5 posts tagged “atheism”

Jay Sekulow - ACLJ

2 comments

I received an e-newsletter from Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). Sekulow is taking on (or I guess sent an Amicus Brief) the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) who has a law suit to terminate the National Day of Prayer, which is today.

The FFRF is obviously an organization that is in step with the secular humanist agenda of terminating Christianity in America. I realize the FFRF bills itself as an atheistic and agnostic organization promulgating the delusion of separation of Church and State; however I doubt the efforts of the FFRF focus on other religions in America other than Christianity and Judaism.

This places the FFRF right up there with the reprobates focusing on ending Biblical Christianity as the foundation of the rule of law in America.

Read the Jay Sekulow e-newsletter defending the National Day of Prayer to get an idea of the evil of FFRF using Leftist activist Courts to attempt to perpetuate their Secular Humanist agenda.

JRH 5/7/09

***********************

ACLJ files amicus brief to protect the National Day of Prayer

Jay Sekulow

May 7, 2009

ACLJ E-newsletter

The National Day of Prayer - a longstanding American tradition - is today.  I hope you'll be able to participate in it this year ... and, indeed, for many years to come.

But it's in question - because of a federal lawsuit.

In fact, the ACLJ is currently representing 31 Members of Congress (including Rep. J. Randy Forbes of Virginia, who chairs the Congressional Prayer Caucus) in a crucial lawsuit attacking the constitutionality of the National Day of Prayer.  We have filed an amicus brief with a Wisconsin federal court asking the court to dismiss the case. 

Our argument is very clear:  The National Day of Prayer is deeply embedded in the tradition and history of this country, and such a proclamation and observance does not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.  

Sadly, this lawsuit - brought by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a Wisconsin-based organization - is another twisted legal attempt to remove prayer from public life.  It specifically challenges the constitutionality of a 1988 federal law giving the President the authority to designate the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer.

A day set aside for prayer for our country is a time-honored tradition - dating back to the late 1700s.  From the time of our Founding Fathers to the present day, such proclamations and observances reflect the nation's rich history. 

There is no constitutional crisis here.  We are hopeful that the court will take the only action appropriate in this case and DISMISS this lawsuit.

Our brief states that since our country's inception, nearly every president has issued proclamations calling the nation to pray for a variety of purposes.  In addition:

''Despite the long history of official government acknowledgment of the role of religion in American life, there are still those who, like FFRF, seek relentless extirpation of all religious expression and reference from public life.''

We argue that there are numerous legal decisions ''including Supreme Court precedent'' backing the constitutionality of the observance.

You can read the entire brief here.  Also, we have an entire section of our website dedicated to resources about prayer, including:  public prayer, praying at school, and prayer in the workplace.

Thank you so much for your support.  We'll keep you posted as developments unfold.

_____________________________

The ACLJ is an organization dedicated to the defense of constitutional liberties secured by law.

American Center for Law and Justice

P.O. Box 90555, Washington, D.C. 20090-0555

Phone: (800) 296-4529

Copyright©2009, ACLJ

Albert Einstein 2

Here is piece of Chain Email that my lovely daughter sent to me. I usually detest Chain Email because the facts often get obscure along the chain, the chain is an outright hoax or you have to send it to X amount friends to prove something or you might be cursed.

That is all hogwash!

This Chain Email on the other hand is a brilliant dialogue between an atheistic Professor and a couple of Christian students in his class. Plato would be proud.

JRH 1/7/09       

*****************************

God vs. Evil

'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.'  The atheist
professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his
new students to stand.
 
'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'
 
'Yes sir,' the student says.
 
'So you believe in God?'
 
'Absolutely.’
 
'Is God good?'
 
'Sure! God's good.'
 
'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'
 
'Yes'
 
'Are you good or evil?'
 
'The Bible says I'm evil.'
 
The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a
moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here
and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'
 
'Yes sir, I would.'
 
'So you're good...!'
 
'I wouldn't say that.'
 
'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could.
Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'
 
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't,
does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he
prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good?  Hmmm? Can you
answer that one?'
 
The student remains silent.
 
'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water
from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
 
'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'
 
'Er..yes,' the student says.
 
"is Satan good?'
 
The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'
 
'Then where does Satan come from?'
 
The student falters. 'From God'
 
'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in
this world?'
 
'Yes, sir.'
 
