The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe- a Christian agenda? (1 Viewer)

[Benny_]

I know there's another thread for LW&W, but this is somewhat different. Spoiler warning for anyone who somehow hasn't read the Chronicles of Narnia.

Polly Tonybee of the Guardian has launched a stinging attack on the The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe's aggressive Christian themes.

Very interesting article, to be perfectly honest I hadn't been at all aware of the Christian themes when I read it 13 or 14 years ago. Some of the things did strike me as a bit odd, such as Aslan's little speech about sacrifice being the only means of ressurrection, but I never really gave a second thought about it. This article does explain a lot.. such as Carroll's vilification of the Arabs of Narnia.

Thoughts?

 

[RanyofuKenyan?]

Ahh yeah, I thought this was common knowledge.

Wikipedia is always a fascinating read

 

[jebbie]

I know there's another thread for LW&W, but this is somewhat different. Spoiler warning for anyone who somehow hasn't read the Chronicles of Narnia.

Polly Tonybee of the Guardian has launched a stinging attack on the The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe's aggressive Christian themes.

Very interesting article, to be perfectly honest I hadn't been at all aware of the Christian themes when I read it 13 or 14 years ago. Some of the things did strike me as a bit odd, such as Aslan's little speech about sacrifice being the only means of ressurrection, but I never really gave a second thought about it. This article does explain a lot.. such as Carroll's vilification of the Arabs of Narnia.

Thoughts?

Apparently LOTR's also carries Christian themes, not unsuprising as autors of both series were indeed both Christian.

I don't see what is the problem (although am biased as Im a Christian).

And I don't see how Lewis 'vilifies' the 'Arabs of Narnia'. Seriously - explain please

 

[jebbie]

Ahh yeah, I thought this was common knowledge.

Wikipedia is always a fascinating read

Haha same.

 

[RanyofuKenyan?]

Indeed, considering Tolkien and Lewis were buddies it is not unsurprising.

Tolkien is just as fascinating as Lewis

 

[Benny_]

And I don't see how Lewis 'vilifies' the 'Arabs of Narnia'. Seriously - explain please

As I said, it was a long time ago that I read the Narnia books, so it's hard for me to refer to specific incidences. Instead I will refer to the first entry that came up when I googled 'narnia arab racism'.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051201/ENT02/512010388/1037/ENT05

 

[xeuyrawp]

Think about it -- Christianity is taught in a subversive way: As kids, they tell you 'What happened', show you nice videos, let you sing cool songs, and let you colour in. All those methods of propagating Christianity is intended to just tell a kid what to think.

Lewis and Tolkein gew up in a time far more 'Jesus was god' (as opposed to 'Jesus may be god. Let's give you the info and let you decide) time than what we are today. Hence I think that it's not unreasonably that their context is reflected in their works. I wouldn't say that the books are at all didactic, rather they just present things in a very Christian way.

 

[xeuyrawp]

Hahahah, THIS is the best paragraph I've read all week:

Of all the elements of Christianity, the most repugnant is the notion of the Christ who took our sins upon himself and sacrificed his body in agony to save our souls. Did we ask him to? Poor child Edmund, to blame for everything, must bear the full weight of a guilt only Christians know how to inflict, with a twisted knife to the heart. Every one of those thorns, the nuns used to tell my mother, is hammered into Jesus's holy head every day that you don't eat your greens or say your prayers when you are told. So the resurrected Aslan gives Edmund a long, life-changing talking-to high up on the rocks out of our earshot. When the poor boy comes back down with the sacred lion's breath upon him he is transformed unrecognisably into a Stepford brother, well and truly purged.

 

[Ellie-Bee]

CS Lewis (the author of Narnia) is a Christian and, yes, the book does have a Christian theme. I don't think that it could be called an 'agenda'....!

 

[betsie]

u can read in to anything u try to. harry potter can be read as a christian thing if u look hard enuf. ( i havent read hp for a few yrs now but we studied something bout it in yr 11 ex eng or something!) so bloody wat if its christian? hardly any1 kicked up a stink bout lord of the rings being christian.

 

[Ellie-Bee]

u can read in to anything u try to. harry potter can be read as a christian thing if u look hard enuf.

I think the point is that LOTR and Narnia are written from a Christian perspective not that they can be read into as Christian themes or whatever.

 

[heybraham]

I know there's another thread for LW&W, but this is somewhat different. Spoiler warning for anyone who somehow hasn't read the Chronicles of Narnia.

Polly Tonybee of the Guardian has launched a stinging attack on the The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe's aggressive Christian themes.

Very interesting article, to be perfectly honest I hadn't been at all aware of the Christian themes when I read it 13 or 14 years ago. Some of the things did strike me as a bit odd, such as Aslan's little speech about sacrifice being the only means of ressurrection, but I never really gave a second thought about it. This article does explain a lot.. such as Carroll's vilification of the Arabs of Narnia.

Thoughts?

CS Lewis is a prominent Christian author, this is pretty much common knowledge. But he also wrote other books, "Merely Christianity" is one of his best introductions to his religion. i think he was a christian author before a children's one.

ps. it'd be an 'agenda' if it was Matrix Revolutions...man that ending totally ripped off the bible. i was expecting an ultimate ending for that movie...argh. still hurts 2 years on.

 

[jeremiahk]

mmm, YEAH, because LOTR is really Christian. Tolkien may be Christian, but what IS a Christian theme? You have the resurrection and self sacrifice, but between the bible stories of jesus and these two writers of course there will be similarities.

I wouldnt say LOTR is that Christian, I mean he's putting in God like beings in. The Vala? Elves that live forever. LOTR is a mere blip on the middle earth history, if you read teh silmarillion you'll see Tolkien writing about alternate creation stories.

 

[The_highwayman]

Everybody knows that the Chronicles of Narnia are based on christian stories etc.

 

[sf_diegoxrock]

C.S.Lewis once said that he used fiction as a way of getting past the "watchful dragons" in our lives.. the "watchful dragons" being the things we knowingly set up to keep ideas out, so in telling these stories, he makes these "dragons" in our lives go down and alas! we are told the greatest story of Christianity

 

[The_highwayman]

see, i would have taken that completely seriously except that your location says "Orange County" and i personally hate the OC.

 

[mr_brightside]

hmm...Id never realised the Christian themes...interesting..


On another note...
I really hope they havent fucked it up..
[rant]
one thing is really pissing me off so far..
THE WHITE WITCHES SLED IS PULLED BY POLAR BEARS!?
POLAR BEARS?
WHAT
THE
FUCK?!

Her sled was actually pulled by white reindeer.

[/rant]

 

[xeuyrawp]

Her sled was actually pulled by white reindeer.

[/rant]

In the TV series, weren't they pulled by horses with dodgy antlers?

No wait... I'm thinking of the 'unicorn', the horse with the dodgy horn. I think the sledge was pulled by elk.

 

[mr_brightside]

In the TV series, weren't they pulled by horses with dodgy antlers?

No wait... I'm thinking of the 'unicorn', the horse with the dodgy horn. I think the sledge was pulled by elk.

Im talking bout the book.

 

[thejosiekiller]

breaking news: english literature written by angle saxon christian author containing themes and messages!

more news at 10pm...