There is a word for the philosophy that Philip Pullman is pushing in the second installment of the His Dark Materials series, and it's not a pretty one"
In the first volume, Northern Lights, readers were introduced to Lyra Belacqua, a girl torn between the forces of conservatism and free-thinking, represented by her evil mother Mrs Coulter on the one hand, and her indifferent father Lord Asriel on the other. Accompanied by Pantalaimon, the physical manifestation of her soul, and guided by the aleithiometer, the golden compass that only speaks the truth, Lyra sets out to combat those cosmic forces that threaten to destroy every spark of goodness and beauty in her world.
As children's stories go, Pullman's trilogy is stock-standard stuff, peopled with beautiful villains, ugly saviours, truth-tellers who turn out to be liars and alien creatures who display the best human values. Its central character is a young heroine who appears unremarkable but is actually the most significant person in the world. As such, this series could be read as a fairly standard tale of the extraordinary worth of the humblest individual and the value of courage in the face of adversity. Ho hum.
However, what distinguishes Pullman's novels is his not-so-subtle attack on the Christian faith. In Northern Lights he identifies "The Church' as Lyra's chief enemy, a fanatical religious organization that coolly engages in the imprisonment, torture and execution of any individual who questions its teachings or threatens its social control. In The Subtle Knife Pullman moves up a rung and takes aim at the power the Church claims to serve.
In this second volume Lyra's father Lord Asriel journeys into another world connected to their own to begin his preparations for a war on Heaven. The Church, Heaven's representative on earth, is more clearly defined as the enemy of all natural impulses. A witch, urging her companions in opposition, declares:
"For all its history " it's tried to suppress and control every natural impulse. And when it can't control them, it cuts them out" There are churches that cut their children " they cut their sexual organs " with knives so that they shan't feel. That is what the church does, and every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling. So if war comes, and the church is on one side of it, we must be on the other" " (1)
As Lyra goes in search of her father it becomes clear that Lord Asriel's war on Heaven is no simple metaphor for resisting ecclesiastical influence. He is not seeking to destroy the Church but the "Authority' himself " God. In fact, the knife from which the book takes its name is the weapon he is most in need of, and also named Æsahà ttr, which we're told means "god-destroyer' (2). Asriel is attempting to successfully complete a rebellion that began in Heaven thousands of years ago, which spread to include humans in the Garden of Eden. The task he has taken on himself is described as "" the greatest in human history," (3) and worthy of the support of all high minded beings. In fact, the mysterious Dust from the first book turns out to be beings of immense wisdom and power " Angels they name themselves " who are rallying to his cause. These are the majestic beings that "fell' during the first rebellion against God, but were also responsible for helping humans evolve by achieving "consciousness'.
The morality of such a rebellion is also turned on its head. Rather than an unjust rejection of their rightful ruler, the war against God is described as "" right and just, when you considered what the agents of the Authority did in his name " cruelties and horrors all committed in the name of the Authority, all designed to destroy the joys and truthfulness of life." (4)
Pullman continues to borrow freely from biblical references, but reinterprets them for his own purposes. The Fallen Angels referred to above are one example; Lyra is another. She is revealed in this volume to be the new Eve who will somehow be involved in a whole new Fall " something the Church is determined to prevent. It's interesting to note that Pullman even appropriates one of the fondest hopes of Jesus' followers " the commendation of their master (5) " and puts it in the heart of Will, Lyra's newest companion:
"[He] craved to hear the words, "Well done, well done, my child; no one on earth could have done better; I'm proud of you. Come and rest now" " (6)
- though on this occasion, the congratulations he craves would from his father who is an implacable enemy of the Authority.
Pullman's multiverse is enthused with this need to resist God, and particularly his plans for humanity. The author is an avowed atheist and though he reportedly prefers "" to leave the meaning of much of his story open to interpretation," he clearly presents his negative opinion of what Christians might call spiritual fruits:
"There are two great powers," the man said, "and they've been fighting since time began. Every advance in human life, every scrap of knowledge and wisdom and decency we have has been torn by one side from the teeth of the other. Every little increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to obey and be humble and submit." (7)
Now I've heard that line of argument before, though last I read it, words like those were coming from the mouth of a snake.
As I began, there is actually a name for the philosophy that underpins the monstrous deceit and titanic struggle in Pullman's novel: Satanism. Even as I write this I am acutely aware that such an accusation sounds overly dramatic to the point of being alarmist. I am also conscious that aligning his work with such a diametrically opposed philosophy to Christianity may actually play into the purposes of the author.
In general terms, Satanism is a religion that seeks to raise the individual to the level of godhood by freeing them of the enslaving influence of a god or gods. As the Theistic Satanism web site puts it:
"Like Satan, the Satanist takes the place of God over his own life, an act which requires a great deal of ethical and psychological maturity. Instead of losing our individuality and independence to some divine universal "oneness', we choose to maintain, glorify, and expand that unique individuality to its furthest extent." (8)
This seems to well encompass the twin goals of the defeat of God and the realisation of the full potential of humanity as held by Pullman's heroic characters. As an atheist, the author might object to his work being conflated with a viewpoint that in many instances accepts the existence of spiritual beings. But he would only succeed in moving himself into the camp of Philosophical Satanists (9) who view the devil not as an actual spiritual being but representative of the potential for free will and defiance. Similarly, branches of Satanism present God as "the great deceiver' who stands in opposition to the freedom the devil offers.
In any case, Pullman is making a conscious effort to call black, white from the Christian perspective. Daemon's (pronounced "demons' according to one imprint's accompanying notes) are not tempters but actually people's souls and those creative and wise part of themselves that should be heeded rather than resisted. Lord Asriel's name bears a striking resemblance to Azrael, a name given to the angel of death in Christian and Islamic tradition, who is a dread herald of destruction rather than a liberator of humanity. The church, the Christian institution that has been responsible for more social benefits than any other in humanity's history is actually the author of its worst slavery. And of course, God, whose name is synonymous with truth is the greatest liar of all.
Footnotes
1. Philip Pullman, The Subtle Knife, His Dark Materials, Vol. 2, Scholastic Children's Books, London, 2005 p.50-51
2. Ibid, p.279
3. Ibid, p.219
4. Ibid, p.276
5. Strikingly similar to Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25:21-23
6. Op. cit. p.314
7. Ibid. p.326-327
8. G.eifodd Pwyll, A General Definition of Satanism, [url=http://www.theisticsatanism.com/varieties/Geifodd-def.html]http://www.theisticsatanism.com/varieties/Geifodd-def.html[/url]
9. First Church of Satan, Satanism: Frequently Asked Questions, [url=http://churchofsatan.org/faq.html#devil]http://churchofsatan.org/faq.html#devil[/url]