'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything correct??
 
'Yes'
 
'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created
everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to
the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'
 
Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred?
Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'
 
The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'
 
'So who created them?'
 
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question.
'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer
breaks away to pace in front of the classroom.  The class is mesmerized.
'Tell me,' he continues onto another student.
 
'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?
 
The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'
 
The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to
identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'
 
'No sir. I've never seen Him.'
 
'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'
 
'No, sir, I have not.'
 
'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelled your Jesus?
Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that
matter?'
 
'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'
 
'Yet you still believe in him?'
 
'Yes'
 
'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?'
 
'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'
 
'Yes, faith,'  the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science
has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'
 
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His
own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'
 
'Yes.'
 
'And is there such a thing as cold?'
 
'Yes, son, there's cold too.'
 
'No sir, there isn't.'
 
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. 
 
The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain.
 
'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat,
unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have
anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is
no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing
as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458
degrees.'
 
'Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits
energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or tran smit energy.
Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold
is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure
cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold
is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'
 
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding
like a hammer.
 
'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'
 
'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation. 'What is night if it
isn't darkness?'
 
'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of
something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing
light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's
called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word.'
 
 
'In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make
darkness darker, wouldn't you?'
 
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will
be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?
 
'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to
start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'
 
The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you
explain how?'
 
'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains.. 'You
argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad
God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we
can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.'
 
'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully
understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be
ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it. 'Now tell me,
professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'
 
'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man,
yes, of course I do.'
 
'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'
 
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes
where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.
 
'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and
cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not
teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion
has subsided.

'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let
me give you an example of what I mean.'
 
The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has
ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter.
 
'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the
professor's brain, touched or smelled the professor's brain? No one
appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of
empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no
brain, with all due respect, sir.'
 
'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures,
sir?'
 
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his
face unreadable.
 
Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I guess
you'll have to take them on faith.'
 
'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with
life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'
 
Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is.  We see it
everyday It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man.  It is in
the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world.  These
manifestations are nothing else but evil.'
 
To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it
does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just
like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the
absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what
happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like
the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when
there is no light.'
 
The professor sat down.
 
The student was Albert Einstein.   Albert Einstein did write a book
titled God vs. Science in 1921...
 
 
'For we walk by faith, not by sight.' 2 Corinthians 5:7

************************************

I have read this on the Internet before and it is awesome. Since it is a chain email I am certain the young student was not Albert Einstein but rather a clever writer utilizing Einstein's name. This is a fantastic introduction of how philosophy uses logic to try to defame Faith. The student's come back was brilliant, don't you think?

According to Snopes.com this is an urban legend concerning Albert Einstein’s involvement as a student; nonetheless as Snopes.com points out this has been a philosophical conundrum for quite some time.

Frankly a simple Google search of a book entitled, “God vs. Science” attributed to Albert Einstein doesn’t exist either. The only websites that claimed such a book exists were using this Chain Email as a reference.

Einstein did write a paper entitled, “Science and Religion.” Here Albert Einstein is critical of organized religion believing theology holds back the advancement of humanity via science. On the other hand Einstein does not deny the existence of a supernatural force or the moral foundations of the Judeo-Christian tradition.

The last two paragraphs of the “Science and Religion” have Einstein saying this:

“This attitude, however, appears to me to be religious, in the highest sense of the word. And so it seems to me that science not only purifies the religious impulse of the dross of its anthropomorphism but also contributes to a religious spiritualization of our understanding of life.

The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge. In this sense I believe that the priest must become a teacher if he wishes to do justice to his lofty educational mission.”

More Einstein on Religion:

When asked by an astounded atheist, if he were in fact deeply religious, Einstein replied:

Yes, you can call it that. Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature and you will find that, behind all the discernible concatenations, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable. Veneration for this force beyond anything that we can comprehend is my religion. To that extent I am, in point of fact, religious.

H. G. Kessler, The Diary of a Cosmopolitan, (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1971), p.157; quoted in Einstein and Religion by Max Jammer (Princeton University Press, 1999) pp. 39-40.

First Line of “Einstein’s Faith”:

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

I utilize these quotes from Albert Einstein to signify that he indeed was a religious person; however it is very doubtful he engaged in such a philosophical dialogue with a Professor. The dialogue is brilliant though, is it not?

