SOME Singaporeans have received an e-mail calling for the boycott of an upcoming fantasy film called The Golden Compass.

The e-mail, which is unsigned, argues that the film, which opens here on Dec 6, is promoting atheism - the belief that there is no God - among children.

The e-mail, in strong but not abusive words, is believed to have originated from the United States where conservative Christian groups are attacking the film's creator, 61-year-old English author Philip Pullman.

The Golden Compass is based on Pullman's trilogy of award-winning books called His Dark Materials. It tells the story of a girl's adventures in a mystical parallel universe peopled by shape-shifting creatures, witches and talking polar bears.

The US$180 million (S$261 million) epic stars Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and newcomer Dakota Blue Richards.

The first volume, published in 1995, is titled Northern Lights, followed by The Subtle Knife (1997) and The Amber Spyglass (2000).

The e-mail said that Pullman is known to be an outspoken atheist whose radical views in his books have offended Christians.

Mr Lim K. Tham, general-secretary of The National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) which represents the mainline Christian faith demoninations here, could not be reached for comment.

At press time, the film's distributor here, Warner Bros Pictures, has not received a print of the movie.

A spokesman declined to comment on the e-mail, saying only that it will provide a fact sheet to 'any party concerned with or offended by the film's content'.

On this one-page fact sheet, prepared by New Line Cinema in the US, the producers refute allegations that the film promotes atheism.

'The idea that it somehow promotes atheism is completely untrue. To the contrary, The Golden Compass (and the rest of the His Dark Materials trilogy) celebrates such values as love, friendship, kindness, courage and tolerance,' the fact sheet says.

Amid the brouhaha, Mr Edmund Tan, a writer, says he is still keen on catching the movie.

'My wife has read the book and she said she didn't get any negative impressions from the book with respect to Christianity,' says the 38-year-old Catholic and father of three daughters.

His view is that children should not be exposed to things that contradict what their parents have taught them.

Another Catholic, Ms Jo-Anne Lee, says she wants to read the book first to decide if it is suitable for her two children.

Nevertheless, Ms Lee, a 37-year-old civil servant, adds that she sometimes appreciates films that 'make me examine my own faith'.

The Golden Compass opens worldwide on Dec 6.

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'The idea that it somehow promotes atheism is completely untrue. To the contrary, The Golden Compass celebrates such values as love, friendship, kindness, courage and tolerance'

US-based New Line Cinema, which produced the movie, in a fact sheet released after the e-mail started circulating