Sunday, December 16, 2007

Do films such as "The Golden Compass" promote atheism?

When I read suggestions for featured questions listed in one of the blogs I post on, it becomes obvious that many of the folks asking those questions are teenagers. Sure there are the usual questions about dating, having sex, and new technological gadgets, along with some philosophical issues. But what really catches my attention is the number of questions dealing with magic and the occult. I guess that just a byproduct of the popularity of fantasy games online and on portable gaming systems. Most of the games in this genre deal with the struggle between good and evil, and I have played and enjoyed some of them myself. However, as a mature adult, I recognize those games for what they are, purely entertainment. For some impressionable minds, it appears that these gaming platforms have become a means of introducing youths into the real world of the occult. It's the same with horror movies, and some of the television and cable shows. Many of the required reading lists in high school and college literature classes include classics that are based on mythology. Current special effects techniques have enabled many of these novels to be adapted into big screen blockbusters, and now the film The Golden Compass has ignited a debate about whether or not these types of movies promote atheism.

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