Albert Einstein 2

Here is piece of Chain Email that my lovely daughter sent to me. I usually detest Chain Email because the facts often get obscure along the chain, the chain is an outright hoax or you have to send it to X amount friends to prove something or you might be cursed.

That is all hogwash!

This Chain Email on the other hand is a brilliant dialogue between an atheistic Professor and a couple of Christian students in his class. Plato would be proud.

JRH 1/7/09       

*****************************

God vs. Evil

'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.'  The atheist
professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his
new students to stand.
 
'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'
 
'Yes sir,' the student says.
 
'So you believe in God?'
 
'Absolutely.’
 
'Is God good?'
 
'Sure! God's good.'
 
'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'
 
'Yes'
 
'Are you good or evil?'
 
'The Bible says I'm evil.'
 
The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a
moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here
and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'
 
'Yes sir, I would.'
 
'So you're good...!'
 
'I wouldn't say that.'
 
'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could.
Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'
 
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't,
does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he
prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good?  Hmmm? Can you
answer that one?'
 
The student remains silent.
 
'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water
from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
 
'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'
 
'Er..yes,' the student says.
 
"is Satan good?'
 
The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'
 
'Then where does Satan come from?'
 
The student falters. 'From God'
 
'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in
this world?'
 
'Yes, sir.'
 
'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything correct??
 
'Yes'
 
'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created
everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to
the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'
 
Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred?
Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'
 
The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'
 
'So who created them?'
 
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question.
'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer
breaks away to pace in front of the classroom.  The class is mesmerized.
'Tell me,' he continues onto another student.
 
'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?
 
The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'
 
The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to
identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'
 
'No sir. I've never seen Him.'
 
'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'
 
'No, sir, I have not.'
 
'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelled your Jesus?
Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that
matter?'
 
'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'
 
'Yet you still believe in him?'
 
'Yes'
 
'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?'
 
'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'
 
'Yes, faith,'  the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science
has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'
 
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His
own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'
 
'Yes.'
 
'And is there such a thing as cold?'
 
'Yes, son, there's cold too.'
 
'No sir, there isn't.'
 
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. 
 
The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain.
 
'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat,
unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have
anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is
no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing
as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458
degrees.'
 
'Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits
energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or tran smit energy.
Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold
is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure
cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold
is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'
 
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding
like a hammer.
 
'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'
 
'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation. 'What is night if it
isn't darkness?'
 
'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of
something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing
light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's
called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word.'
 
 
'In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make
darkness darker, wouldn't you?'
 
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will
be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?
 
'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to
start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'
 
The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you
explain how?'
 
'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains.. 'You
argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad
God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we
can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.'
 
'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully
understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be
ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it. 'Now tell me,
professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'
 
'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man,
yes, of course I do.'
 
'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'
 
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes
where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.
 
'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and
cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not
teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion
has subsided.

'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let
me give you an example of what I mean.'
 
The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has
ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter.
 
'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the
professor's brain, touched or smelled the professor's brain? No one
appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of
empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no
brain, with all due respect, sir.'
 
'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures,
sir?'
 
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his
face unreadable.
 
Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I guess
you'll have to take them on faith.'
 
'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with
life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'
 
Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is.  We see it
everyday It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man.  It is in
the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world.  These
manifestations are nothing else but evil.'
 
To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it
does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just
like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the
absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what
happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like
the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when
there is no light.'
 
The professor sat down.
 
The student was Albert Einstein.   Albert Einstein did write a book
titled God vs. Science in 1921...
 
 
'For we walk by faith, not by sight.' 2 Corinthians 5:7

************************************

I have read this on the Internet before and it is awesome. Since it is a chain email I am certain the young student was not Albert Einstein but rather a clever writer utilizing Einstein's name. This is a fantastic introduction of how philosophy uses logic to try to defame Faith. The student's come back was brilliant, don't you think?

According to Snopes.com this is an urban legend concerning Albert Einstein’s involvement as a student; nonetheless as Snopes.com points out this has been a philosophical conundrum for quite some time.

Frankly a simple Google search of a book entitled, “God vs. Science” attributed to Albert Einstein doesn’t exist either. The only websites that claimed such a book exists were using this Chain Email as a reference.

