This organisation (never named the 'Church' in the film although it is in the books) seeks to suppress all free thought, and goes to the extent of authorising experiments on children to render them conformist and happy.
'As with all caricatures,' Luke says, 'There is a tragic truth behind this. The Church has too often been guilty of abusing its authority and Pullman's criticism is a cautionary reminder to us.
'But his fictional representation only tells part of the story and ignores the thousands of Christians who have spent their lives in humanitarian work, service to others and activities that have allowed communities to flourish.'
'Interestingly, Pullman has said on his own website that his real beef is with "those who pervert and misuse religion",' Lindsay Shaw adds.
'What The Golden Compass doesn't do is take issue with the very different values of Jesus and the Gospels. In fact, if we were a more consistent reflection of what following Jesus should mean, Pullman would have had to find another villain.
'From our Reel Issues service we have seen the benefits of Christians using films like this as a natural talking point and opportunity to build bridges between the Bible and everyday life,' Lindsay adds.
'Perhaps the best response to The Golden Compass with adults, teenagers, and older children is to use it as a springboard for some honest, open, non-defensive conversations. Belief and spirituality, truth and freedom, the Church's successes and failures - they're all here for us to chew over with an audience who will be wide open for it.'
Lindsay Shaw is Bible Society's creative resource officer and the editor of Reel Issues. www.reelissues.org.uk
Luke Walton is Bible Society's arts development officer
