So I was thinking about Pullman's critique of religion in His Dark Materials (not so much Book of Dust, as I haven't read but some have suggested is quite different). Pullman's view is very much of his generation, the John Lennon "imagine no religion" type.

The critique celebrates the products of religion (poetry, compassion, art etc...) but is wary of "institutional religion" or "organised religion". And so the "Magesterium" in His Dark Materials is not really about Christianity, but about abuse of power etc...

My objection to this line of argument is mainly that it's a broken mirror, it doesn't reflect the full picture of contemporary society. If anything, its a critique of history, not of today.

Today, it's the nation state which exudes absolute control, which has taken for itself the sole arbitrator of right and wrong, which both has the power to enforce its truth and regularly does so. It is both the provider of basic services and the "repository of sacred values".

For all the power of any religious institution of the past, it pales in comparison to the absolute reach, authority, and control of a modern nation state. And the claims of the nation state are incredibly similar to the claims of religious institutions.

A person could read His Dark Materials, nod sagely at its warnings of the repression of the Magesterium, and never really grasp that they live under a similar institution today, because they bracket religion away, and the nation state in their view isn't religious.

I should add I'm a fan of the books, enjoying the series, and think Pullman is one of the best writers of our era.