The Golden Compass & The Church

I, personally, started The Golden Compass earlier then necessary and I just finished it last week. I found it to be an amazing book, definitely one of the great stories that we don't see too often nowadays... but there was something that I never really understood. Although it was mentioned in class, the thing I want to question is the role religion plays in the text.

There was so much hype about religious institutions urging people not to see the movie when it came out because of the "anti-religious" status of the book. My sister, who attends a Catholic private school, was told by the school counselor (a nun) that it was satanic and would earn them a trip to Hell. It seems funny, but it was something that roused my curiosity: why?

I remember when The DaVinci Code came out there was this same media attention. I read that book and, just like with The Golden Compass, I couldn't understand why. For The Golden Compass: YES, the church plays quite a villainous role in the book - but, to me, the church wasn't really the church. Instead, I saw it as a political institution that had power and used it; in a way, it reminded me of the Roman Catholic Church's role during the Inquisition. Maybe a dark comparison, but my point stands. In fact, I don't even think the church in the book was specified as the Roman Catholic Church (though, considering, it could very possibly be).

So, overall, one thing I would like to discuss in class is the role of the church in this story: what is it? Why is it used? Pullman could've easily used another political institution... is it for shock value? Or is there a deeper meaning? Like the daemon and the concept of "Dust," I think the church is something that can be really deeply explored.