Bob Bowie

The news that the High Court supported the Sikh student’s religious expression of wearing a religious bangle at school is a victory for human rights. The right to religious freedom enshrined in the Universal Declaration has always included freedom of religious expression, though that freedom is not unlimited and cannot undermine other rights and liberties. Human rights extend to all, not simply adults, and the acceptance that religion has a place in the public space, including schools, is an essential feature of British life. It differentiates the country from assertively anti-religious secular states which promote athiesm through the exclusion of religion from public expression. Of course the presence of religion in public life should not in any way be allowed to infringe the rights if others to express differing viewpoints. A truly open and cosmopolitan society encourages the market places of ideas.

I watched Salmon Rushdie talking on Newsnight tonight and he made some interesting remarks on the relationship between Islam and Christianity. He commented on the history of Christian Muslim relationships. There has been as much positive and peaceful inter-reaction as there has been difficult and violent inter-reaction. He also said that as different groups inter-react things can be both easier and more difficulty. I think what he was suggesting was there is that while there is a closing together and lowering of walls, there is, at the same time, greater challenge in coming to terms with difference. That space of tension and closeness is the dynamic space where learning, tolerance and understanding come together.

John Stuart Mill said “Every great movement must experience three stages: ridicule, discussion, adoption.” Perhaps Archbishop Rowan Williams is experiencing stage 1.

I have so much to write about the reviews and responses to this film and Pullman’s work in general that I could fill a book on it. So here are the main points:

1. Many reviewers are unaware that Pullman does not specifically name the Church in his book so interpret references to the Magisterium as some kind of toning down for the movie, which is not the case as the term was used throughout the trilogy.
2. Most reviewers are unaware that the term Magisterium is used to describe the teaching authority within the Catholic Church.
3. Few seem to distinguish Pullman’s attack on politico-religious power from his love of mythology (though the Guardian has explored his use of Milton).
4. Many papers have misreported that the Catholic League has asked for a boycot of the film eg the Times and the Guardian. This is not at all true (see here)
5. The National Secular Society feels it is not anti-religious enough. (see here)

As for the responses of Catholics there is quite a lot of disagreement:

1. The film was positively reviewed in the Tablet (an International Catholic weekly paper)
2. The Catholic Herald did not find it objectionable (see here)
3. However there now seems to be a more critical response from wither the Vatican or some Bishops (see here).

I think the books are very good, and the BBC radio play was also very good. I have not yet seen the film. Personally I have always enjoyed fiction, and I understand that while fiction may have important messages for us, reflecting on events and aspects of our world, it is, ultimately fiction.

The issue about politico-religious totalitarian power is really important. Most people and most religions seem pretty opposed to that sort of thing. As a Catholic I think that my religion has a duty to be political - to argue its cases, to be concerned about issues of social justice as that is part of the gospel message of Good News. Sometimes that means being a prophetic voice and challenging received wisdom. But I would never condone the merging of religious and political power. That seems to cause rather a lot of problems where it happens in the world today, and was certainly a problem in the past for Christianity. I also find any idea of God which suggests he wants to deprive us of our ability to think freely and make choices independently clashes with the Christian concept of God. My reading of the Bible, Augustine and Aquinas suggests that God gave us rationality and will to act freely and while he wants us to do good, he wants us to act out of love for each other and him, and not out of fear.

So what’s all the fuss with Pullman? I just don’t get it.

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