TimesOnline reports: The British author Philip Pullman has attacked leading American Catholics as "nitwits" after they called for a boycott of The Golden Compass, which has its world premiere in London tonight.
Philip Pullman: Catholic boycotters are 'nitwits'
The British author Philip Pullman has attacked leading American Catholics as "nitwits" after they called for a boycott of The Golden Compass, which has its world premiere in London tonight.
In an escalation of the religious row over the film adaptation of the first of the Pullman trilogy, the north American Catholic League claimed that the movie is being used to pursue his "atheist agenda" and should be banned.
Bill Donohoe, the league's President, added that the production, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, could prompt parents to buy the books for their children unaware that the trilogy climaxes with an epic battle to "destroy God".
The film is due to be launched in the US on December 7, but the Catholic League says parents should refuse to see it. Its world premiere takes place at Leicester Square tonight.
However, Mr Pullman hit back with a furious counter-attack on his detractors, denying that his agenda was anything other than attracting readers and urging people to be allowed to make up their own mind.
"To regard it as this Donohue man has said - that I'm a militant atheist, and my intention is to convert people - how the hell does he know that?" he said, in an interview with Newsweek magazine.
"Why don't we trust readers? Why don't we trust filmgoers? Oh, it causes me to shake my head with sorrow that such nitwits could be loose in the world."
Mr Donohue's call for a boycott has already been taken up by some Catholic leaders in the US and Canada, but not so far in Britain.
A school board in Ontario has ordered Northern Lights, the book on which the film is based, to be removed from library shelves in the run-up to the film's launch. Several other Canadian school boards are reported to be considering taking the same action.
Meanwhile, the archdiocese in Philadelphia has urged parents not to take their children to the film when it is released.
Suspicions over Mr Pullman's agenda appear to have partly been prompted by his past comments on religion to American newspapers. In particular, he told the Washington Post that one of his key goals was to "undermine the basis" of Christian belief.
Despite its attempts to boycott The Golden Compass, the Catholic League's has a less-than impressive track record in triggering religious boycotts. Its highest profile recent attempt was to shun The Da Vinci Code, which ended up becoming one of the most popular movies of 2006 in the US.
A spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church in Britain said it would not make any statement on the film until its representatives had seen it.
11 comments - Add yours
#1
stupid american catholic association, ruining every ones chance on reading such a great book . as a catholic I appolagie for stupid like this i mean whats their problem its not as if phillip pullman is going door to door and shoving his beliefs are his beliefs so don’t criticis him for that they are just as bad as the sanhedrin to jesus
# November 27, 2007 17:09 by ninja3000
#2
Thanks for putting a vote for the not crazy Catholics there ninja, always good to see. I’m not catholic, but it strikes me any catholic afraid of this film has a problem with thier faith.
# November 27, 2007 19:18 by Pilgrim
#3
I think the last paragraph sums it up well:
America: OMG TEH NON RELIGION? BANZ IT!
Britain: Well, lets see if there’s anything there to work up a fuss over!
# November 27, 2007 20:29 by edd8990
#4
You’re right, edd
# November 27, 2007 20:48 by Provideniya
#5
I’m a little tired of the sloppy reporting of this so-called boycott, and the organization (or rather, individual) behind it.
The “Catholic League”, which has been leading the charge for boycotting “The Golden Compass”, is most emphatically NOT an official organization of the Roman Catholic Church (although it does enjoy the support of a few more conservative members). It is an independent non-profit advocacy group, essentially run single-handedly by the ultra-conservative layperson William Donohue. He obviously covets media attention, and never fails to protest blockbuster movies or high-profile celebrities who display what he claims are anti-Catholic or anti-Christian biases.
As a supposedly devout Catholic, one would think Donohue would spend more effort protesting torture or the death penalty, two other high profile topics that are strongly—and formally—opposed at the highest levels of the Church. Instead, he courts the media (and millions in donations from similarly-minded individuals*) with his meaningless and hateful pop-culture protests.
(In 2005, the latest year for which such information is available, Donohue was paid a generous $334,134 for his work as President of the Catholic League. One doesn’t need an alethiometer reading to suspect what genuinely motivates this man).
