> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-virus@lucifer.com
> [mailto:owner-virus@lucifer.com]On Behalf
> Of Eric Boyd
> Sent: Saturday, May 08, 1999 9:22 PM
> To: virus@lucifer.com
> Subject: Re: virus: Faith and Works
>
>
> Hi,
>
> Snow Leopard <juliet784@hotmail.com> writes:
> <<
> Have you read any of C.S. Lewis' other works? If so, you must be
> aware that accuracy is not his objective. He's mocking "the devil"
> and he's teaching. He's teaching, and that's the point.
> >>
>
> Well, as a small child I read the Narnia series, but to be honest I
> don't remember anything about them. I know now that said series is
> supposed to be Christian Apologetics at it's best... which is why it's
> on my "to read... again" list. ("When you reread a classic, you do
> not see more in the book than
> you did before; you see more in you than there was before." -- