Books: Tale of two book series: "His Dark Materials" & "The Chronicles of Narnia"

I never really read either of these series as a child, besides a mandatory reading of "The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe" in fourth grade. While it's been said that the "His Dark Materials" trilogy is Philip Pullman's response to the C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, the truth is that they are very similar books, at least on the face of it.

I won't spoil anything about either story here, but they have basically opposing themes - Narnia is written as a fantasy with Christian elements and mythologies, while "His Dark Materials" uses lots of gnostic ideas. I will say, however, that "Chronicles" is the stronger series - the sense of wonder and disorientation when Lewis' characters re-enter the realm of Narnia in "Prince Caspian," for example, is almost palpable.

I did feel a bit offended when Lewis and Pullman introduce their personal biases and beliefs in not-so-subtle ways (with Pullman being the worst offender of the two until the closing books of Narnia). I'd like to read a good epic children's fantasy where no religious principles are explored, just to be fair (I believe "Redwall" and its progeny might fit the bill). I'm a little weirded out by such things in children's books - imagine if Curious George advocated aetheism or if Dr. Seuss talked about reincarnation (though of course Seuss himself was a staunch liberal).