And God said, "Well, you can't choose your followers..."

Apparently The Golden Compass, the film adaptation of Northern Lights is causing a bit of a brouhaha in the States. The film sees a huge multi-universe battle take place between mankind, theocracy and a heavenly army. Bastions of sensible and rational criticism the Catholic League have spoken out against the film, based as it is on the books of atheist author Philip Pullman. Here are some quotes I have mercilessly borrowed from Wikipedia.

They believe that while the religious elements of the film will be "watered down" from the source novels, it will still encourage children to read the series, which League president William A. Donohue says "denigrates Christianity" and promotes "atheism for kids", citing author Pullman as saying that he is "trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief."It is the League's hope that "the film [will fail] to meet box office expectations and that [Pullman's] books attract few buyers."

And they have every right to say such things and wish such things on their fellow human beings. However, Mr Donohue seems to believe that the religion in the book, the basis of the theocracy, is Christianity. But guess who never gets a mention between the six covers of Pullman's opus? Guess who doesn't even get a cameo in Lyra's Oxford? Yup! The big JC himself! And as for promoting atheism to kids... he makes that sound like a bad thing. What the coition is wrong with atheism? Golly! Would Donohue have spoken out against a film promoting Islamic faith, or Judaism? Probably not, but as it's atheism, then it's open season, 'cos, hey, atheists aren't organised! Release the dogs! As it is Pullman has already sold shedloads of copies of HDM, and I'm sure the money he's received from the adaptations hardly have him crying all the way to the pawnbrokers.

Also, Mr Donohue is worried that kid's are going to pursue a line of thought given them by a film that features alcoholic talking polar bears. But then maybe he's right to. I think most children are incapable of distinguishing between the kind of fantasy presented to them in fairytales and the kind of fantasy presented to them in religious texts.

Is it time for an atheism league? The trouble with rectifying such insulting behaviour as Mr Donohue's is that it's not a very atheistic thing to do. However mistaken atheists believe the likes of Christians are, we're only ever going to engage with them when they cross the line - insisting that creationism gets equal prominence in science lessons with Darwinism, for instance.

What troubles me most about Christian pressure groups getting up in arms whenever their Gods aren't depicted in a way that they would like (see Jerry Springer: the Opera and Last Temptation for reference) is that it suggests either a) they have no capability of entertaining any form of critical thoughts about their own belief system or b) they do, but feel that the man on the Clapham Omnibus doesn't, and to that end such critical thoughts are a danger to him. Arrogant but righteous.