There are many popular books that include the lasting concept of good versus evil but there also a few that take this concept a bit further by incorporating “Christ-like” characters into their pages. Some examples, like The Chronicles of Narnia, are quite obvious with their religious allusions. Others, may at first appear to have nothing to do with religion but actually have religious undertones due merely to the fact that they create a discussion about the idea of good versus evil.
One of the most popular examples of religion in literature C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. Aslan, the all-powerful golden lion, sacrifices himself to save one of the young characters, Edmund, and then rises from the dead to defeat the wicked White Witch, saving all of Narnia. The Chronicles of Narnia became popular with Christians and non-Christians alike, even being turned into a series of films both by the BBC and Disney. Lewis’s other novels, which are much less masked in terms of their discussion on religion, have been and continue to be popular with Christian groups, but do not have the same appeal to non-Christians as his Narnia books do.
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is an example that many people would not think of as religious at all. Though often controversial among Christian groups, the novels actually contain many religious undertones. At the beginning of the series, Harry’s parents selflessly sacrifice their own lives to save their son and at the end of the series, Harry is ready to sacrifice his own life in order to save the entire wizarding community from Lord Voldemort. Just as Christ’s birth was a fulfillment of prophecy found in Isaiah, Harry’s birth was also in fulfillment of a prophecy made before he began his
life.
After searching for examples for this blog post and thinking about many of the books I’ve read in my life, I found that he majority somehow incorporate the concept of good versus evil. Although not all books have characters who specifically parallel Christ, you can usually find some aspect within a large majority of books that can be related back to Christ or one of his teachings. It seems, whether the author intends it or not, by using the concept of good versus evil, religion has a better chance of becoming part of the discussion about a novel.
So my question is this: Are we so used to allusions to Christ being incorporated into literature that we don’t notice or can these allusions cause people to make meaningful spiritual connections that ultimately cause them to become more religious?
-Molly Turner
It depends on the person but these allusions are definitely noticeable. For one to be able to draw spiritual connections from a book that is not obviously talking about religion takes someone to process and ponder the words they are reading and relate it to their religious experience. This can be a very powerful experience for people as they draw their own connections to their beliefs and find strength in their own religion through secular books.
ReplyDeleteIf people are in the right frame of mind, they can see the metaphors in books that parallel their religion and in so doing gain a greater testimony as they ponder these beliefs.
- Rebecca Anderson
I would agree that it all depends on the person. Certainly a person may use these stories to make meaningful spiritual connections if they are so disposed, but it is not a given they will do so. It's really a matter of interpretation (hermeneutics, anyone?). For example, some use the world as an evidence of Deity (the beauty and order of the cosmos proves there must be a creator), and others use the world as evidence against Deity (there is so much pain and suffering among humans and animals, surely a benevolent creator cannot exist). Perhaps a bit closer to home, members of the LDS Church cite the Book of Mormon as evidence of Joseph Smith's prophetic calling, and others cite it as evidence against the church. These two groups (LDS and anti-LDS) are of opposite mindsets, and something would have to change with their mindsets before they would interpret the story of the Book of Mormon any differently that they already do - the story itself probably wouldn't change anything.
ReplyDeleteTo sum it up, I think Christian allusions in literature may further a person's spirituality/religiosity, but it isn't as likely to make them religious or irreligious.
I think it would all depend on what background the person comes from. Like I talked about in my World Religions and Film blog post, a christian would interpret christian symbols in literature while a Buddhist would find buddhist symbols. As Christ symbol in a book could appear to be a symbol for buddha or enlightenment.
ReplyDeleteI would also agree that Christ symbols are used in almost everything these days and have caused some people to just say "Oh, another Christ symbol." So, what I'm saying is that it has lost some meaning to some people especially if it's just a subtle hint. But there are times when there is a real reason for the allusion to Christ and can affect people for good.