Scouting Magazine and The Golden Compass

[Trevorum]

Calico - don't get your hopes up. "Dogma" was indeed hilarious, but how could it not be with the likes of George Carlin playing a pompous priest with a sacred nine-iron.

[ghermanno]

I may be wrong but I believe the 9-iron was blessed but not sacred. I LOVED the movie (Dogma) and found Compass to be a good kids movie with adventure.

 

ASM915, have you seen the movie or read the books? I am curious as this is the same reason I started reading Harry Potter back around 2000. The religious "we know betters" tried to BAN the books from schools and public libraries. They never read the books either.

 

 

[OldGreyEagle]

Dogma is a pretty interesting movie, always wondered how it would play if it satirized the Muslim faith the same way it toasted the Catholic Church

[DanKroh]

I read the books when they first came out. They are excellent. Well written, imaginative, with strong young characters who show that anyone of any age can make a difference if they are true to their convictions and want to help others who are being oppressed by an unjust authority. My older son read and loved them, and I'm sure the younger one will, once he finishes all the Harry Potter books.

 

My impression of the "bias" of the author was actual more anti-Church (i.e. organized religion and religious authority) rather than anti-religion. I hate to say more about the end of the trilogy and spoil it, but that whole thing was not about destroying "God" so much as a false authority trying to pawn itself of as the absolute moral authority, when it obviously wasn't. I actually rather fancied the final message of, "trust your instincts when it comes to other people trying to regulate morality for you".

 

But I could see how that would stick in the craw of some.

 

As far as the movie, it hardly bombed. My only problem with it (as with many movies based on books) is that it took liberties with the original plot, and actually backed way, way off on the anti-authority message. Not as many liberties as "The Seeker", which was barely recognizable even to the original author, Susan Cooper. In this case, I'm actually looking forward to The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass being made into movies.

 

But I'm not sure what the box office draw of the movie has to do with whether or not to recommend a book that was written 10 years before the movie was made?

[elfdream]

I think the movies are going to stop with this one. If I remember correctly it didn't make enough money to justify doing the other two but I might be wrong.

[Gold Winger]

I just fininished reading the trilogy. In my simple minded opinion, the third book kinda fell flat and actually became shrill in its preaching.

 

The first two were enjoyable, even with the obvious anti-religion bias. Lyra's world has the catholic church controlling just about everything in science and politics.

 

The third book just left me wondering why I wasted an evening reading it.

 

On the other hand, the companion book, Once upon a time in the North, the story of how Lee Scorsby and Ioerk Byrnison met, was quite entertaining, if anti-capitalist.

[gwd-scouter]

Back to ASMs original question. While some may feel that Boy's Life is not the place to promote the book or others like it, I see no problem with it. The article was about getting boys to read. I know from my own two boys, one has been a voracious reader all his life - he will reading just about anything. The younger had to be forced to read his assigned books for school. But, he couldn't put down anything with a fantasy type story: Harry Potter, Narnia, Eragon, Lord of the Rings, and now the Compass stories. Older son likes them too. Both sons, I'm happy to say, still have their moral compasses in tact.

 

So what would you have the editors of Boy's Life do? Start printing a list of banned books?

[evmori]

Being a devout Christian, I have always found it best not to read books or see movies like this.

[artjrk]

With my wife being a middle school reading teacher, our whole family is a bunch of avid readers. As parents we also like to read what our kids are reading. As practicing Christians we have enjoyed our family read alouds of the Narnia series, as well as the Potter series and Tolkien books. We feel that it is also important for our kids to read books that will make them think. Sometimes these "controversial" books help us understand why we believe what we do. The same with movies.

 

This goes the same for what we do in scouts. The boys are at an age where they are exploring and trying to understand what they believe. They are no longer at an age where they believe what they do just because that is what they where told to believe. We challenge them to grow and mature and take on personal responsibilities.

 

As far as the Golden Compass series goes. Our whole family enjoyed the first book, but by the time we got to the third book...heh not so great. Personally I didn't like where the author went with it, but it did allow me to think about what I believe in and strengthen that conviction.

[BulldogBlitz]

"So what would you have the editors of Boy's Life do? Start printing a list of banned books? "

 

 

Since they were "trying to get the boys to read", BL should encourage reading of Das Kapital, Mein Kampf, and whatever "anti" book we can promote. Let's not let the atheistic view be the only one read.

[NJCubScouter]

For whatever it's worth, the article being discussed in this thread appeared in Scouting magazine, not Boys Life as some have mentioned. I don't read Boys Life these days, so I do not know whether there was a corresponding article (with the same list) in that magazine. I wouldn't be surprised if an article like that appeared in Scouting only, on the theory that the BSA is providing this recommended list of books to parents and then letting the parents decide which books their kids should be reading. None of this applies in my house, as my son has already read most of the books on the "older guys" list, including some books that I never knew he had read until we went over the list.

 

One thing my son and I noticed when going over the list: What is "Go Dog Go" doing on the list of "guys books"? It is a learn-to-read book that I read to all my kids (regardless of gender) when they were very young (probably as young as 2, and then they gradually learned to read it back to me.) I don't know what is particularly "guy"-ish about it... unless someone thinks dogs are for boys and cats are for girls? I don't get it... But at least that book has no religious (or irreligious) overtones that I ever discovered in years of reading and listening to it.

[Gold Winger]

"Being a devout Christian, I have always found it best not to read books or see movies like this"

 

Why? Are you afraid that your faith isn't strong enough to survive?

 

Better yet, how do you know what the book is about until you read it?

 

The primate of the Orthodox Church in America once opined that our faith cannot be very strong if we cannot question it.(This message has been edited by Gold Winger)

[gwd-scouter]

You're right NJCubScouter, it is in Scouting Magazine not Boy's Life. My mistake.

[evmori]

Why? Are you afraid that your faith isn't strong enough to survive?

No fear here! Just don't see the need.

 

Better yet, how do you know what the book is about until you read it?

Read reviews, duh!

 

The primate of the Orthodox Church in America once opined that our faith cannot be very strong if we cannot question it.

What does that have to do with the reading material I choose?

[BulldogBlitz]

"Why? Are you afraid that your faith isn't strong enough to survive?"

 

 

how about not wanting to put money into their pocket.... i might watch the movie for free, but i have no interest in shelling out $20 to see a movie that promotes a view that i goes against my value system. maybe BL should promote Brokeback Mountain too.