# November 27, 2007 22:11 by Lord Kinbote
#6
Careful now! Down with this sort of thing
# November 28, 2007 12:22 by jubbjubb
#7 Pfft
I agree with Pullman. :) I’m also glad to live in a country where if the school decided to pull the books from their shelves because of it’s “Religious” bashing, I can sue them into the ground and live a good life never having to work again.
Besides, the Cathliloc church has no room to talk about a film’s point on religion. I mean, do they need a reminder on the sex abuse cases that THEY tried to hide from the public? Shame on them, if God does exist (and I am a firm believer God does indeed exist, despite HDM being my favorite trilogy) then I am sure God has little care for people like that (at least one would hope.)
# November 28, 2007 17:10 by Phyco126
#8 The Catholic League are not the only nitwits...
Pullman is correct. It seems the home schooled religious right are lathering themselves up into a fuss about the movie before it even comes out in the US and never having read the books either. They must have really strong faith, do ya think? Makes me rather ashamed for them. To see the fun:
http://janparrish.blogspot.com/2007/10/golden-compass-movie-review.html
# November 28, 2007 20:09 by SantaFromtheNorth
#9 why!?
what gives? fair enough the catholics wanna defend their religion, but people should make up their own minds!!!!
# November 29, 2007 09:38 by Aquemnun Byrnison
#10 You are all in denial!!!!
Pullman has expressed in the past that he wishes to undermine religion, and that he wrote these books to do his part to do just that. Why are you people in denial about this. The facts are there in his own words!! He is denying it now because he does not want to jeopardize the money-making ability of the present movie, and he hopes to make money off the possible next two movies. Duh. Your inflamatory and deragatory remarks show your bias, ignorance and mean-spiritedness. Being against Pullman’s books and knowing why he wrote them do not mean Catholics and Christians do not have strong faith or are trying to force others to not do what they wish to do, and it is unethical for some people to suggest that. Some commentor even brought up sex abuse???? Just for your info, there has been more sex abuse perpetrated by religions other than the Catholic Church, but the media does not want to report such. Let’s face it, many people use the Catholic church as a means to garner immediate attention and make money off of . They hype up any flaw, and use it as the object of quick and cheap joke. It seems ok to attack Catholics, but would they attack other religions? Oh no, they would then be labeled intolerant or haters, and may need to fear for their lives, but it’s ok to do it to Catholics! They feel that is acceptable. Well, it is not!! Catholics are sick of the hateful, abusive, intolerant treatment. That is why the Catholic League was formed. But we are off topic now. Catholics are not afraid of this film. We do not want Pullman or any others to gain financially from this specially sanitized version of the book. We do not want parents to be duped into buying the books for their children based on the cleaner movie version. They are anti-Catholic. (And we don’t view our church as corrupt!!) One does not have to be a rocket scientist to realize the connection here, especially knowing the views of the author. Pullman meant it. Stop denying his intentions or trying to make Catholics feel stupid for being offended. Now Pullman has pulled out his name-calling card to try to shut Catholics up. If anyone is a nitwit, it is someone who refuses to admit Pullman’s intentions. These are his own words. “I am trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief.” - Pullman
# November 30, 2007 17:12 by skmccg
#11 Different Views
I think that we have to allow that different people have different views. We are all living in a country which was founded upon a desire for the freedom to worship the one true God. And our country’s foundations and traditions lean towards this. I think that organizations and homeschoolers need to be aware of the beliefs of, and properties of movies and literature wholeheartedly. Therefor the word needs to get out to research the movie and books. Otherwise parents may not know that the movie and books could lead to some serious warfare. I firmly believe that in this world we battle not with people and leaders but principalities of darkness and The Way...When you open your childs attentions to a movies that would allow them to be pray to some warfare that they at that age may not be prepared to undergo. Each child eventually comes to a place where they take their faith as their own and some parents just don’t want to rush that choice.
I think that just as you each want to the freedom to encourage these books and this movie...so do we want the freedom to discourage them. Maturity would allow that the ridiculous insults and name calling would not exist in these issues.
# November 30, 2007 20:19 by calie