The War Room

GOLDEN COMPASS SHOLD BE ALLOWED BUT THE HYPOCRISY IS NOXIOUS

I know I am a little late to this debate as work has continued to be hectic this fall, but I thought I would offer some brief thoughts.

First off, the Halton Catholic School Board should allow the students to read the Golden Compass. Period. As a libertarian for free speech, that is the only position I can have.

But I need to make a few points.

1. They did not ban it as has been widely reported. They took it off of the recommeded reading list. Children can still read it, they only need to ask the librarian.

2. The book is not being questioned because it was written by an atheist. I'd be willing to bet half the teachers in the Catholic system are nominally atheist. The book is being questioned because taken as a trilogy, it is not only about the literal killing of God, but the villain itself is the Roman Catholic Church.

3. No, the words "Roman Catholic Church" are not used, but the villain is the Magisterium. And the Magisterium is the teaching arm of the Roman Catholic Church. Put another way, lets say the villain was called an Imam but the word "Muslim" was never used. Or what if the villainous organization was called F.A.G. but the word "gay" was never used. All right, that already happened in Team America.

4. Do you think public schools don't ban books or take them off of the required reading list? Try finding a copy of Gone With the Wind, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, American Psycho or Uncle Tom's Cabin in a Toronto Public School? The difference is when this happens, it is a part of accepted left wing, politically correct orthodoxy.

5. The hypocrisy of this issue is noxious.

posted by Nicol DuMoulin @ 8:22 AM