Edited by Scott Westerfeld - Teen Libris

The Dangerous Worlds of Pullman’s His Dark Materials 29
of fantasy fiction and children’s literature; readers who favor strong
female protagonists; history buffs; polar bear lovers; seekers of controversy;
agnostics; atheists; and yes, Christians.
I suspect that if there is one thing that HDM readers do agree on, it’s
that they are totally on Will and Lyra’s side and hope they escape the bad
people who are out to murder them. And that dæmons are totally cool.
That’s it.
There’s no need for religious authorities to pick up the gauntlet in
defense of the Church that Pullman describes in HDM. As Watkins says,
“His Dark Materials is fantasy literature. The Church Pullman describes
is in another world; it is not the Church in our world.”
If asked, defenders of faith should simply say, “That’s not my church,
thank God,” and shudder a little at the very idea. I think of faith as being
too robust to be threatened by an author of fantasy fiction with an axe
to grind. The faithful have been inoculated by their own positive experiences
with the church. They bring with them the tools to examine,
shape, and interpret Pullman’s worlds accordingly. The faithful, in effect,
enter a different world than the skeptic does when they open the book.
That’s not to say that they won’t be changed. Great novels tell great
stories. Some may also cause readers to examine their beliefs-which, if
those beliefs are worthwhile, should be able to withstand the scrutiny.
Some readers will leave Pullman’s world better prepared to articulate
what they’ve always believed. Some may begin a new journey of discovery.
Others will not participate in the debate at all.
Great books are one component of a rich mental humus from which
ideas and principles grow. Mission on the part of the author is not
enough. Exposing readers to new ideas is necessary, but not sufficient.
Character and action derive from multiple influences: family, society,
secular education, religious teaching, the media, and our own hardwired
proclivities.
I’m unqualified to serve as spokesperson for either side in the battle
over Pullman’s work. It is not my intention to position myself as a
defender of faith nor as a promoter of skepticism. I am a defender of
books and our right to participate in the marketplace of ideas.
Ignorance doesn’t lead to salvation, nor does knowledge pave the way
to sin. Each reader meets the author at a different place. Each reader
shares with the author the responsibility for the story’s theme. No two