Week Seven- The Novel of Spiritual Education

This week we are looking at fantasy directed at young adults just entering the hardships of the world. a few book on my list were: The Harry Potter series, Night Circus and His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman. I chose to read The Golden Compass and also watch the film adaptation. 
(disclaimer: the film really misses a ton of information in the book and even screws up the looks of the characters.... It is right there in the book! No excuses! 

I was asked, in what way were complex moral issues and spiritual challenges presented in one of those pieces of literature. 

 First here is a quote from Pullman on his view of spirituality. 

“I don't profess any religion; I don't think it’s possible that there is a God; I have the greatest difficulty in understanding what is meant by the words ‘spiritual’ or ‘spirituality.'
[Interview, The New Yorker, Dec. 26, 2005]” 
― Philip Pullman
In the Golden Compass humans have their 'soul' (so to speak), outside of their body in the form of a deamon. (spelt that way) As a child you are still developing so so is your deamon! When you reach puberty you're daemon will choose a permanent form that best fits your personality. Dust comes into play when the Magestirium (or the Church) steps in and tries to stop 'Dust' (which is sort of like the original sin tainting our souls) by cutting sin away from you. I am not really going to tell you what happens because you should read the books! they are super great! but if you are offended by 'anti-god' stuff, id leave it for a better day...

SPOILER ALERTS

Complex Moral Issues and Spiritual Issues are alive in almost every page you turn in the Golden Compass. But one stood out to me more than the others and was not included in the movie (as a lot of things were left out that were huge in the book.) is when Rodger, after Lyra saves him and all is well a the end of the book, they have to dodge some scary goblin things and then they get the her father. She has come all the freakin way to help her father, and what does he do? he turns around and uses Her best friend in the world as a sacrifice to open a portal to another world.

To me this is a huge moral and spiritual challenge for Lyra's Father whom needed a child to complete the  needs for opening the portal and was fortunate (as he sees it) that he did not have to sacrifice his own daughter for his scientific experiment linked with dust and sin. And Lyra is devastated for having provided him.