What do you think about Narnia? is it demonic?

[tjogs]

somehow I got feeling that some people here are more "afraid" of magic and such in terms than their actual context. but enough of that now.

 

[loveme1]

Yes I am very afraid of angering my God.

He does not deserve this disobedience.

 

[rainacorn]

Yes I am very afraid of angering my God.

He does not deserve this disobedience.

So then don't anger Him and be more obedient. Check the pride.

 

[jb]

Narnia: divine or demonic?

I think David Sorensen wants to get a life and stop acting like a prat!

The books are fantasy from beginning to end, plain and simple and should be enjoyed as such.

As a bit of a digression, C S Lewis was born and raised (until the age of 10 years) in (east) Belfast and the wardrobe/room image in (the book) The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe were taken from the house in which he grew up in, which was also not far from where I grew up...

 

[loveme1]

So then don't anger Him and be more obedient. Check the pride.

This post was not about my pride, not sure how you came to that conclusion, but i Forgive you.

I have not tried to benefit myself in anyway, I came out of love for fellow men.

I have learnt much from this post, and no amount of rudeness will prevent me from warning others.





Galatians 4:16 "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"

 

[next_step]

So do you have any evidence that C.S. Lewis affirmed paganism or a semi-paganism as a world-view?

 

[loveme1]

I think his work speaks for itself.

This is a quote from mere Christianity.

"There are people in other religions who are being led by God's secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it. For example a Buddhist of good will may be led to concentrate more and more on the Buddhist teaching about mercy and to leave in the background (though he might still say he believed) the Buddhist teaching on certain points. Many of the good Pagans long before Christ's birth may have been in this position." (p.176, 177) If the good pagans are going to heaven any way, why in the world are we spending our time and money in sending out missionaries and preaching the Gospel?!

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I do not see how anyone can fail to detect that C S Lewis quote goes directly against Jesus.

 

[TheAristocat]

Yes, that is how the fable is sold to us.


Not sure that is enough though, are you?

Any how the link is very useful.

I came across it, and thought I would share.

I do not benefit from this, but someone will benefit from all that money taken from the film and merchandise.

The Bible is clear on Wizard and Witches.

Jesus did not come and give us a fantasy, he gave us truth.

I never read in the Bible that someone would come, and explain it to us via a magic wardrobe, and a wicked witch....
I think the Christian view is a very good selling point, but going against the Bible to give a message does not seem very fruitful.

I think C.S. Lewis even became annoyed at Tolkien for deviating from Christian symbolism in his Lord of the Rings trilogy. That would also imply that Mr. Lewis was intent upon using said symbolism in his own book. Lewis also uses imagery that he personally appreciated, though. For example, the goat-man came from a memory he had in his youth if I remember right.

 

[loveme1]

This post was to bring attention,to more than c.s Lewis.





When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, do you ignore his warning given to us?


Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

 

[next_step]

I think his work speaks for itself.

This is a quote from mere Christianity.

"There are people in other religions who are being led by God's secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it. For example a Buddhist of good will may be led to concentrate more and more on the Buddhist teaching about mercy and to leave in the background (though he might still say he believed) the Buddhist teaching on certain points. Many of the good Pagans long before Christ's birth may have been in this position." (p.176, 177) If the good pagans are going to heaven any way, why in the world are we spending our time and money in sending out missionaries and preaching the Gospel?!

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I do not see how anyone can fail to detect that C S Lewis quote goes directly against Jesus.

I find this troubling since it clearly reveals a flawed and dangerous soteriology! Yet, this does not advance the claim that C.S. Lewis affirmed a polytheistic pagan world-view as you've suggested.

 

[loveme1]

His work speaks for itself.

God Bless you all xxxxx

 

[next_step]

His work speaks for itself.

God Bless you all xxxxx

Lewis was a Christian Theist who had a compromised soteriology (not only this) and had an affinity towards certain pagan rituals and ideas. But he had no pagan world-view and did not believe in nasty magic stuff.

 

[TheAristocat]

Lewis was a Christian Theist who had a compromised soteriology (not only this) and had an affinity towards certain pagan rituals and ideas. But he had no pagan world-view and did not believe in nasty magic stuff.

Sounds a lot like Tolkien. He read a lot about North and Western European folklores and mythologies and was fascinated by them. They had an effect on his stories, but he realized his stories were make-believe. C.S. Lewis seems to incorporate a magical aspect into his stories for the sake of fun, but - like a few Christians I know - believes that God should not be left out of any world. Otherwise his world would become a "godless" world.

I, personally, believe that God has no place in fantasy. If I were to write a fantasy story I would not include him. But to some people that sounds wrong. Maybe it just didn't sit well with Lewis.

 

[Stina1990]

I do not believe Narnia is demonic in any way. There was one part in the book/movie Where the big Lion willing and knowing went with the Evil witch to be killed by her and all followers, he did so that another could be saved, then later after lucy and her sister took the ropes off of his dead body cried and then went to leave, He came back to life.
Sound familiar by chance. I watched this scene and I saw Jesus instead of a Lion, I saw Jesus go up there and sacrifice himself for us so we could be saved, and then I saw him rise again just like in the bible.
There are a lot more hidden stories in the books/movies but i feel like this was the strongest one that could prove that It wasn't demonic.

