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His Dark Materials
#1
His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials (books)
His Dark Materials (tv show)

(Finally got around to watching it)

For those of you who are fans, can you explain to me in what way it is atheistic?

I'm just not seeing it. Maybe the HBO series is dissenting from the books?

Because all I see is religious overtones, and I'm almost done with season two. There was one scene, with Lord Asriel, regarding being against the concept of sin, but there's been nothing definitively atheistic.

What am I missing?
"Never trust a fox. Looks like a dog, behaves like a cat."
~ Erin Hunter
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#2
RE: His Dark Materials
If anything, the show is anti-organized-religion, but nowhere near atheistic. The prime concept is riddled with what can be described as spirituality.
"Never trust a fox. Looks like a dog, behaves like a cat."
~ Erin Hunter
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#3
RE: His Dark Materials
It's religious nuts who decided it was "atheistic"...stick around awhile, you'll see that they have no idea what the term means.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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#4
RE: His Dark Materials
(August 11, 2022 at 8:14 pm)Tomato Wrote: His Dark Materials (books)
His Dark Materials (tv show)

(Finally got around to watching it)

For those of you who are fans, can you explain to me in what way it is atheistic?

I'm just not seeing it. Maybe the HBO series is dissenting from the books?

Because all I see is religious overtones, and I'm almost done with season two. There was one scene, with Lord Asriel, regarding being against the concept of sin, but there's been nothing definitively atheistic.

What am I missing?

I've never read the books, so I can't comment on that.

Pullman was the chairman of the British William Blake Society, and worked to memorialize Blake. He helped fund a memorial stone and tried to buy Blake's cottage in Felpham for the state. 

Blake was a Christian through and through. No one who respects Blake can be entirely against Christianity.
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#5
RE: His Dark Materials
Pullman has called himself a 'Church of England atheist'. Just because the author is an atheist doesn't make his work atheistic (despite what some fundamentalists think). The book features angels, and a very old angel claiming to be God that Lyra killed. The implication is that there is a Creator who doesn't make an appearance. I'd say His Dark Materials is more a criticism of dogmatism and the use of organized religion to oppress people, it certainly doesn't take the position that one shouldn't believe there's a God.
I'm not anti-Christian. I'm anti-stupid.
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#6
RE: His Dark Materials
That's enough. None of the nutters care if theres a god, they only care that they can assert that their god is the only god and his representatives on earth are to be obeyed - which the series is very much against. My daughter loved it.

I think it manages to touch on doubts about authority and the (suddenly apprehended) duplicity of adults, especially parents..to kids of a certain age. Basically kryptonite to dipshits who can't get a kid to do what they want them to do by any other means. Who had relied on and expected arguments from authority to be effective in perpetuity.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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