Einstein did write a paper entitled, “Science and Religion.” Here Albert Einstein is critical of organized religion believing theology holds back the advancement of humanity via science. On the other hand Einstein does not deny the existence of a supernatural force or the moral foundations of the Judeo-Christian tradition.

The last two paragraphs of the “Science and Religion” have Einstein saying this:

“This attitude, however, appears to me to be religious, in the highest sense of the word. And so it seems to me that science not only purifies the religious impulse of the dross of its anthropomorphism but also contributes to a religious spiritualization of our understanding of life.

The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge. In this sense I believe that the priest must become a teacher if he wishes to do justice to his lofty educational mission.”

More Einstein on Religion:

When asked by an astounded atheist, if he were in fact deeply religious, Einstein replied:

Yes, you can call it that. Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature and you will find that, behind all the discernible concatenations, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable. Veneration for this force beyond anything that we can comprehend is my religion. To that extent I am, in point of fact, religious.

H. G. Kessler, The Diary of a Cosmopolitan, (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1971), p.157; quoted in Einstein and Religion by Max Jammer (Princeton University Press, 1999) pp. 39-40.

First Line of “Einstein’s Faith”:

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

I utilize these quotes from Albert Einstein to signify that he indeed was a religious person; however it is very doubtful he engaged in such a philosophical dialogue with a Professor. The dialogue is brilliant though, is it not?

The Golden Compass

I know “The Golden Compass” has been out since Friday December 7; however this email notice that I finally opened provides pretty good reasons as to why this is not a movie Christians should patron with their money or have their children’s malleable minds subjected to the subtle anti-Christian under tones of the movie.

Incidentally the movie was tamed because of expected criticism; however the books from the “The Golden Compass” are based are overtly anti-Christian and the author is an avowed atheist.

JRH 12/9/07

************************

The Golden Compass—Pointing Children in the Wrong Direction

Kellie Copeland

Email Notification: December 7, 2007

KCM.org

In the days we are living in it is imperative that we be aware of God’s plan for this generation. At the same time, we must not be ignorant of Satan’s plan and devices. He has launched an all-out attack on our children in an effort to control their hearts and minds. Many Christian parents, while aware this is his goal, will unknowingly allow the enemy the access he is after.

The Golden Compass, a children’s fantasy movie starring Nicole Kidman, and scheduled for release December 7, is one such doorway into the minds of children. The movie is based on a novel written by avowed atheist Phillip Pullman. The Golden Compass is the first book in a trilogy called “His Dark Materials” which also includes The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass (for a summary of these books go to http://www.randomhouse.com/features/pullman/index.html.)

Many of you are aware of the anti-God, anti-church, anti-authority message of these novels. However, some parents will allow their children to see the movie where the anti-God message will be toned down significantly for the screen. Many will be deceived into allowing their children to read the books. As believers, we must take our position in opposition against anything that would exalt itself against the Word of God.

Despite saying he is only telling a story, the author is very passionate about his beliefs. This should be enough to keep believers away from seeing the movie or allowing their children to read these books. The purpose of this article is not aimed solely to discuss what is right or wrong, but reveals God’s purpose and plan for this generation and expose the enemy’s objective as being the destruction of God’s position in the home, family and church.

Satan is afraid of this generation of believers and is doing all he can to divert their attention from the Lord. In “His Dark Materials” the content is the antithesis of everything the Lord has planned for our kids.

Consider the collective impact of the following points taken from interviews and quotes from the series and by Mr. Pullman himself:

THE FALL IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN

·      It is considered a positive step towards enlightenment and the improvement of life. It is a central theme of the trilogy. Lyra and Will (the two main characters) represent Adam and Eve, whose temptation was their love for each other.

·      In a recent interview[1], Mr. Pullman states, “…the Satan figure is Mary Malone, not Lord Asriel and the temptation is wholly beneficent. She tells her story about how she fell in love, which gives Lyra the clue as to how to express what she’s now beginning to feel about Will, and when it happens, they both understand what’s going on and are tempted and they…fall—but it’s a fall into grace, towards wisdom, not something that leads to sin, death, misery, hell and Christianity.”

