In the early 20th century Oxford University in Oxford, England, played host to some of the most brilliant minds in modern literature.

Among them were C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Aldous Huxley. Lewis and Tolkien wrote immortalized Christian fiction novels including "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "The Lord of the Rings."

Huxley's "Brave New World" was a more pessimistic view on human nature and religion. But even that was nothing compared to that which developed from the next generation's Oxford prodigy.

Philip Pullman, a 1968 Oxford graduate, did not like the Christian perspective Lewis and Tolkien put into their novels and set out to write an atheistic children's novel series. The series is called "His Dark Materials," which begins with the book "Northern Lights," a book you know as "The Golden Compass."

The critically acclaimed children's movie coming out on Dec. 7 is the first of a three-part series that ends in a triumphal killing of God.

The series (I have read summaries of the books, but not the books themselves) includes a boy and girl who represent Adam and Eve, and in the final book, the trilogy's two main characters kill God, thus obliterating the ideas of good and evil and enabling them to do as they please.

On his trilogy, Pullman told the Sydney Morning Herald in a 2003 interview, "my books are about killing God."

The premise of the book is that eons ago there was a war in heaven, and the wrong side won.

He also told the Washington Post that he is "trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief."

Pullman writes, "The Christian religion … is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that's all .that's what the Church does, and every church is the same: control, destroy and obliterate every good feeling."

Pullman describes himself as a mix between an atheist and an agnostic, "If we're talking on the scale of human life and the things we see around us, I'm an atheist. There's no God here. There never was. But if you go out into the vastness of space, well, I'm not so sure. On that level, I'm an agnostic."

The movie looks appealing to the average entertainment seeker.

But is an entertaining two hours worth supporting corporate development of something that openly works to break down the foundation of that which we believe?

According to several critics who have viewed the movie (I have not), some of the more juicy heresies in the books were edited out by New Line executives to prevent offending Christian viewers.

Personally, I say editing out a few expletives isn't going to get me to approve of a work of art aimed at undermining my beliefs, especially not to one that targets naive children.

I'm a fan of challenging the authorities that be. If you can't question what you believe in then it's probably not worth believing in.

But to try to use the power of words to persuade unknowing children against Christianity and the existence of God is not something we should endorse.

The fact of the matter is that money is what makes the world go round and if the movie flops at the box office then movie producers will be more hesitant to produce movies aimed at kids with similar messages.

So I'm challenging all Christians at Marquette to boycott the soon-to- be-released movie and others in the trilogy.