It is a question dividing Christendom: should Christians read fairy-stories? Should Christians read and enjoy fantasy of any kind? I believe they should. There is much to be had from a fictional tale, an epic of heroism, courage, and perseverance. There is much to be said for a story that promotes fighting against evil to your last breath. Here are some reasons:
a) when a fantasy story includes things like witches, or sorcery, or any magic, it is - nearly 100% of the time - not meant to promote witchcraft. Such things are an afterthought, and the utilization of such characters and powers is for a purpose. The characters are used just like the rest: to promote the message of the story. I have read stories that include witches, and I have never once come away from the book thinking about witchcraft or magic. Rather, I think about the turn of the tale, the message of the story, and whether the author got it across very well.
b) including witchcraft in a story does not go against what the Bible condemns. It is the practice of witchcraft and sorcery, the telling of fortunes and interpretation of omens that is an abomination unto the Lord. To mention them in a tale does not equal practicing such things. If it did, then the Bible promotes witchcraft and magic in the mentioning of them.
2) Fairy-stories, if proper, show that good wins out over evil.
a) No matter how close the battle, good has the victory in the end. Tolkien wrote an essay on fairy-stories, and talked about the idea of "eucatastrophe" - which essentially means that good rises to the victory even if it is bittersweet. Is that not akin to life? Fairy tales should reflect life, and the good ones do so. Think of Jesus - He is the absolute Victor, and yet His heel was bruised. In our own lives we can see that there is a mix of joy and sadness. We go through things that affect us deeply. We get hurt. We fall down. And yet, in the gospel there is the sweet and comforting hope of final victory. In Jesus, believers are more than conquerors! Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ - not persecution, nor famine, nor nakedness, nor sword, nor anything else that attacks us on this earth. Paul mentions these things in Romans 8 because we do go through such things. We are not living a life of ease, a life free from pain. So fairy-stories, in showing the bad, in showing that bad is very evil, that it wants to see good destroyed, reflects life in a way that stays with you. In the best of fairy-stories, bad is shown to be bad and good is shown to be good. And good, ultimately, always wins.
Based on the points above, I would heartily recommend Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (and any of his other tales, actually) and Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. These stories show ultimately that good is good and bad is bad. They show that there is something "worth fighting for". They show that evil destroys itself, it is corrupt, and it collapses in the face of good. They show that when Jesus (in Narnia, Aslan) appears, He wins. There is no contest. Evil falls down. Evil is destroyed. There is no duel between Aslan and the white witch (though there is a duel between Peter and the witch - another message that shows how vulnerable we are when battling the devil without relying on Jesus). He simply destroys evil.
These stories also show the nobility of self-sacrifice. In fact, they show many heavenly qualities even without specifically mentioning them, which is what fairy-stories ought to do: give the sense of greater things within an enjoyable tale. At the finish of a fairy-story, one ought to contemplate the message, discern the meaning, and see the truth. Now, I do not advocate reading just anything. I do believe there ought to be discernment when reading anything - fiction or not. It is not the genre that is dangerous, but the message within it. Many non-fiction books are dangerous, and so are many fantasy stories. Not because they talk about magic, or talk about violent or evil things; these simply point to the main message of the tale. It is the message we should discern, not how the author goes about relaying it.
There are so many messages springing up out of Tolkien's work, it is difficult to say only a few. (I am considering further posts that will go into these things.) There are even places which show the sovereignty of God - such as, in the Hobbit, Bilbo "stumbling upon" the Ring, which the Ring itself did not intend. God is sovereign over evil, and He works through it to bring about the victory. We can see that throughout the Bible when it comes to God's people - Joseph, David, Paul, Peter, etc.
We see weakness in Frodo - but, ultimately, it is not about Frodo. Just as this life is not about us. It is about good (I would say, God) working through Frodo, a very weak vessel, and all the others of the "Fellowship", to accomplish His will. Fairy-stories, as I said earlier, ought to reflect reality. When they do, they are definitely worth reading, and I would heartily recommend them.
Me too! :D
ReplyDeleteI have met people over the years that wouldn't watch or read certain things because they were 'evil'. I guess it's what a person is comfortable with.
ReplyDeleteI for one don't have many 'barriers' of what I read, or watch, because I like to be entertained.....and the challenge of my imagination is fun.