Narnia Might Be in Trouble

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Why depressing?

 

sorry to get such an old topic up from the bowels of this forum, but I just have to reply.

if you don't like or see the christian hints in this book part 7 is propably trash, but to me (as a christian) book 7 was the best of the whole lot! it made me almost cry when I was 11 and still gives me the shivvers!

but also the great divorce and the screwtape letters are very good!

well actually almost all his books are great!

 

i never read all the bk s when i was wee, but i think we did do 1 in class. I sm to always remember a lion jumping over a massive wall, but that mite just b me (wen im bored i make up my own stories in my head)

 

Yeah I've been getting many recommendations (esp from my brother) to read those books after I had finished LOTR. Everyone except our youth pastor who looks unfavourably upon Narnia (and LOTR for some reason). He even bashed heavy metal with Guns N' Roses in particular (!!!!), but not without reason.

Darn I'm deviating again! Please Math do speak on about those themes you mentioned. Sorry I made your nic sound related to algebra.

I remember when I was a kid I watched a bit of Narnia and how they went through the closet, ending up in some arctic place and one of the kids was with some evil queen who offered him Turkish delight (which I can't stand personally). Well I'm sorry I don't have the tape to that show but I have the tape to The Hobbit. Great story! I kept watching it as a kid.

 

I'll answer for Mathetais, if I may.

The books are excellent and fairly clearly Christian, at least to most people familiar with Christian beliefs. At no point does he actually refer directly to Christianity.

However, Aslan is a very clear version of Jesus. Aslan saves Narnia by by yielding up his life to the evil Witch and come back to life at a later date. That's also why he leaves and promises to return at a later date, leaving his the kids ot govern.

The Emperor Over Sea is God, the source of all that is good but who is never *physically* present. Rather, he sends Aslan or the human children to do what is necessary.

The children, of course, are the christians. They are tempted with good things in the here and now to overlook evil, etc.

The Last Battle is an amazing parable of the End of Days. The reign of Tash as "Tashlan", the defiance/treachery of the dwarves, the redemption of the human officer who had served Tash, the defeat of evil, and the restoration of the Earth as paradise.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe are the two most obvious, but the others have a christian morality behind them if not quite so blatant a translation.

His sci fi books, the Perelandra series, are similiarly Christian themed.

[ September 21, 2002, 11:19: Message edited by: Vormaerin ]

 

I noticed the Christian themes in Narnia...actually, I noticed them after reading the Perelandra series, where the themes were not only present but downright BLATANT. Since that was when I was in 6th grade (I got promoted to the Middle School library, which had the books), I did my very best to ignore Lewis's allegories...now I think I just may go back to them, especially the sci-fi series. Christian symbolism may not be personal to me, but it's inclusion always makes things interesting.

 

Wow, its been awhile since I was on Booktalk ... sorry.

Vormaerin did a good job with the basic Christian themes. Lewis has both obvious (Aslan) and subtle Christian themes.

One of the ones I like is the Turkish Delight that seduces Edmund to follow the witch. Like most sins, it seems sooo wonderful at first, but as soon as your dig into it, it looses its delight and you only hope that by consuming more & more you might be able to get that delight back again.

There is a great line when Lucy was first about to encounter Aslan. She sees this huge lion and askes Mrs. Bever, "Is he tame?" Mrs. Bever replies, "No, he's wild and firce and never tame ... but he's good." Isn't Jesus like that? Good, but wild, Good, but firce!

Aslan breathing on the feet of the stone giant, exclaiming, "Once the feet are fixed, the rest falls into place" ... I know that once God gets me MOVING (not thinking/planning/hoping) in the right direction, things fall into place.

I could go on and on, but I hope you see my point.

The biggest reality Lewis teaches: LIFE IS SUPERNATURAL. There is a Narnia behind every wardrobe ... its called the Kingdom of God. We don't have to wait for it, it is real right now, just waiting for us to enter the adventure.

 

I must admit, I read the books many many seasons ago and can't remember them all exactly. Also, whilst reading the books I never picked up on the Christian themes as I was to young to have been aught about them, but looking back I can see the links.

The most stunning thing that stands out in my memory was how Aslan died... From what I can remember he died at the hand of the Evil Queen on a stone table, and the stone table broke... He was pinned the table by his paws with shards of rock and he was left to bleed... If it all happened the way I remember it then this is a direct relation to the death of 'Jesus.'

Of course, the table breaking in half could be construed in a number of ways, but the way I see it is as the curtain ripping in half in the temple.

Also, from what I remember the table joined together when Aslan rose again, what symbolism would this have?

I'm very sorry if any of the details are wrong, I read the books nine years ago.

Another thing, I seem to remember something that symbolised the spread of Christianity after the death of Aslan / Jesus but I can't remember exactly what. Would it happen to be the breaking up of the wardrobe and the planting of it in the garden? Or was the blossom tree already there?

Ah yes! The tree blossoming was the symbolism!

Herf.

 

Another good one from the book Prince Caspian.

Lucy had been away from Narnia for awhile and had gotten older. When she saw Aslan again, she was shocked because the lion was much larger. "Aslan! You've grown!" she exclaimed. "No little one," the lion responded, "You're the one who has grown."

The same goes with us. The older in our faith we become, the bigger we realize that God is!

 

Let them not touch a word. Copyright frenzy has gone too far. They bought the copyright and they think they thus have the right to rewrite the book?