Reading Reflection #2

      Will has two angel's leading him to Lyra Balthamos and Baruch. These two are in love and I wonder if Pullman used these two names randomly or if he used them from theology or myth? I'm going to look it up. Balthamos also said that the two of them knew a secret, the truth behind the lies the Authority had told everyone. He said that there was a woman (or a female angel? I'm not sure if she's meant to  portray the devil or just a rebellious angel?) who was wiser and had figured out this secret which was that the Authority was only a very old angel who said that he created everything else that came after. I'm not religious or anything but I'm beginning to understand the controversy around this book and I love it!
       A lot of people more religious than me may find it offensive because one of the characters, Lord Asriel, has declared war on the Authority and tons of angels and humans and other things are flocking to his banner. Pretty much the whole Church is portrayed as a collection of malevolent zealots who do experiments like cutting away children's daemons (souls) and aiming to kill Lyra because of the 'danger' she poses to humanity because of who she's supposed to be or represent; Eve, the mother of humans and the one who brought sin into the world. We also have Will who carries the Subtle Knife which is a knife that can cut anything and has the ability to kill anything, even the oldest of angels.
       There is so much in this book that has made it controversial. I love that Philip Pullman has stretched the boundaries and slashed holes in the un-written status quo, that you don't write about things like this. I like that he challenges the roles of what is good and what is evil. Reading it from the perspective of someone who is very religious would be hard for me to imagine but I think that they would be very confused who's side they would root for, if they even got this far into the trilogy that is.