R
Hi,
So, I love to read. I read almost everything, but I have a soft spot for the classics. While not all of them were intended to include Christian messages, I find a lot of them do. I thought I'd mention a few and then, if anyone wanted to add any they could.
WARNING, HERE THERE BE SPOILERS!
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
I don't know if he intended it as an allegory, but it comes across as one to me. It's about a man who (somewhat unintentionally) sells his soul so that a portrait of him ages and absorbs the affects of his vices instead of him. Because of this (and I imagine he had to have several moral flaws to begin with, although they don't go into them), he gives himself over to a life of vice. Several times he thinks about changing, but always backslides. Even when a friend finds out about the painting and urges him to pray to God for forgiveness, Dorian refuses to believe God is capable of changing and forgiving him. In the end, Dorian grows to hate the portrait and what he's become. He decides the only way to be forgiven is to confess his sins, turn from them, and suffer for them. He stabs the portrait and, in doing so, kills himself. The age and affects of his vices that the portrait absorbed are transferred to him and the portrait is restored.
What I take from this is that, Dorian lives a life of vice and godlessness, and sometimes it makes him happy. But eventually, he always comes back to discontent. Still, he can't allow himself to believe God will forgive Him if he just confesses and turns from sin. Throughout the book, his portrait is seen as his true self. Despite getting it wrong that one needs to perform some type of action or suffer to be forgiven of sins, when Dorian stabs the portrait, he is rejecting his vices and his sinful self, and through that his portrait is restored.
Mysterious Island by Jules Verne (mostly just Nemo's words at the end, in conjunction with his actions in 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas)
In 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas, Nemo is an anti-hero. He believes he's right in killing those he views as morally reprehensible, while having compassion on the common man. He views himself as judge, jury, and executioner (to be fair, we find out in Mysterious Island that he was a Prince, so in his country he kind of was).
However, at the end of his life, he questions his actions, wondering "Was I wrong, or in the right?" Desiring Cyrus Harding to help him decided. Harding points out that "Sir, your error was in supposing that the past can be resuscitated, and in contenting against inevitable progress. It is one of those errors which some admire, others blame; which God alone can judge." (Don't agree that imperialism is necessarily progress, but that's what Harding says).
I think a lot of Christians struggle with right and wrong (not sure Nemo was a Christian, but the struggle he has here is one everyone can relate to). The Bible doesn't specifically address every situation and, as Christians, we are often confused as to what actions to take. Sometimes we take a course of action that we fully believe is right, interpreting verses in some ways while disregarding other interpretations. However, as we go onwards we often reflect and wonder if we were in the right. However, as Harding points out, no matter how much we angst over our decisions, it is God who is in charge and who decides right from wrong.
The Greek Myths
Besides being interesting stories, it's impossible to read them without realizing how faulty the Greek gods in them are. The false gods the Greeks worshipped viewed even the most devout humans as play things, allowed the ones they loved to be hurt in their arguments with other gods, and were just generally terrible beings. Despite being either fictional or (if the beings existed) demonic entities that had names, their stories just show how only God is worthy of the title and how any false god is inferior in every way.
So, I love to read. I read almost everything, but I have a soft spot for the classics. While not all of them were intended to include Christian messages, I find a lot of them do. I thought I'd mention a few and then, if anyone wanted to add any they could.
WARNING, HERE THERE BE SPOILERS!
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
I don't know if he intended it as an allegory, but it comes across as one to me. It's about a man who (somewhat unintentionally) sells his soul so that a portrait of him ages and absorbs the affects of his vices instead of him. Because of this (and I imagine he had to have several moral flaws to begin with, although they don't go into them), he gives himself over to a life of vice. Several times he thinks about changing, but always backslides. Even when a friend finds out about the painting and urges him to pray to God for forgiveness, Dorian refuses to believe God is capable of changing and forgiving him. In the end, Dorian grows to hate the portrait and what he's become. He decides the only way to be forgiven is to confess his sins, turn from them, and suffer for them. He stabs the portrait and, in doing so, kills himself. The age and affects of his vices that the portrait absorbed are transferred to him and the portrait is restored.
What I take from this is that, Dorian lives a life of vice and godlessness, and sometimes it makes him happy. But eventually, he always comes back to discontent. Still, he can't allow himself to believe God will forgive Him if he just confesses and turns from sin. Throughout the book, his portrait is seen as his true self. Despite getting it wrong that one needs to perform some type of action or suffer to be forgiven of sins, when Dorian stabs the portrait, he is rejecting his vices and his sinful self, and through that his portrait is restored.
Mysterious Island by Jules Verne (mostly just Nemo's words at the end, in conjunction with his actions in 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas)
In 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas, Nemo is an anti-hero. He believes he's right in killing those he views as morally reprehensible, while having compassion on the common man. He views himself as judge, jury, and executioner (to be fair, we find out in Mysterious Island that he was a Prince, so in his country he kind of was).
However, at the end of his life, he questions his actions, wondering "Was I wrong, or in the right?" Desiring Cyrus Harding to help him decided. Harding points out that "Sir, your error was in supposing that the past can be resuscitated, and in contenting against inevitable progress. It is one of those errors which some admire, others blame; which God alone can judge." (Don't agree that imperialism is necessarily progress, but that's what Harding says).
I think a lot of Christians struggle with right and wrong (not sure Nemo was a Christian, but the struggle he has here is one everyone can relate to). The Bible doesn't specifically address every situation and, as Christians, we are often confused as to what actions to take. Sometimes we take a course of action that we fully believe is right, interpreting verses in some ways while disregarding other interpretations. However, as we go onwards we often reflect and wonder if we were in the right. However, as Harding points out, no matter how much we angst over our decisions, it is God who is in charge and who decides right from wrong.
The Greek Myths
Besides being interesting stories, it's impossible to read them without realizing how faulty the Greek gods in them are. The false gods the Greeks worshipped viewed even the most devout humans as play things, allowed the ones they loved to be hurt in their arguments with other gods, and were just generally terrible beings. Despite being either fictional or (if the beings existed) demonic entities that had names, their stories just show how only God is worthy of the title and how any false god is inferior in every way.