|PIC1|Religious activists at the Catholic League have urged Christians to boycott Philip Pullman's movie-adaptation The Golden Compass, due to be released this Christmas, over fears children seeing the movie will give up on God.

The film, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, is a creation from one of the stories of the atheist author Pullman's controversial His Dark Materials Trilogy.

Catholic League officials have condemned the film and books by Pullman, which they claim "bash Christianity and promote atheism to kids".

League president William Donohue told America's Entertainment Weekly magazine: "Parents might be inclined to say, `Hey, our kid really enjoyed the movie, why don't we buy him His Dark Materials for Christmas?'

"(It) introduces the kid to atheism. (It's) a stealth campaign."

However, rather than take offence to the criticism, the movie director Chris Weitz has welcomed the attention offered, pointing out that the Catholic League also boycotted the movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, which went on to become one of 2006's biggest cinema hits.

He said, "It will make more people see the film".