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Lion or God? wonderful phantasy or reality?

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Lion or God? wonderful phantasy or reality?

Postby darinka » June 13th, 2007, 3:28 am

When I was little it was easier for me to imagine Christ being like a lion. See, c.s.lewis wrote about Aslan so well that i sometimes wished Christ could be a lion, not a man. But there was another thing i wanted to ask you about.

Have you ever (in your childhood, i hope!) thought that Narnian creatures actually exist? or you were told 'there's no such thing as talking animals, minotaurs' and so on? would you rather let your children believe in minotaurs or demons? see, one day christian kids discover that real Narnia exists and they would actually see real Aslan someday - but should they forget about narnian fun and narnian creatures? i'm terrified everytime i hear a child saying 'i don't believe in fairies, ghosts, pirates and talking animals.' wouldn't it be better for them to believe in such things? since they can't imagine real angels and demons?
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Postby A#minor » June 13th, 2007, 3:45 pm

That's an excellent topic to discuss! Here's some thoughts...

First of all, let me recommend that you read "On Three Ways of Writing for Children" by Lewis. You can find it at the back of the adult editions of CoN. Another good one to read is "On Fairy Stories" by Tolkien.

I think that it's healthy for children to imagine and pretend, but they aren't stupid! They know the difference between reality and fantasy. It is adults (well-meaning adults, granted) who blur these lines in a child's mind.

When I was a child, we used to pretend that Santa was coming every Christmas, but even the smallest of us knew that we were pretending. We never actually believed that Santa was real, and I think we had more fun than other kids who were deceived by their parents.

I remember as a young teen feeling closer to God through Aslan as well. He just seemed more approachable somehow at that time. As I've matured as a Christian however, I've found that the traits that Lewis wrote which made Aslan feel so near to me are the same traits that Jesus possesses in actuality! And of course, I realized that (mentally) as a child; but I couldn't feel it for some reason.

Why do you say that children can't imagine real angels and demons? For one thing, they don't have to 'imagine them up' since angels and demons are real. They can take God's Word for it and learn the truth.

The Narnian creatures are a good likeness and maybe a useful tool to teach children what is real. You could say, demons are sort of like those bogies and hags in the White Witch's army because they are both evil and ugly and want to hurt us if they can. It's just an allegory though; don't read too much into it.

Maybe you are confusing "belief" and "suspended reality."
Belief is a mental acceptance of and conviction in the truth, actuality, or validity of something. (Per Webster) There's some fact behind it that the faith is anchored on.
Suspended reality is when your imagination kicks in and while you are reading that book or playing that game you pretend that you believe in dragons. If your imagination is strong, then for a moment you practically do believe in dragons. Your reality is suspended for a moment, and an alternate reality is prominent in your mind. Then you come back down to earth, and you know what is real in the world.

I agree that a kid who says "I don't believe in dragons" is not exactly a fun kid and probably hasn't much imagination; but that's no reason to judge him. Some people just need facts and no more. They find it hard to suspend reality and pretend to believe.

In closing, please please please don't lie to kids and tell them that talking creatures exist! They'll only hate you for it later. Encourage them to pretend and imagine because that will enrich their minds and lives, but don't blur that line of reality.

You may wonder where I get all this from... Years of working with all kinds of children, tough educational pysch. classes in college, and a hobby in children's literature. No wonder I feel rather strongly about the subject! I've seen people from both extremes: those who think kids should never pretend anything that isn't true, and people who think kids should actually believe things that aren't true. Both those extremes are wrong, in my opinion. God tells the Christian to be moderate in all things, to find a balance between extremes.

Just some thoughts...
God Bless! :pleased: And welcome to the Wardrobe!
"My brain and this world don't fit each other, and there's an end of it!" - G.K. Chesterton
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angels, demons and Santa Claus

Postby darinka » June 15th, 2007, 1:25 pm

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Postby A#minor » June 15th, 2007, 1:44 pm

"My brain and this world don't fit each other, and there's an end of it!" - G.K. Chesterton
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Postby Guest » June 15th, 2007, 2:56 pm

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Postby A#minor » June 15th, 2007, 3:13 pm

I suppose I'm thinking more along the lines of a child taught to believe in Santa, who finds out that Santa is not real. So he wonders what else his parents have lied about, and begins to wonder if God is also a myth. He doesn't know who to believe or what to believe.

Although he may be trained to accept things that are not seen, he must learn to "try the spirits" as the Bible says and discern what is truth and what is fiction. If you take it too far, he will end up rejecting all unseen things. He will reject God because He is intangible, just as he rejected the intangible Santa of his childhood.

Of course, every child is different. Most children have no such problems; and we all grow out of our childhood confusions (hopefully). Another factor in this that hasn't come up yet is the age of the child. A 3 year old who honestly believes in dragons in one thing; a 5 year old who believes is quite another!
Also, I'm speaking of extremes here, and situations which most of us won't encounter. It would take extreme teachings (by parents) and an extremely sensitive and creative and imaginative child to end up rejecting God because he used to believe in Santa. :rolleyes: (Now I'm sounding ridiculous, so I'll stop.)

You're right that most children do have that "child-like faith" the Bible speaks of, which ought to continue to be cultivated as they grow. But we should cultivate it in the right direction, and not let children believe willy-nilly any fool thing that is presented to them as truth.

I think you and I are probably saying the same thing, but expressing it different ways. :wink:
"My brain and this world don't fit each other, and there's an end of it!" - G.K. Chesterton
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The Lion was more real to me than sermons

Postby friendofaslan » June 17th, 2007, 2:50 am

Even though I was brought up in “church,” it was not until I discovered Lewis in college and read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe that I fully understood and embraced the meaning of the crucifixion and resurrection. I sobbed when Aslan sacrificed himself to save Edmund and Narnia. I hurt at the humiliation by the White Witch and her minions. I cried at the shearing of his beautiful mane and his tightly bound powerful paws. I felt the evil dagger piercing his innocent body. I wept again with Lucy and Susan as they witnessed the death of Aslan--so sad we couldn’t weep anymore. Then, I rejoiced with them at dawn and discovery of Aslan’s resurrection!

Yes, I had heard the crucifixion and resurrection story many, many times. But, never really undertood until I read LWW.

Lewis commented about LWW that he wanted to “steal past the watchful dragons” who kept Christ in a medicinal world and stuck in stained glass. He put the story in a different setting to bring fresh life to it—and so he did.

Aslan helped me truly know the sacrifice and love of Christ like no sermon ever could. This scene in the film was extremely emotional for me because it took me back 20 years to when I first read LWW.

That is the power of imagination. And faith like a child. The story of Christ—I believe Lewis said—is the one fairy tale that has come true.

Lewis and Tolkien created fantastic worlds because they were imaginative writers. They believed creating was using the gift of the Creator. My, how well they used those gifts!
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Postby darinka » June 18th, 2007, 2:42 am

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Postby A#minor » June 18th, 2007, 3:01 am

"My brain and this world don't fit each other, and there's an end of it!" - G.K. Chesterton
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Postby darinka » June 19th, 2007, 9:36 am

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Postby darinka » June 19th, 2007, 9:37 am

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Postby A#minor » June 19th, 2007, 9:47 pm

"My brain and this world don't fit each other, and there's an end of it!" - G.K. Chesterton
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Postby JRosemary » June 20th, 2007, 12:53 am

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Postby Guest » June 20th, 2007, 12:49 pm

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Postby Danman » August 7th, 2007, 1:59 pm

"And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me, Beloved, me who am but as a dog---" Emeth.
And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; But the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them.
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