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Kingship in Narnia

Please don't close the door behind you.

Love and Humility

Postby Silence » February 13th, 2008, 5:50 pm

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Why the Least is the Greatest

Postby Silence » February 13th, 2008, 9:38 pm

Clarifying one of the thoughts in the last post: If we are to love God with our all, and therefore love our neighbor because they were created by and are an expression of God, then we would truly be equals with our neighbors, and love them as ourselves. Because then we would love ourselves for the same reason we love them; because God created us.

When I said before that a king/superhero becomes a living flag, giving himself up for others, I also meant that they give up a personal, individual identity, and become the Many. God is the perfect example of a perfect King; He is the embodiment of the many, yet is One. He is an individual, yet he is the Creator and Author of all, and everything that exists exists as expressions of His divine nature.

So often we fear to give up our small self; but until we do, we will be no more than the sum of our parts- body, spirit, experience . . . Yet what is the loss of this, against what can be gained? This becoming more than a single person give us insight into the psychology behind historic reverence for kingship, and how historic rulers regarded themselves.

I have only to look at the Narnian Royals to see they feel genuine love for their subjects. They feel their pains, share their joys, and respect them as individuals. To be so small, that we cannot 'feel' outside ourselves is a great tragedy. But the Narnians and their rulers are past that smallness; that is why they are Great. Individuality is not blurred, but rather enhanced under these conditions.

Because of our fallen natures, democracy is the best alternative to divine governance. But in the perfect society under God, the purity and strengths of both monarchy and democracy are united and employed, as those who prove themselves worthy are raised up to rule.

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PS: I am relieved to find out that double-posting is not considered a capital crime on this forum . . . :toothy-grin:
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Fearing the Foot

Postby Silence » February 15th, 2008, 3:56 am

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King Edmund the Redeemed

Postby Silence » February 17th, 2008, 3:21 am

To return to our roots, this post is a look at Edmund.
In Narnia, he became known as the Just; but perhaps it would be more accurate to call him the Redeemed. When he is introduced, Edmund is a character some readers merely dislike, and others 'love to hate.' But after his rescue, Lewis hints that Edmund was never, at heart, a bad boy; peer pressure and a bad environment had a hand in what we saw. What he needed was to be rescued from his old mistakes, as well as his new ones.

Seeking to save Edmund, and later forgiving him was the first step Peter, Susan and Lucy made toward Aslan, and this was both acceptable and necessary for their brother's salvation. But Aslan alone was capable of the rescue, and paying the debt. Unlike his siblings, Edmund desperately needed saving, and the love it took to do so changed him forever.

Betraying your own flesh and blood, then realizing that for this your life is forfeit- How would you feel then, to see the one who loved and saved you give up his life for yours, without being asked, without saying anything? The Lion of Judah and Narnia left quietly in the night to pay the ultimate price, while his friends slept. Until we have come to this point, will we ever understand how Edmund felt?

Yes, Aslan returned to life, though without lessening his sacrifice. And Edmund, having seen how harsh is the law from personal experience, became merciful. This understanding is necessary for true justice; knowing the weight of sin, the price of sin, and the attraction of sin.

Like Edmund, how many of us treat those around us despicably, while trusting and emulating all the wrong people? Small sins lead to greater sins, until we are at the point of well-deserved death and despair, from which there is no escape. Then, a rescue; forgiveness freely given, and the debt paid. Edmund experienced near death of spirit and body, and returned reborn.

The glimpses of the adult King Edmund in The Horse and His Boy is enough to recognize a truly great man, let alone a good and just King. Even when confronted with Rabadash's treachery, he is willing to be merciful; because he himself had been forgiven of such an offense. And until we realize we have been forgiven all, how can we unreservedly forgive?

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Postby Danman » February 19th, 2008, 6:55 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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Postby Silence » February 19th, 2008, 9:21 pm

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An Experiment

Postby Silence » February 23rd, 2008, 12:24 am

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Trial and Error

Postby Silence » May 18th, 2008, 12:55 pm

Anyone else try the above challenge, and fail miserably? I hope so; because I did. I learned some interesting things from that experiment, and the first was that it is not in the nature of sacrifice to think of Self- that is why it is Sacrifice.
I became quite familiar with The Excuse: “So long as Self is my top priority, why should I sacrifice it?” and The Lie: “Something stands between me and my ability to do what is right.” (And since the only thing preventing us from behaving decently is Self, if we indulge in the Excuse, we come to believe the Lie.)

*Pride is selfishness at its purest. Every time a proud man chooses to do the right thing, it is ‘his’ choice, and therefore he claims the glory and honor of it. But eventually he will weary of the game and give up, or become set in the habit. Either way, the devil wins.
*But a humble man never seems to think of himself, because Humility is the decision to learn what the right thing is, and make it a reflex. He don't need to choose between telling the truth or a lie, because the truth is on automatic while his attention and energies are saved for meeting the next stage of unresolved moral challenges.

We must be willing to commit beyond the moment of choice, and allow the seed of potential to spout into practice, and grow into deeds. Let it become your nature, and the spout will become a stapling, and eventually an unassailable oak of Character. Only then will we be free of the shell of inconsistency and the soil of circumstance, and finally reach for the heavens.
The question is, are you willing to give up old problems and moral dilemmas, and grow into new ones? The survival issues of bird vs seed are far different than the relationship of bird and tree.

