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Vatican Doing PR for flop “The Golden Compass”
By Kyle | December 19, 2007
In a last-ditch effort to reverse the fortunes of the tanking “The Golden Compass,” the Vatican has leaped into the controversy game by denouncing the film (whose bad guys are all but stamped “Catholic Church”) and the author, Philip Pullman, whose “His Dark Materials” series of books inspired the film.
Says the Vatican newspaper:
“In Pullman’s world, hope simply does not exist, because there is no salvation but only personal, individualistic capacity to control the situation and dominate events.”
Thinly worded statement, no? The Vatican isn’t saying that this is blasphemy, God will strike Pullman dead, etc. It’s just saying–pleading!–that it hopes God exists.
That maybe there is still a slight chance after all these years in which science has revealed more and more of the mysteries of the universe. Actually, in the world according to Pullman, hope does exist: hope of destroying God and putting mankind in the hands of science instead.
Showing a previously unsuspected familiarity with the box-office charts and the Hollywood cost structure, the Vatican also said it was “consoling” that the film grossed less than $26 million domestic on its opening weekend. Catty! The Church is starting to sound like an episode of “Entourage.” Is the pope morphing into that Christ-killer Ari Gold?
Topics: Books, Movies, Newspapers, Politics, Religion |
December 19th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Right on! I just wrote something on this very issue. I’d be honored if you took a look:
http://depthdeception.blogspot.com/
December 19th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
That maybe there is still a slight chance after all these years in which science has revealed more and more of the mysteries of the universe.
You’ve been watching too many Carl Sagan tapes, Kyle. Science has nothing to say about ultimate truth. The opinion of the logical postivists notwithstanding.
December 20th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
In a post about the disproportionate response of the Vatican to a dud movie, you put the phrase “Christ-killer” into the Pope’s mouth? Yeah,that was necessary.
Also, I’ve usually seen the word “Pope” capitalized in common usage, even among non-Catholics(me included). Maybe your lower-case-pope is a different guy than the one I’m thinking of.
December 20th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
The pope is lowercase; Pope John Paul II is uppercase. Check your style manual.
I did not put the phrase “Christ-killer” into the pope’s mouth.
Also, I have never seen a Carl Sagan tape.