A children's fantasy film set to be released in theaters today has some Christians upset over what they believe is a scheme to promote atheism to kids.

"The Golden Compass," starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, has spawned a boycott by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and other Christian groups in the United States.

"The Catholic Church is explicitly asking Christian movie watchers to shun 'The Golden Compass,'" said Father Michael Okere of Orangeburg's Holy Trinity Catholic Church. "The motive of this movie, it has been noted, is to sway innocent children to derail from their faith."

"The Golden Compass" movie is an adaptation of "Northern Lights" (released in the U.S. as "The Golden Compass"), the first novel in British author Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy of children's books. Pullman is reportedly an outspoken atheist.

However, proponents say the film is unlikely to offend religion, as New Line Cinema has tried to keep religion out of it, focusing more on the story of a little girl and her journey to a strange universe.

In the movie, the 12-year-old protagonist, Lyra (played by British newcomer Dakota Blue Richards), stumbles on an adventure when she overhears her uncle, Lord Asriel (Craig), talking about Dust, a mysterious element that is crucial in the story.

Lord Asriel is embarking on an expedition to the Arctic Circle to find the mysterious component called Dust. But the powerful Magisterium is doing everything to stop him. (Note: Magisterium is the name of the Catholic Church's sacred teaching authority.)

Lyra travels to an alternate universe where everyone has a spiritual alter-ego, or daemon, in animal form. While there, she receives a magical golden compass that Marisa Coulter (Kidman) is secretly trying to steal from her to give to the Magisterium.

"In both the book and the movie, attacks were fiercely directed on the Catholic Church particularly, and the entire Christendom in general, by wantonly trivializing many of their key concepts and values," Okere said. "Already, Christian-haters are angry, because the movie will only provide a diluted version of the book.

"This sends a red signal to good Christians who are intending to endure agonizing minutes of faith-lashing to rethink."

The anti-religious themes get progressively stronger with each book in the trilogy.

In the final book, the characters succeed in killing "the Authority," a character masquerading as God who has falsely claimed to be creator of the universe.

The award-winning British author has described himself in various interviews as either an atheist or an agnostic, but recently he has been quoted as saying he is "a religious man" because he is "preoccupied by the questions religion is preoccupied with." He has also said in recent interviews he is not promoting atheism in his books but rather simply telling a story.

Local pastors from several Christian denominations were contacted for this story but declined to comment, saying they had not heard enough about "His Dark Materials" books or "The Golden Compass" movie to discuss it.

Books in the trilogy have sold more than 15 million copies around the world, with "Northern Lights" winning the Carnegie Medal for Children's Literature in 1995. In 2007, it was awarded the Carnegie of Carnegies for best children's book of the past 70 years.

"The Amber Spyglass," the final book in the series, won the Whitbread Prize in 2001, making it the first children's book to do so.

Miranda Martin, assistant store manager of Waldenbooks in the Prince of Orange Mall, said the store carries the original book, movie version and hardcover collectors edition of "The Golden Compass."

"They've been doing quite well," she said of sales.

The original version has been selling the most, Martin said, because people want to see where the movie originated. Most of the buyers have been parents purchasing the book for their children, she said, and none of them have expressed concern over the recent controversy.

"Customers seem to not be bothered by that," Martin said, adding that while she hasn't heard customer comments about the role of religion in the books, employees have discussed the controversy among themselves.

One resident of Orangeburg who is bothered by Pullman's books is Adele Palmieri, who says she is thoroughly against the movie and the trilogy on which it is based.

"These days there's so much evil going on, and, with a questionable movie like that, we don't need to be tempted," Palmieri said. "Christians need to be careful about what they let their families see."

Palmieri said no one in her family will be supporting the movie. Orangeburg resident Marcia Walters agreed.

"Everything in our family is God-based, and anything to influence my children to be anti-God, I am not for," she said.

T&D Features Writer Candace Newson can be reached by e-mail at cnewson@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5540. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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