This controversy is silly. People want free religion/speech", but when someone has something to say that conflicts with their views, they demand that they be silenced?

Also, to all of the people demanding it be "banned" (I'm well aware that a boycott is not the same as banning) and such because it shouldn't be available to lead their children to reading this book... such as:

"Parents have a right to raise their children in their faith w/o these outside influences of atheism."

Sure they do. But why don't you just raise your children yourself instead of making it the responsibility of others? You could certainly monitor your children and talk to them about this movie. Parenting is not an easy thing, it's difficult, hard work.

In my opinion, it is exactly feelings and actions such as these which cause many people to despise religion in general, even though sadly they are not all the same. You should not force others to comply with your selfish demands.

I'm religious myself.

J V, Sioux Falls, SD

The premise of Northern Lights (The Golden Compass) is too dark tonally to work as a seasonal blockbuster. The promotional clips look - as a friend described them - like a Christmas Coke promotion and I'm inclined to agree.
The producers have, unsurprisingly, opted for His Light Materials but Pullman's take on the adaptation business seems wholly sensible.

Colin, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire

I read all of PP's books and found them fascinating, full of wonderful ideas, but ultimately rather depressing. The most arresting images are ones of abused and abandoned children. There are few truly inspiring adult role models. Poor Lyra seeks to do the right thing, but ultimately in his world there is no right thing to do, other than confound and poke fun at scary grown-up religious people. PP's self-aggrandising comments about Pope Gregory are in the same vein. Yes, in the last book Lyra finds sex in an eco-utopia, but what will she do now that she has become a scary grownup? I expect the film to be rather better than the books, although as the producers saw fit to make it PG13 none of mine will be seeing it for some time.

Delilah, Maryland, USA

"The Catholic Church is not condemning Pullman for his atheism, but feels that he is promoting his ideas of the non-existance of God written about in his books."

Presumably because it feels that indoctrinating children is it's patch not Pullman's.

David Jones, Loughborough, UK

Those most eloquent and fluid in their language, who criticize faith in God of Abraham, and Christianity as a whole, in the end, satiate and calm those who are firm or semi-firm secular; and are also provocateurs at encouraging religious extremism...not a psychological sound way of trying to offset this problem.
There should always be checks and balances, however, the church/secularism rift has loudly been going on now for, how many hundreds of years, while science and technology has been allowed to flourish, with little control. With our natural human abilities for error, and failings, should those with this gift for self-expression, and ability to capture the senses of large populations, not be the ones to be focusing on what truly has the capability to cause suffering and demise, on the grandest scale? Where are those rich and colorful tales being told?

B, Montreal, Canada

If we want to talk about violent and sexual works being marketed to small children, where better to start than The Bible?

JMB, London,

In vain the surge's angry shock
in vain the shifting sands
unharmed upon the eternal Rock
the eternal city stands.

For this i am eternally grateful - nobody, no writer, no artist, no critic, no power, nothing in the universe could convince me that Christ Jesus did not live and die to return again. Nope! I delight in being hated, abused, insulted, mocked, jeered at and generally thought of as the biggest fool in the world. I do believe and still believe and no book or film can change that. Praise be to the Lord our God, who was and is and is to come and blessed be His holy name forever and ever, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Ify, Lagos, Nigeria

It's so typical that the Catholics get right on criticizing Pullman's use of the Pope Gregory quote. They evidently have waay too much free time.

I saw the sneak preview as well, here in Seattle. I was so distracted by the end that I couldn't appreciate it. There were several scenes from the trailer that weren't in the movie, including the end. I am ok with changing the story, but the trailer shouldn't lead people on.

Aryk, Seattle, WA

The quote by Pope Gregory th Great quite obviously demonstrates that he did care a much about pictures, and would have probably cared much about cinema, if had existed at his times. He praised the ability of pictures to communicate knowledge to those who couldn't read. Catholic churches are cluttered with pictures that have (or had) precisely that function.

Marco, Venice,

The Catholic Church has always preferred that the great mass of its followers remain illiterate. That great icon of English Catholicism Sir Thomas More did his best to prevent the translation of the Bible into English preferring that priests instruct people rather than they read the nonsense themselves. To this end he was not above using torture. Once the masses started to read and understand what was in the Bible we started to see the Church’s power crumble.

