Weather
Religious leader gloats over Dark Materials film halt (From Oxford Mail)
Get involved: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting OXFORD NEWS to 80360 or email us
Religious leader gloats over Dark Materials film halt
9:38am Thursday 17th December 2009
A RELIGIOUS leader said he is “positively gloating” today after reports revealed there would be no film sequel to Oxford author Philip Pullman’s novel, The Golden Compass.
Catholic League president Bill Donohue urged his supporters to boycott the 2007 film and campaigned against further adaptations of Mr Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy amid claims the books were”pro-atheist”.
Yesterday actor Sam Elliott, who starred in The Golden Compass, said books two and three would not be filmed after a campaign by America’s religious right.
The film, parts of which were filmed in Oxford, starred Daniel Craig, Sir Ian McKellen and Nicole Kidman, and grossed more than £230m around the world.
Mr Donohue said: “The Catholic League launched a boycott in the hope that Christian parents would keep their children away from the film and thus not be inclined to buy the His Dark Materials, the trilogy of pro-atheist books aimed at young people.
“We also wanted to discourage the possibility that producers would make a movie of The Subtle Knife, the second book in the trilogy.
“We knew we had succeeded in the first goal, and had every reason to believe we were going to win on the second one. Now Pullman has confirmed our victory — there will be no sequel.”
He added: “Pullman has been widely quoted in Britain, taking aim at me for my alleged ‘triumphalism’.
“The accusation is accurate. I am positively gloating. Cheers, everyone.”
Mr Pullman was unavailable for comment this morning.
More News stories
- NHS trust merger 'will make savings'
- David is our U's face in the crowd
- Tributes paid to talented footballer killed in crash
- 'Old master' celebrates 103rd birthday
- 'Our school is top class' say Charlton-on-Otmoor kids
- Woman rescued from bungalo fire
- TV antenna work due to finish within a week
- Dogs of Oxford's homeless scrub up nicely
- Woman killed, A420 closed
- Cowley pupils inspired by Paralympian skier
Your Say YourOxford
Joe Cooke, Oxford says...
10:41am Thu 17 Dec 09
Roger Casement, Frejus says...
10:43am Thu 17 Dec 09
RobOxford, Cowley says...
10:47am Thu 17 Dec 09
One wonders what Jesus himself would have made of Mr Donohue's gloating. What was it that Christ said in the Sermon on the Mount about turning the other cheek? (Mr Donohue - you'll find it the Gospel of Matthew) Or does he prefer to pick and choose which bits of the Bible he believes in.
Happy Christmas Mr Donohue! And peace and goodwill to all Oxford Mail readers.
Kidlington Dave, Kidlington says...
11:27am Thu 17 Dec 09
Roger Casement wrote:Perhaps Mr Donohue's beloved Catholic church should have been a little more intolerent of widespread child abuse by its priests over the decades. Compared to which a trilogy of fantasy novels is pretty insignificant.
Maybe traditional Christian tolerance has been a little overdone. The boorish son of the decent Chipping Norton family, Dawkins, comes to mind for one. I wouldn't tolerate him if I was a Christian. I'd give him a Prescott. And as for receiving Blair, adherent of the anti-Christ religion , socialism, that wasn't tolerance ; it was narcolepsy. I speak as an atheist .
peapoddy2, Oxford says...
12:37pm Thu 17 Dec 09
Kidlington Dave wrote:But all that talk of child abuse is just media hysteria, according to Mr. Donohue and his cronies..."The Catholic League issued a News Release on May 20, 2009 entitled "Hysteria Over Irish Clergy Abuse" stating "Physical abuse includes “being kicked”; neglect includes “inadequate heating”; and emotional abuse includes “lack of attachment and affection.” Not nice, to be sure, but hardly draconian, especially given the time line: fully 82 percent of the incidents took place before 1970". So that's
Roger Casement wrote: Maybe traditional Christian tolerance has been a little overdone. The boorish son of the decent Chipping Norton family, Dawkins, comes to mind for one. I wouldn't tolerate him if I was a Christian. I'd give him a Prescott. And as for receiving Blair, adherent of the anti-Christ religion , socialism, that wasn't tolerance ; it was narcolepsy. I speak as an atheist .Perhaps Mr Donohue's beloved Catholic church should have been a little more intolerent of widespread child abuse by its priests over the decades. Compared to which a trilogy of fantasy novels is pretty insignificant.
