The Pulman series is a very interesting one. I don't think it should be censored, just that people should know what they are getting into when they read it. Honestly, it is fiction and while the atheist dogma is preached rather loudly in the second and third books, there are a lot of really neat ideas buried in there.
I think that there-in lies the true tragedy of the books. Not that they are atheist in nature but that the true story gets lost in the self-righteous preaching of atheism. Many times it comes off as forced and random. For example, *spoilers*
the mass of spirits in the underworld who are there together with their family, friends and loved ones, would rather cease to exist, than live with each other. and the end of the series in the forest with Lyra, what the author wanted you to think happen, could not have happened because it went against the characters' personality. Also the death of the strawman god was just kind of random, had no energy behind it.
* end spoilers*
The first book had no offensive things happen. The second didn't REALLY until the very end. The third was full blown on the rebellion against god idea though. His world is very intriguing and well done, I think he just got side tracked with his own personal crusade and I think the quality of the book suffered for it.
Wow, talk about side tracked. I think I just got side tracked.
Censorship. Right. No, we should not censor it from the populace as a whole just for its atheist content. We should understand the content though and explain to the children. My sister ( we are mormons) read this when she was around 12 I think(before anyone really knew about it in the Christian community) and she came to my mother with questions about it and my mother basically told her. "Look, the god they present in that book, isn't really God." In other words, it is just fiction. I think that is how it should be really. The books don't tell you not to believe in God. They posit a fictional universe where Free Agency is being undermined and the resultant rebellion against Tyranny. This is not the case of the real world. I am sorry if Mr Pullman misunderstands God's nature enough to equate Him with a tyrant, but seeing how certain religions act, I can understand where Pullman might have got the idea.
Free Agency is the theme, and as a theme is actually a pretty good one. I don't agree with his development of the story (I read it about 2 years ago) but the non preachy parts and very well written and marvolously evoccative.
So, yeah. Censor not, think, judge, and make informed decisions. I agree definitely that many subjects are not for children but it is up to the individual parent to make that decision. It would help if there were ratings on books like on movies. (I myself have had to put down a number of books that I couldn't stomache) Those ratings would help everyone make informed decisions. Protecting children is a good idea. Restricting the flow of information is generally tricky and can lead to problems down the road. I do think that a pivately owned theatre or bookstore has the right to choose what to offer in terms of entertainment. That is their perogative.
Anyway...I've typed too much and probably tangled up my argument in so many knots that it is useless....
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