·      In another recent interview[2], Mr. Pullman says, “…The thrust of the story, the sympathy of the story if you like, seems to be with the side that many traditionally minded Christians in particular have thought to be the wrong side. The general theme, the general gist of the whole book is that the famous story of the Temptation in the Garden of Eden and the Fall of Man so-called, when Eve gave way to the temptation to eat the fruit of knowledge and tempted Adam to eat it as well, that this traditionally [has] been presented as being a very bad thing and Eve was very wicked and we all got covered in sorrow and sin and misery from then on as a result of this…well, I just reversed that, I thought wasn’t it a good thing that Eve did, isn’t curiosity a valuable quality? Shouldn’t she be praised for risking this? It wasn’t after all, that she was after money or gold or anything, she was after knowledge. What could possibly be wrong with that?”

·      In a speech[3], Pullman states “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 but ‘Once upon a time’ lasts forever.”

·      ‘Wisdom isn’t gained from God but from experience and making your own choices.” [3]

THE CHARACTER CALLED GOD IS THE ENEMY

·      In The Amber Spyglass[4], it reads: “The Authority, god, the Creator, the Lord, Yahweh, El, Adonai, the King, The Father the Almighty—those were all names he gave himself. He was never the creator. He was an angel like ourselves—the first angel, true, the most powerful…The Authority was the first of all. He told those who came after him that he had created them, but it was a lie.”

THE REPUBLIC OF HEAVEN

·      Mr. Pullman says[5], “We’re used to the kingdom of heaven; but you can tell from the general thrust of the book that I’m of the devil’s party, like Milton. And I think it’s time we thought about a republic of heaven instead of the kingdom of heaven. The king is dead. That’s to say I believe that the king is dead. I’m an atheist. But we need heaven nonetheless, we need all the things that heaven meant, we need joy, we need a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives, we need a connection with the universe, we need all the things that the kingdom of heaven used to promise us but failed to deliver. And furthermore we need it in this world where we do exist not elsewhere, because there ain’t no elsewhere.”

·      In yet another interview[6], Mr. Pullman says, “The republic of heaven…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…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.”

·      This philosophy is promoted by the main character, Lyra, who speaks of the Republic of Heaven[7]: “‘We have to be all those difficult things like cheerful and kind and curious and patient, and we’ve got to study and think and work hard, all of us, in all our different worlds, and then we’ll build….’ ‘And then what?’ said her daemon sleepily. ‘Build what?’ ‘The Republic of Heaven,’ said Lyra.”

·      When asked about Jesus’ statement[1] “Unless you become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” Mr. Pullman responded, “He wasn’t right all the time.”

THE NAME OF THE TRILOGY, “HIS DARK MATERIALS” IS DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED TO THE WORD OF GOD

·      Everything in this universe is made up of light at its core. When God said, “Light Be” (Genesis 1) it was! God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all. We are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth (1 John 1:5-8). We are children of the light. Darkness does not comprehend us.

THE CHURCH IS ESTABLISHED AS THE ENEMY, AS ARE THE PARENTS

·      The main characters are hunted, kidnapped by the “Church.” They seek to destroy Lyra and Will and others.

THE SOUL OF LYRA AND OTHER CHARACTERS EXIST OUTSIDE THEIR BODIES IN ANIMALS CALLED “DAEMONS”

·      The dictionary defines daemon as “a spirit, evil spirit, demon.”

·      On Philip Pullman’s official Web site[8] he states, “…readers have told me that the daemons which at first seem so utterly fantastic soon become so familiar and essential a part of each character that they, the readers, feel as if they’ve got a daemon themselves. And my point is that they have, that we all have. It’s an aspect of our personality that we often overlook but it’s there.”

·      BBC Radio 3 interview[9]…the daemon is conceived of as being the gift of the rebel angels. Now in the course of the myth, the rebel angels are on the side of right and decency and goodness and consciousness, and all these things. [T]he rebel angels…gave to the beings in each world who were evolving, a gift that would help them understand themselves and become wise. In some worlds, they gave them a daemon.

·      The Golden Compass Movie Web site[10] states in a character summation that, “In Lyra’s world, a person’s soul lives on the outside of their body in the form of a daemon—a talking animal spirit that accompanies them through life, always close to it’s corporeal half. In a description of daemons, they say that in our world it is possible that people have daemons as well, only they are invisible. You can create your own daemon avatar to take into the world with you by selecting “meet your daemon” on the Web site.

THE CULMINATION OF THIS SERIES IS THE DEATH OF “GOD”

·      With his death, society is freed from control, and the main characters are able to be free from danger and from a “king.”

