Brian Keith Anderson

(Here is my response to the Golden Compass Alert e-mail from my uncle.) (Read the alert e-mail at Snopes.com)

Uncle Hal, thanks for the e-mail. While researching the author of the book, I recognized that his preferred arguments coincide nearly verbatim with another fellow whom we know of: Korihor . I won’t spoil the fun of an exhaustive comparison, but here are a few instances of similarity and at the end of this e-mail I have very practical question to pose to you and my father (cc’d). Here are the two texts used for comparison: Alma chapter 30 and Philip Pullman’s web-site.

By way of comparison, Pullman and Korihor both:

1. Are products of a society that believed in freedom of religion
Pullman: While he is not an American citizen, his works are marketed in a place where: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” And other First Amendment protections.
Korihor: (Alma 30:7 “there was no law against a man’s beliefs”), but punishment for other crimes (Alma 30:11 “…a man was punished only for the crimes which he had done”).

2. Deny the existence of God.
Pullman, when interviewed said, “…I don’t think it’s possible that there is a God.” (he disclaims more at his site)
Korihor, when asked by Alma “believest thou there is a God?” answered: “Nay.” Alma 30:38

3. Deny the creations of God.
Pullman: It is… “perfectly possible to explain how the universe came about without bringing God into it.’
Korihor (when Alma points out the witnesses of the Supreme Creator including “the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea and also the planets which move in their regular form…” and then Alma asks “will ye deny against all these witnesses?): “Yea, I will deny, except ye shall show me a sign.”

4. Deny gifts of God (prophecy, personal revelation, etc)
Pullman: “nobody knows”
Korihor terms it “traditions… dreams… whims… visions… and pretended mysteries”

5. Deny the Kingdom of Heaven.
Pullman “rejects… an idealized afterlife”
Korihor “no atonement… when man is dead, that is the end thereof.”

6. Malign religious insitutions and attack their intentions.
Pullman accuses churches of “ideological tyranny.”
Korihor accused churches of “usurp(ing) power and authority over them”

It should be recognized that the intent of these heinous doctrines is to lead “women, and also men, to commit whoredoms - telling them that when a man was dead, that was the end thereof.” Also, to “enjoy their rights and privileges and make use of what is their own.” (Alma 30) In other words, if it’s not against the law, live it up! (Like sexual promiscuity, liquor, etc.). In the case of Pullman, he is leveraging his evil doctrines and planting the seeds of destruction early through marketing to children. In his more aggressive works, he includes topics regarding the limitation or abuse of procreative power and disparagement of divine nature. For example: female circumcision and male castration.

Please verify that Pullman clearly articulates the lies of Korihor in nearly every particular - including the spirits that deceive him by doing the comparison yourself.

In all likelihood, this movie is the bait for worse things to come - remember, it’s a trilogy.Sorry so long!
Brian Keith Anderson