Alan Lewis, Bangkok,

Phillip Pullman extolls "the democratic value of openess and free expression." I wonder whether he'll be exercising these values in the writing of another trilogy aimed at debunking the God of Islam, Allah? Or even the prophet Mohammed? I think not.
The Christian God is a much easier (and safer) target.

Teresa, Aylesbury, UK

Dear Andrew Thomas,
It is a very sad world that so many like you have fallen to the non-belief in God, whether it is Jesus Christ, Mohammed or any God. To accuse an entire religion of believing in the Christian faith based on "fiction" is insulting, intolerant and disrespectful all peoples. The Catholic Church is not condemning Pullman for his atheism, but feels that he is promoting his ideas of the non-existance of God written about in his books. By children attending the movie which supposedly has removed all anti-Christian reference, it will lure the kids to read about the books. Pullman does not hide his hate for the Catholic religion and he had stated that his books are about "killing God". In the USA this is prejudiceness and these books do not belong in any schools. These books are also violent and sexual but being marketed to 8-12 children. Parents have a right to raise their children in their faith w/o these outside influences of atheism.
Mother of 4- Pennsylvania,USA

Mother of 4, Pennsylvania, USA

So, Pullman is upset that others are bearing false witness against him and his movie? Why should that be?
If there is no God and there is no sin, as Pullman aserts before he kills God off in his novels, whatever in the world is wrong with bearing false witness?
Be careful, or you might reap what you sow.
A world without God would be ungodly.

Lee, Sterling, USA

As somebody who has meant to read the books for years now, I find myself wondering whether maybe I should postpone it a bit longer and see the movie without any preconceived notions...

Can we put the Pope Gregory thing to rest now? It was a point that probably deserved criticism and has duly received it, now how about focusing on what Mr. Pullman is actually trying to convey in the article?

Paul J., Reykjavik, Iceland

Well said Andrew! I look forward to seeing the movie, I read all three of the books a couple of years ago and thought them amazing. I've been waiting for the film with baited breath. And the web site is marvelous! Hope it becomes a huge super hit!

Mary, Brooklyn, USA / New York

The quote by Pope Gregory seems to be entirely taken out of context. It seems obvious Pope Gregory was praising the ability of pictures to convey a message to illerate folks in the 6th century. Unless there is more to the quote, I do not understand why the author construes Pope Gregory to be small minded. Further, the quote has almost nothing to do with the thrust of the article?

Brett, Cleveland/Ohio, USA

Gregory's point was hardly as Philip Pullman stated it. Rather, he recognized that most people were illiterate, and were unlikely to ever acquire an education - which was both expensive and difficult at the time he wrote. Even at Rome's height, literate people were perhaps 20% of the population. Thus, his message is one of inclusion of all people in the Christian message, by any available means. This is not the same idea at all as patronizing the illiterate. The reverse only seems true if one does not know the history of the period, the facts about literacy and education which give Gregory's words their real significance - and if one has an axe to grind. Mr Pullman should apologize for his misleading opening, and admit that his anti-religious bias is unedifying at best. I myself am not a Christian, but I respect Gregory's honesty, clarity and humanity. I wish that Philip Pullman would learn something from him, as well as something about history and its significance.

Nick, London, UK

I just saw a sneak preview of the movie and say "Bravo!"

I, having read the books, saw it with someone who had not, and we both enjoyed an excellent adventure with Lyra. So, while I feel I understood more having read the book, I believe it stands fine on its own.

And our reaction at the end was the same; we wanted to see what happened next. That's important to the opening film of a triology!

Visual arts are experienced differently than books. The thoughts about family, friends, soul, free will and becoming an adult that (in my opinion) are at the center of the adventure are easier for some people to experience and contemplate visually, for others verbally. It is delightful now to have "The Golden Compass" in either format.

Now ... when's "The Subtle Knife" coming?

R E Winn, Mercer island, WA

I can understand why the Catholic Church would feel threatened by a work of fiction: Its entire belief system is based on one.

Andrew Thomas, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire

I think the point Pope Gregory was trying to make was that we all need to understand certain things. For those who could read in his day then books were the method, for those who could not read then they needed pictures to understand what they were being told. The same is true of Roman pillars - there they depicted great battles and historic events. There are many examples in other cultures as well.

You cannot draw the conclusions that you have drawn about Pope Gregory's attitude to those who could not read from the fact that he wanted to make sure that even those who could not read could have something to help them understand the Christian message and events in the life of Christ.

Simon Whitney, Bracknell,