_____________________________
Reading through my earlier posts, I noticed an apparent inconsistency. I once said a king is a steward who maintains the land, which is either progressing or regressing. Later, I said that as Narnia was an unspoiled world, there would be no 'keeping it from falling apart' because it didn't have the degenerative element of the natural man.

These are not to my mind mutually exclusive. Just because Narnia is unspoilt does not mean it is perfect; and even a garden free of weeds and pests needs tending. In our world, even the best leaders are constantly fighting off weeds and pests, and are often forced to allow the garden to grow wild. But in Narnia, the kings and queens can largely focus on the betterment and beautification of the garden.

_____________________________
Kingship Thought of the Day: Courtesy was once a knee-jerk reaction in all well-bred children, like Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. They came from an age of propriety, in the moments before the British Empire truly began to crumble as it began losing the world piece by piece. Thus, even in the moments Edmund was at his nastiest, he was still unconsciously upholding a higher standard of behavior- which only makes nastiness all the more cutting.

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Re: King Edmund the Redeemed

Postby Aleena » May 20th, 2008, 3:01 am

Knighted Dame Aleena of the order of countdown correctors. Appointed Steward of the Countdown until the King's return.
Standing with Israel, always.
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Kingship Lost (Or not fully realized)

Postby Lady_Gwendolene » June 5th, 2008, 10:30 am

It's interesting how each of us seems to have a different definition of humility. I always defined it as being totally open and transparent, letting yourself be known for exactly what you are (no more, no less).

On the subject of the High Kingship of Peter, something odd stuck me while re-reading PC last night. Why did Aslan crown Caspian under Himself and Peter, if Peter was not coming back to Narnia and could not assert said authority. (Aside from the fact that Peter had already been given that right and responsibility as High King of all Kings of Narnia.) Did Peter, in fact, retain his authority as High King while in England (especially given that, "Once a King or Queen...Always a King or Queen). I have no idea, though how he would have exercise that authority from England, however.

A reoccurring theme in CoN is that of not knowing your king/queenly identity. Edmund, is seduced into joining the Witch's side, partly, due to the promise that he would inherit the throne. Unknown to him, of course was that all the while Aslan had already promised him the throne.

The same trick was used on Rilian, who schemed to invading his own country to conquer a throne which was already his.

(In a similar vein, Caspian should have been king since his father's death but only questioned the authority of Miraz after Prunaprismia gives birth.)

The devil also tempted Jesus this way, offering Him all the kingdoms of the world. But of course, God has given all authority in Heaven and Earth to Jesus.

I would love to hear your thoughts!
Last edited by Lady_Gwendolene on December 30th, 2008, 8:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Kingship: Free, but not Cheap

Postby Silence » June 6th, 2008, 11:08 am

Perhaps you would care to take this topic off my hands, my lady? (I agree with your definition of humility; my last post was merely one aspect of it, as gleaned from my latest stumbling.)

The matter of Caspian becoming king under the High King never struck me as odd. It only confirmed Peter’s accepted role as Caspian’s guardian/proxy, and clearly establishes Caspian’s equal footing with Edmund and Lucy for VotDT. And why should distance, space, or absence be of concern to Aslan, when death itself did not matter? Peter clearly retained his authority on earth, (as glimpsed in LB,) and I fail to see why authority must be actively asserted or exercised to be relevant.
_________
Now on to your points about Kingship: All of us through Christ have been offered a great gift, and Satan would like nothing better than to rob us of it. Edmund, Caspian and Rilian illustrate three basic pitfalls prepared for all descendants of Adam and Eve;
1) Earthly Desires- Ignorant, selfish and undeserving, Edmund ignored his qualms and allowed his appetite and pride to be played upon. Result: he betrayed his siblings.
2) Trusting in Men- Knowing on some level that Kingship was his right, Caspian was careless of and did not pursue this knowledge. Result: he was nearly murdered.
3) Heedless of Boundaries- Instead of adhering to his duties at home, Rilian took his safety for granted, wandered abroad, and let his guard down. Result: he was enslaved.

If the White Witch, Miraz, and the Green Lady had kept their promises:
*Edmund would have spent his life as prince of a frozen land, instead of becoming King and co-ruler with his siblings of a green, lovely realm.
*Caspian would have ruled over a still-suppressed Narnia after his uncle's death, instead of helping free and becoming king of the real kingdom he always longed for.
*Rilian would have conquered and ruled by the whim of his queen, instead of throwing off his enchantment and becoming king in the Overland by love and birthright.

But tempters offer what they do not have, in order to take what is not theirs. Between a suppressed nation under the dominion of a Tempter/Temptress, and freedom for all under the overlord-ship of Aslan, there can be no contest.

Satan’s tempting of Jesus in the wilderness has amazing parallels with where these rightful heirs went wrong. Where Edmund ate Turkish Delight of suspicious nature, Jesus turned from the mere suggestion of a shortcut for mortal bread (). Where Caspian accepted at face value the promises of his uncle, Jesus would not even be led to regard Satan’s offer (). And where Rilian was careless of his safety, Jesus adamantly refused to test God ().

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Re: Kingship: Free, but not Cheap

Postby Lady_Gwendolene » June 6th, 2008, 12:54 pm

Image
"My name is Caspian X. You Killed my father. Prepare to die."
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