybe we just need to stop being adults for a little while and just get lost in a make believe world.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Sunday, November 4, 2007
missing inspiration
This is so frustrating. There are so many things that I would love to share with you but when I try to write them down, it doesn’t seem to come out right. I can’t put my thoughts together cohesively.
Maybe it’s my excitement about going home. It’s less than a week away now. I can’t formulate into words the actual feelings of elation about seeing my mom, my dad, my sisters, my new nephew, my brother (hopefully) the rest of my family, my friends. I just can’t put it into words that do it any justice so suffice it to say I am so excited.
I actually had an amazing bus trip to Johannesburg yesterday. There was no one from my organization to take me to town to catch the bus, so I got up at 5 am (not an easy thing to do), finished the last minute packing and cleaning and headed to the main road with my friend Rosen who helped me carry my bags. My friend Glenda was in the taxi and when we got to the taxi rank, the taxi to town was full and she asked if anyone would mind giving up their seat so I could make sure to catch my bus on time. A woman got out and let me have her seat right by the door which was great because my bag is slightly large (but not full, I anticipate coming back from the states with a few things…) and awkward. Besides the bag, the ride was comfortable, I wasn’t squished at all. The taxi driver dropped me off at the actual bus stop and it was only 7:15. This alone was a miracle – the bus leaves at 8:20 and usually I barely make it in time.
The bus arrived on time; we loaded up quick and easy and were on the road in less than 15 minutes. No break downs, no delays. They showed terrible movies but really, I can’t complain. We made it to Pretoria around 2. Here they made us switch buses, which was kind of odd – Johannesburg is only an hour away. I thought the process would take forever but that was also surprisingly smooth and very quick. I had a very nice conversation with a local weatherman, who is also a teacher and runs marathons – that was definitely entertaining. And then we made it to Joburg by 3:15. I have never made it once to Joburg before 4pm and usually it’s much later. I must say, I have new found faith in the transportation systems of South Africa. At least until the next interesting road trip.
Hopefully more inspiration will come again soon…
Maybe it’s my excitement about going home. It’s less than a week away now. I can’t formulate into words the actual feelings of elation about seeing my mom, my dad, my sisters, my new nephew, my brother (hopefully) the rest of my family, my friends. I just can’t put it into words that do it any justice so suffice it to say I am so excited.
I actually had an amazing bus trip to Johannesburg yesterday. There was no one from my organization to take me to town to catch the bus, so I got up at 5 am (not an easy thing to do), finished the last minute packing and cleaning and headed to the main road with my friend Rosen who helped me carry my bags. My friend Glenda was in the taxi and when we got to the taxi rank, the taxi to town was full and she asked if anyone would mind giving up their seat so I could make sure to catch my bus on time. A woman got out and let me have her seat right by the door which was great because my bag is slightly large (but not full, I anticipate coming back from the states with a few things…) and awkward. Besides the bag, the ride was comfortable, I wasn’t squished at all. The taxi driver dropped me off at the actual bus stop and it was only 7:15. This alone was a miracle – the bus leaves at 8:20 and usually I barely make it in time.
The bus arrived on time; we loaded up quick and easy and were on the road in less than 15 minutes. No break downs, no delays. They showed terrible movies but really, I can’t complain. We made it to Pretoria around 2. Here they made us switch buses, which was kind of odd – Johannesburg is only an hour away. I thought the process would take forever but that was also surprisingly smooth and very quick. I had a very nice conversation with a local weatherman, who is also a teacher and runs marathons – that was definitely entertaining. And then we made it to Joburg by 3:15. I have never made it once to Joburg before 4pm and usually it’s much later. I must say, I have new found faith in the transportation systems of South Africa. At least until the next interesting road trip.
Hopefully more inspiration will come again soon…
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