OK then. Mr Donohoe also kicks off about people saying "Happy holidays!" instead of Happy Christmas"and wanted to take CSI and South Park off the TV. Well Mr Donohue if that is your idea of protecting people's rights, we don't want it.
CowleyBoy, Cowley says...
12:57pm Thu 17 Dec 09
OxfordResident, Oxford says...
1:53pm Thu 17 Dec 09
Surely if the evidence for (whichever) god is that strong any religion could properly defend themselves against other opinions....
westy`, says...
2:15pm Thu 17 Dec 09
westy`, says...
2:31pm Thu 17 Dec 09
westy` wrote:Just did a wiki on Catholic League. Oh dear.. this is representative.
The Catholic League must be so proud that they will be tarnished with this sad measure of intolerance and inadequacy. Surely this ignorance is not representative, otherwise I would have noticed the Spanish Inquisition roaming around burning witches.
Grundon Skipp, Oxford says...
2:49pm Thu 17 Dec 09
Roger Casement, Frejus says...
4:12pm Thu 17 Dec 09
Why do we keep getting the old condom chestnut? It used to be the Pope encouraging overpopulation. To paraphrase General Montgomery addressing the troops in North Africa, "If you men insist on putting your private parts where a gentleman would decline to place the ferrule of his umbrella...why, you'll have a good chance of contracting a nasty disease" I reiterate that I'm an atheist and but I don't believe that my beliefs are diminished by the atrocities of such notable atheists as Stalin, Mao Tse Tung and Pol Pot and cannot see that a belief in God is diminished by the behaviour of perverted priests in the Republic of Ireland.
peapoddy2, Oxford says...
5:33pm Thu 17 Dec 09
Roger Casement wrote:We are not discussing belief in God, just the heinous behaviour of the Catholic Church and the Catholic League.
Calm down Mr. Dawkins. It's only an advert Why do we keep getting the old condom chestnut? It used to be the Pope encouraging overpopulation. To paraphrase General Montgomery addressing the troops in North Africa, "If you men insist on putting your private parts where a gentleman would decline to place the ferrule of his umbrella...why, you'll have a good chance of contracting a nasty disease" I reiterate that I'm an atheist and but I don't believe that my beliefs are diminished by the atrocities of such notable atheists as Stalin, Mao Tse Tung and Pol Pot and cannot see that a belief in God is diminished by the behaviour of perverted priests in the Republic of Ireland.
Anyone is free to believe that a cosmic Jewish zombie carpenter who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree...so long as they don't tell me what to do or think.
Some more choice words from Mr. Donohue, talking about the film Passion of the Christ:
"Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. It‘s not a secret, OK? And I‘m not afraid to say it. That‘s why they hate this movie. It‘s about Jesus Christ, and it‘s about truth. It‘s about the messiah.
Hollywood likes anal sex. They like to see the public square without nativity scenes. I like families. I like children. They like abortions. I believe in traditional values and restraint. They believe in libertinism. We have nothing in common"
Nuff said.
Roger Casement, Frejus says...
7:06pm Thu 17 Dec 09
Did "they" tell you to "think" this? You're a very angry person, aren't you? Would laxatives help? Just a suggestion.
Terry Chandler, Oxford says...
4:12pm Sat 19 Dec 09
one priest manages to stay on for ten minutes.
His mate says how did you manage that?
the other priest says easy, one of the altar boys is epileptic.
J B Blackett, High Wycombe says...
9:20pm Sat 19 Dec 09
.
Free Speech Rules in Oxford.
Local Advertisers
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
Kidlington Dave, Kidlington says...
10:04am Thu 17 Dec 09