Below are some resources dealing with the religious content of Pullman’s trilogy. Because Pullman’s trilogy is typically marketed as children’s literature, Pullman has gained great notoriety for his unapologetically atheist beliefs, and the fact that his most villainous characters are agents of an oppressive, totalitarian Church called the Magisterium. Direct quotes from these sources are sometimes included, as seen in the indented boxes.
BBC. "Archbishop wants Pullman in class." March 2004.
In 2004, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, encouraged the inclusion of His Dark Materials in classrooms to promote discussion of religion.
BBC. "Pullman laughs off ’dangerous’ claim." March 2002.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1849484.stm
This brief article notes Pullman’s success and
quotes his response to claims that he is "anti-Christian."
"Wherever you see organised religion and priesthoods and power, you see cruelty and tyranny and repression. It’s almost a universal law. It’s not just Christianity I’m getting at. The reason that the forms of religion in the books seem to be Christian is because that’s the world I’m familiar with."
In this interview Pullman reveals that when beginning HDM he created what Billen calls a "rival Book of Genesis" that is the creation story that HDM is established on. A large part of this mythology revolves around the angel Sophia, who is the first to challenge God’s authority. Throughout the interview, Billen quizzes Pullman about his background and seeks to draw connections from Pullman’s childhood to the contents of HDM (specifically trying to find a parallel between Pullman’s parents and Lyra’s). Pullman also talks about his writing habits and his views on the dying idea of God.
“Yes, that’s what it means, isn’t it? That’s what Nietzsche meant. He meant the old idea of God, the idea that there is a personal God who lives somewhere and keeps an eye on us and looks after us and punishes us and rewards us is dead. It’s not possible to believe that any more. Intellectually the life’s gone out of it. It’s drained. It’s hollow. It’s lying there stiff and cold and empty. God is dead. That’s what I’m killing with the death of my God in this.”
Greene, Mark. "A Different Kind of Hero." Christianity
Magazine September 2005.
http://www.christianitymagazine.co.uk/engine.cfm?i=92&id=376&arch=1
In this review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,
Greene notes that J.K. Rowling does not have an occult agenda. Pullman,
however, is accused of "creat[ing] empathy with [his] readers in order to make
them more open to an expressly anti-church or anti-God message." This sort of
writing, Greene says, is much more dangerous than something like Harry
Potter.
Hitchens, Peter. "This is the most dangerous
author in Britain." The Mail January 2002:
63.
http://pers-www.wlv.ac.uk/~bu1895/hitchens.htm
In this editorial, Hitchens rages against Pullman, who he calls
the "Anti-Lewis" with a "sinister agenda." More
specifically, Hitchens is disturbed by Pullman’s hatred of The Chronicles
of Narnia and his unabashed atheism. In regards to the novels,
Hitchens complains that the third book of the trilogy, The Amber
Spyglass, is dominated by political correctness and propaganda rather than
an engaging storyline.
"[Pullman] openly and rightly believes storytelling can be a form of moral propaganda: ’All stories teach, whether the storyteller intends them to or not. They teach the world we create. They teach the morality we live by. They teach it much more effectively than moral precepts and instructions... We don’t need lists of rights and wrongs, tables of do’s and don’ts: we need books, time and silence. "Thou shalt not" is soon forgotten.’"
Hitchens, Peter. "A Labour of Loathing." The Spectator January 2003.http://www.lewrockwell.com/spectator/spec11.html
This article echoes many of the complaints made in The Mail article from January of 2002; this includes the accusation that Pullman seeks to "destroy" Narnia and the legacy of C. S. Lewis, the "most influential Christian in modern British culture." In this editorial, Hitchens despairs of the villification of the Church in Pullman’s works, and even tries to counter some of Pullman’s complaints about the Chronicles of Narnia (racism, misogyny, a focus on death over life).
Lyall, Sarah. "The Man Who Dared Make Religion the Villain."
The New York Times November
2000: E1.
Link:
The Man Who Dared to Make Religion the Villain
In this article, Lyall summarizes the books and explains their
potential for controversy, giving some basic background about Pullman and his
motivations for the HDM trilogy. "Instead, Mr. Pullman
argues for a ’’republic of heaven’’ where people live as fully and richly as
they can because there is no life beyond.
’’I wanted to emphasize the simple physical truth of things, the absolute primacy of the material life, rather than the spiritual or the afterlife,’’ [Pullman] said. ’’That’s why the angels envy our bodies—because our senses are keener, our muscles are stronger. If the angels had our bodies and our nerves, they’d be in a perpetual state of ecstasy.’’
Pullman, Philip. “Belief: Philip Pullman.” Interview by Joan Bakewell. BBC Belief Program 2001. http://darkadamant.betterversion.org/BBC_Belief_Philip_Pullman.txt
Pullman discusses in detail his debt to Paradise Lost, his
atheism/agonosticism, his beliefs about religion, and the importance of
creating stories and myth as a part of human civilization. Pullman says that
in the universe of HDM, the rebel angels - led by Sophia - gave each world a
gift: daemons, the gift of riding on wheels, etc. - to achieve wisdom. Pullman
stresses that he understands that there is a positive side to Christianity,
and that the Church of his books is not the same Christian Church of this
world.
