I read them years ago and the theme is not so much anti-God as anti-religion, I seem to recall. You've go to read the 3rd to really get the message. Oh, and there's a universe where all critters are tri-predal and the cleverest has fashioned itself wheels connected to the body. Fascinating. really looking forward to the movie realisation to compare.
BTW the 1st book over here was called "Northern Lights".

>Got some emails today warning about the movie The Golden Compass. Frankly, I will see the movie (to judge for myself and perhaps just for entertainment) but I'll wait for the DVD. However, for anyone who is interested in the books behind the movie, I found this on Snopes:
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>http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp