I have read the books, and though Pullman is an avowed atheist and no doubt has all kinds of motives for writing his books (perhaps including the one you mention), I find the books themselves to be a harsh, albeit needed, critique against the abuses of some organized and and all state-run religion. If I want to read good theology, I know where to find it, believe me. Taken on their own merit, Pullman’s books lend themselves to all kinds of discussions about religion, church, faith and spirituality. My daughter, after she had read the books, and I talked about some of Pullman’s views found in his work, and I can assure you that she has not been moved to “kill God” in her mind. In fact, I believe that books like Pullman’s can actually strengthen the faith of his readers by causing them to think deeply about what they believe, as well as formulate thoughtful responses to the ideas that are troubling.

Christian Critics of fantasy and science fiction books often derail them for their unorthodox views and storylines. This was true of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, the Harry Potter series, the writings of Stewart O’Nan, and many, many others, And while all three of the authors of the aforementioned works consider themselves Christian, this has not lessened the criticism that came and still comes their way. This, in spite of the fact that, in my oipinion, in all of these works, and even in Pullman’s books, we can find elements of truth that cry out to be recognized and dealt with. That is what I am thinking.

Phil,

I hope some of what I have written above also serves to address what I think about the “secular observer’s” thoughts that you quote. Pullman is not the first person to have a real problem with authority or with what he sees as the authoritarianism of much of the institutional church. I think I need to delve more into his background to discover more about the environment in which he was raised, but I would be willing to bet that he had some very bad experiences with Church and organized religion that led him to believe the way he does. Thanks, however, for the scripture quote, which I assume is all your own doing. There’s nothing like a smack across the psyche with the Bible to make one see the error of his ways.