Religion requires the supernatural. Debate over.
I agree with Lal about the ending of HDM. I thought it was a pretty good story until the last book, where it just got very messy and unsatisfying and lame.
Pullman reminds me of those kids (and, who am I kidding, adults too) who dislike a certain band, and try to explain to everyone who'll listen
why they are so bad. They often don't notice that the exact same criteria can be applied to another band whom they do appreciate.
Ok Phil, you don't like
The Lord of the Rings. That's fine, lots of people don't like it. Just leave it at that and stop talking about it. Don't scramble about, trying to find justification and persuasive arguments to present to other people. When it's something as trivial as a storybook, just accept your likes and dislikes.