I refuse to be affected by territorial disputes between mythical creatures. (nueve)

A little note: I am Christian, hokay? In addition, here there be spoilers.

Fiction: the class of literature comprising works of imaginative narration, esp. in prose form.

To make a long story short, something that is fictional is untrue, at least partially.

I digress, but that little piece of information will be relevant in just a bit.

As many people have become aware, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series has come under fire from several Christian groups. These groups claim that the series has strong anti-God messages. They even offer evidence from the author's mouth. The author claims that he wrote the books about killing God. However, however the author meant the books to be interpretted, the fact remains that the series is fictional. If a fictional series is enough to shake a person's faith, then perhaps it is not the books at fault, but the "Christian" himself.

Again, I digress.

Pullman had this to say about his books promoting atheism, "As for the atheism, it doesn’t matter to me whether people believe in God or not, so I’m not promoting anything of that sort. What I do care about is whether people are cruel or whether they’re kind, whether they act for democracy or for tyranny, whether they believe in open-minded enquiry or in shutting the freedom of thought and expression. Good things have been done in the name of religion, and so have bad things; and both good things and bad things have been done with no religion at all. What I care about is the good, wherever it comes from." What does this lengthy quote mean? It means simply that Philip Pullman's goal in writing His Dark Materials was to write a story. It is true that he may have allowed his own beliefs to influence his work, but is this so strange? What if Pullman was a Chrsitian who said that his books were about praising God? Would he have come under fire then? Of course not.

After having reading the series and the Pullman interview, I have discovered a few serious flaws in the anti-God argument. Firstly, the concept of God in the series is actually called the Authority. The Authority, in this series, actually turns out to be an angel, not God himself. Therefore, the entity that the protagonists wind up destroying turns out to be a false God, something that Christian groups should celebrate. Also, the Church in the series represents not Christianity, but an oppressive force that drives all of life. The novel represents the destruction of dogmatism, not necessarily Christianity itself.

Why do Christians insist on persecuting fictional works? The answer to this may be uncertain, but Pullman's novels, as well as several other fictional works, do not deserve the persecution.

We Don't Need an Intervention! (Ocho)

The United States, for most of its history, has held fast to a policy of isolationism. The people of the U.S.A. believed that it was better to be isolated than to be involved in worldly affairs that they felt did not concern them. For example, Woodrow Wilson was reelected after promising to keep the United States out of World War I. Even after World War I, which was arguably the biggest intervention that the United States had ever gotten involved in, America shortly returned to its biggest foreign policy. After the Allied victory in World War II, however, the U.S. began to drift again from isolationism. In revent history, the United States has invaded countries such as Vietnam and Korea, attempting to help but ultimately making things worse for the people that they were trying to assist. For this reason, several foreign countries have begun to harbor resentment for the United States. It would be in the best interest of America to return to its forgotten policy of militaristic isolationism because of the negative reputation that it has begun to earn for itself.

The United States has earned the hatred of several foreign countries because of its constant interventions, but Switzerland is the exact opposite. Switzerland lies in the heart of Europe, surrounded by countries that have fought one another several times. Switzerland shares a border with both France and Germany, two countries that opposed each other during both World Wars. However, by claiming neutrality, Switzerland has managed to keep itself out of World War I, World War II, and all other wars since 1815. by isolating itself from foreign military affairs, Switzerland has not had to spend extra money rebuilding its country after war. Switzerland doesn’t interfere with other countries, and other countries do not interfere with Switzerland. If Switzerland can earn respect as a peaceful, neutral nation, why is it so difficult for the United States to do the same?

The United States has already proved that constant intervention is not the best foreign policy. The Vietnam War is a good example of this. The U.S. believed that it could help the democratic nation of South Vietnam, but after a long time of bloody fighting, the United States withdrew, causing the divided Vietnam to unite under a communist nation. During the war, the United States was responsible for thousands of civilian deaths. Had the United States never intervened in this civil war, thousands of lives would have been saved. The same was true of the Korean Conflict. While it is true that the United States should maintain a healthy trade relationship with other nations, it is unnecessary for it to become involved in conflicts that that are not its own. Unless directly attacked, the United States has no reason to start conflicts with anyone.
Militaristic isolationism is easily the best answer for the United States. By following Switzerland’s example of non-intervention, the United States can avoid making new enemies for itself. After all, having no relations with other countries is far better than having bad relations.