"But what I’m intending to sort of show by that is—is the old idea of God, the old idea of God as being a person who’s up there, who loves us and looks after us and controls us and watches the fall of every sparrow, that idea has had its time. It’s dead."
"The idea of heaven stands I think very important. It stands for a sense of community. It stands for joy. It stands for a sense that the universe and we together, have a common meaning and a common destiny, and a purpose. It stands for connectedness between these things. All these things are so important, so fundamental to what keeps me alive that I don’t want to be without them. I don’t want to do without heaven, but I can no longer believe in a kingdom of heaven, so there must be a republic of heaven of which we are free and equal citizens - and it’s our duty to promote and preserve this. "
Pullman, Philip. “Talking to Philip Pullman: An Interview by
Wendy Parsons and Catriona Nicholson.” Interview by Wendy Parsons and Catriona
Nicholson. The Lion and the Unicorn 23.1 (1999): 116-134
Link:
Talking to Philip Pullman: An Interview...
(Note: This interview was conducted before Book Three was
finished and published.) Pullman describes the influence of Heinrich von
Kleist’s essay "On the Marionette Theater" in great detail - how grace
"appears most strongly in those parts of nature that are inanimate (the
puppets), or animal (like the bear), or innocent and unformed (like the
child)."
"And this is what I find so gripping and so optimistic about this particular vision. It’s in contrast to C. S. Lewis’s idea, for example, the Christian idea, that the Fall is a terrible thing; that we are all children of sin, and there’s no hope of doing any good unless we believe in God and then only if he chooses to bless us with his grace. I think that’s a pessimistic and defeatist view, and I don’t like it at all. I much prefer Kleist’s view. This is the theme of the book, of my trilogy. Lyra as the Eve figure."
The Fall of Man is:
"Completely essential. It’s the best thing, the most important thing that ever happened to us, and if we had our heads straight on this issue, we would have churches dedicated to Eve instead of the Virgin Mary. That’s basically it."
Schweizer, Bernard. “‘And He’s A-Going to Destroy Him’: Religious Subversion in Pullman’s HDM.” Lenz, Millicent and Carole Scott. _His Dark Materials_ Illuminated: Critical Essays on Philip Pullman’s Trilogy. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2005. 160-173.
Schweizer opens his essay by observing the increase in religious science fiction at the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st, and observes that Pullman’s books stand out as attacking Christian beliefs rather than affirming them. He muses over why Pullman’s books have not attracted more controversy and notoriety, and suggests that Pullman is part of a long line of intellectuals engaged in a sidelined anti-theistic rebellion. Pullman’s writing may be in part a
“feminist rejection of patriarchal theological doctrines,” as evidenced by his acceptance of female deity-figures like Xaphania (168). Schweizer, like me, believes that the witches’ spiritual beliefs are “invested with a moral authority that reveals them to be Pullman’s own beliefs” (164).
Vulliamy, Ed. "Author puts
Bible Belt to the test." The
Observer August
2001.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,542616,00.html
This article discusses the surprising lack of controversy in the US (especially in the conservative Bible Belt) over HDM. Many expected an uproar from conservative Americans but it hasn’t arrived; instead the series’ successful book sales are "subverting the influence of the Religious Right at the moment of its greatest political triumph." Vulliamy notes Pullman’s hatred for C. S. Lewis and his Chronicles of Narnia, as for A. A. Milne, the creator of Winnie the Pooh. Includes quotes from Pullman on how his series differs from other fantasy books (like Harry Potter).
"I’m just as interested in the Creation story as the fundamentalists are,’ says Pullman, ’but in the part played by the tempter, who leads us to the kingdom of good and evil, which is wisdom, as an act of kindness towards those beings who had been kept as prisoners by the authority."
Watkins, Tony. Dark Matter: Shedding Light on Philip Pullman’s Trilogy _His Dark Materials_. InterVarsity Press, 2006.
Watkins is open about his personal stance as a Christian and how this profoundly impacts the way he interprets Pullman’s books. He portrays Pullman as a person as well as a writer and storyteller, and draws connections from Pullman’s early life to the events and characters in his books. This book is divided into three main sections: an exploration of Pullman’s life, an overview of each book, and an analysis of themes and elements of HDM from Watkins’ point of view. Watkins repeatedly makes it clear that he appreciates the artistry of Pullman’s vision, but not the anti-religious content.
Watkins, Tony. "Supplemental Material to a Thinking Fan’s Guide to Philip Pullman."
http://www.damaris.org/cm/church/pullmanmaterial
This website includes excerpts from Watkins’ book, articles, interviews with Pullman, and study guides with questions for readers.
Welborn, Amy. "His Dark Materials." [Book review, personal
website.]
http://www.amywelborn.com/reviews/pullman.html
Though she praises Pullman’s writing, Amy Welborn criticizes Pullman for his obvious "anti-religious agenda" and the way Pullman refuses to admit that "any sense of human dignity and freedom adrift in the world today can be traced to the Judeo-Christian ethos."