 

[next_step]

Sounds a lot like Tolkien. He read a lot about North and Western European folklores and mythologies and was fascinated by them. They had an effect on his stories, but he realized his stories were make-believe. C.S. Lewis seems to incorporate a magical aspect into his stories for the sake of fun, but - like a few Christians I know - believes that God should not be left out of any world. Otherwise his world would become a "godless" world.

Concerning magic... in one of his philosophical works Lewis compares modernity's wish to use knowledge as a means to get in control with magic . Interestingly enough this seems to imply a moral condemnation of magic. Thus i conclude that Narnia does not mean that Lewis approved magic as something that really is a part of this universe.

 

[greatblue]

There is definitely a demonic representation in C.S. Lewis' allegorical masterpiece, but I have never heard someone question the Godly heart and voice of the literature. For all of its fable, Narnia is a mirror image of our reality, a place controlled by the prince of the power of the air, much like our fallen earthly world. And of course, just as Aslan himself is a mere representation of the Father's son, the witch is simply the embodied visage of the evil one. And herein lies the definitive crux of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as Aslan's sacrificial atonement gives way to one of the most beautiful lines, "...when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards." For us in the really real world, Jesus Christ rescues believers from eternal separation from God through deeper magic founded in the Godhead before the beginning, praise God! If you don't categorize God's supernatural, omniscient, omnipresent Spirit as the deepest magic known in existence, then you're clearly hung up on the "evil" connotations associated with the word, but this merely makes it a pejorative of sorts. God's pure holiness--His light--is our magic! I pray, I believe, I follow the master of the miraculous!

I've never considered Narnia to be masquerading as light. There are some ideas purported by Lewis that are unique to his faith-stance, but these are by no means wolves employed to deceive. Of course, if you're referring to the Hollywood film...well I have no idea what licenses they've taken or what pagan systems they're exalting in the process.

 

[Be_Evergreen]

Jesus is the way and the light, and no one Does come to the Father except through Him!

People are not worshiping Narnia- and if there are a few whack-a-doodles out there who are, it is clearly lain out in the Bible that no false idols shall be held, so that's on their heads for taking something innocent and turning it into what it is not. But this book, it is not meant for worship, but more so for reverence. It might be meant to re-tell a glorious, Christian story. Maybe the story makes people curious about Christianity, but this story is not something to live by, and is incomparable to God's Word. It instead acts as a parable of sorts... or maybe just a pleasant read.

The feeling I am getting from the nature of the conversation is the belief that people are inherently evil, and all good comes through God. I want to tip toe around this, as I understand the differences in all of our beliefs- we are very much divided on certain issues, yes? While I do believe that we are all sinners who fall short of God's grace, we have been made in His glorious image, so I do not believe that everything that comes straight from man (is it really straight from man, in the sense that it was written with reverence by a spiritual man?) is sinful.

Nor do I believe that if one makes up a mythical beast the way that Lewis has, that it is always wrong.

 

[loveme1]

I think his work speaks for itself.

This is a quote from mere Christianity.

"There are people in other religions who are being led by God's secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it. For example a Buddhist of good will may be led to concentrate more and more on the Buddhist teaching about mercy and to leave in the background (though he might still say he believed) the Buddhist teaching on certain points. Many of the good Pagans long before Christ's birth may have been in this position." (p.176, 177) If the good pagans are going to heaven any way, why in the world are we spending our time and money in sending out missionaries and preaching the Gospel?!

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I do not see how anyone can fail to detect that C S Lewis quote goes directly against Jesus.

If this does not put light on the darkness what else will?

 

[greatblue]

I think his work speaks for itself.

This is a quote from mere Christianity.

"There are people in other religions who are being led by God's secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it. For example a Buddhist of good will may be led to concentrate more and more on the Buddhist teaching about mercy and to leave in the background (though he might still say he believed) the Buddhist teaching on certain points. Many of the good Pagans long before Christ's birth may have been in this position." (p.176, 177) If the good pagans are going to heaven any way, why in the world are we spending our time and money in sending out missionaries and preaching the Gospel?!

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I do not see how anyone can fail to detect that C S Lewis quote goes directly against Jesus.

CS Lewis, like all mankind, is riddled with the failings of sin. His various works present a "thinker" inclined to rationalize God's existence through apogetics ideas. Obviously Mere Christianity is a lay theological discussion, more so between Lewis and himself than an actual audience. In fact, TCON is in many ways a story that sequences Lewis' own journey in his faith--the thread from which he wove the entire series comes from a single experience at sixteen, when Lewis considered himself an atheist. Narnia is an allegory for faith, especially when you consider Matt 18:3, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

"There are people in other religions who are being led by God's secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it."

How do you see Lewis contradicting or commenting against John 14:6? In both emboldened occasions above he is acknowledging God's sovereignty. I would also argue that the entire passage is more about alignment to Christ than anything else. At best he is posing the idea that Jesus is stalking those genuinely following their false faiths, which I don't think is unscriptural.

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." Rev 3:19-21.

 

[loveme1]

Long ago i heard the saying the Blind leading the blind, and it never really hit home what it meant.

I thought it meant a blind man leading a blind man.

I now see that each of those men probably had no visual problems, they most likely had normal vision.