With the release of the next in the Chronicles of Narnia film series, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the debate over what is good and evil in literature rears its immortal head again. People who worry about such things want to characterise Rowling’s work (Harry Potter) as evil and Lewis’s (Chronicles of Narnia) as good even though they both use magic and mythology as central elements of the worlds in which the stories occur.
It seems to me that much of this discussion assumes the ability to categorise literature easily into "good" and "evil". I don't think it is that easy. Much overtly Christian literature has elements that I would be very wary of. And there is much that is overtly non-Christian that has much value. Surely the whole point of the need for discernment is because, in a beautiful fallen world, there is good and evil everywhere and we need to mine it for all it is worth. The human mind has the capacity to see and hear what it will in almost anything. If we wish to see evil - that is what we will see and hear; if we wish to see good - that is what we will see and hear. It is our initial frame of reference that determines, to a large extent, what we will see and hear. I don't think anything should be excluded from consideration and so would encourage all to read
Lewis and Rowling and Tolkien and Pullman and much more. All creativity is evidence of the image of God in the world and to assert that only Christians can produce such slivers of imago dei is arrogant. Christians need to think critically about everything we read and permit expressions of God's grace in what may seem to be the most graceless literary places. The ruthless dichotomy of good and evil as if everything can be sorted in such a black/white way is, in my view, completely unhelpful.
"i love the part " Surely the whole point of the need for discernment is because, in a beautiful fallen world, there is good and evil everywhere and we need to mine it for all it is worth." Very true:)
ReplyDelete"All creativity is evidence of the image of God in the world and to assert that only Christians can produce such slivers of imago dei is arrogant"
ReplyDeleteExactly - natural revelation is available to everyone and everyone can partake of it both believers and unbelievers and they both reflect it intentionally or unintentionally.
My husband and I thoroughly enjoy the HP series. I've never seen the specific instances of the evil described in it by many Christians. I do believe it is fundamentally unChristian. Its single greatest flaw and what does make it dangerous for Christians (if they turn off their brains and don't think) is the underlying world view.
Magic in many Christian fantasies comes from an outside source (a god or king of some sort if you will). Good and Evil are determined by outside forces that are the ultimate (such as God and the devil). For example, Gandalf never makes magic from his own ability - it is something he learns and transfers and then only at times of utmost need. His destiny is not his own either, he works for a higher power (The Silmarillion - makes that clear). Saruman makes his own magic with the help of Sauron but it becomes a trap and prison for him (think of those who dabble in which craft and demonology).
In Narnia - creation and good come from the Emperor over the Seas via his son Aslan. Evil is what is opposed to that goodness.
We do not see this in Harry Potter's world. Everything is internally determined. We make ourselves who we are and our power comes from within ourselves via our own ability and self-discipline. Good and Evil are somewhat arbitrary. It is a world of humanism.
As a believer, I can sort this out and enjoy the fascinating world of HP. The creatures aren't evil and the story isn't evil but the world view can be misleading.