Consider the message sent: God is the enemy; the church is a dangerous enemy and a big mistake; the most mature and enlightened thing you can do is to disregard authority (include parents in that); fallen angels are the good guys; your “daemon” will speak to you from outside of your body and God is dead. This is mind-altering stuff at 9, 10 and 11 years old. When a child reads or watches this type of demonic message, it will influence the thought processes and the heart toward God you have worked so hard to develop by prayer and discipline. Seeds will be planted that may not show up for years to come. But they will produce a harvest.

It is God’s harvest and His plan for this generation that is at stake. He desires a people holy unto Himself. At the 2007 Southwest Believers’ Convention, the Word of the Lord came to Kenneth Copeland regarding His plan for them. Read it carefully (I’ve edited it somewhat for brevity. The entire prophecy can be found at www.kcm.org).

“There is a generation,” saith the Lord, “that’s being raised up and even has already come on the scene. A generation that believes the Word; a generation that will exchange their thoughts for God’s thoughts: a generation that will believe who they are in Christ Jesus and who they are walking in the power and in the life of God…We know we’re children of God. We know we’re born of God, we know we are bone of His bone and spirit of His spirit. We know that He dwells within us; we know that His commandment is life everlasting. We know that His Word is alive and we know in whom we have believed. And we look like Him and we talk like Him and we act like Him…”

God is calling this generation to a place in Him we’ve never known before, to walk in such a degree of obedience that their very thoughts are exchanged for those of God. He says they’ve already come on the scene! The Superkids at Eagle Mountain International Church are truly walking in this prophecy, and there are thousands more like them around the world. In The Amplified Bible, Isaiah 55:7-9 says, “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have love, pity, and mercy for him, and to our God, for He will multiply to him His abundant pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

People read this as though God is saying, “too bad, you can’t have My thoughts; they are too high for you.” No! He is saying in verse 7 to forsake your own way and thoughts, and let Him take over! Isaiah 55:11-13 tells us that His thoughts (Word) go forth out of His mouth and according to verses 12 and 13 they produce THE BLESSING!

We call it “The Sweet Life” at Superkid Academy. God makes things work for you and He turns rough places into victories. You can only live in THE BLESSING when you walk in obedience and take His thoughts as your own. He isn’t holding them back from you. He has freely given you His Word so you can walk out His plan for your life. Romans 8:28 says it clearly, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.”

It’s a privilege to teach and train children who desire to obey God and choose His way and not their own. They are mighty upon the earth already, but as parents and grandparents, even our imagination can’t fathom THE BLESSING this generation of young believers will experience (see 1 Corinthians 2:9). They are so in love with Him that being obedient is the only choice.

The call on us as ministers and parents is to protect that love and teach them to walk in THE BLESSING! We must pay attention to what they put before their eyes. It is our duty to say “no” when they ask to go to a movie, read books or fill their minds with things that are in opposition to God. It is OK for them to be the only person in their class who haven’t seen The Golden Compass.

I encourage you to go online and do the research for yourself. Sit down with your children and talk with them. Inspire your children by reminding them frequently of the amazing plan God has in store. Teach them of His faithfulness. Teach them about THE BLESSING!

We are on the brink of a mighty move of God in this generation. They don’t settle for less than God’s best for them. They’ve exchanged their thoughts for God’s thoughts. They are bold to stand out. They are ordinary kids doing extraordinary things through the power of God’s Word. This is who they are.

I refuse to be silent and let Satan control their destiny in the name of entertainment. We are God’s people and we live to please Him! (Philippians 2:12-13, New Living Translation)

FOOTNOTES

[1] http://www.thirdway.org.uk/past/showpage.asp?page=3949
[2] http://www.abc.net.au/rn/relig/enc/stories/s510312.htm
[3] http://www.randomhouse.com/features/pullman/author/carnegie.html
[4] ‘Harry Potter, Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings’ by Richard Abanes, pp.33
[5] http://www.hisdarkmaterials.org/information/philip-pullman/home
[6] http://darkadamant.betterversion.org/BBC_Belief_Philip_Pullman.txt
[7] http://www.hisdarkmaterials.org/information/his-dark-materials-books/faq
[8] http://www.philip-pullman.com
[9] http://darkadamant.betterversion.org/BBC_Belief_Philip_Pullman.txt
[10] http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/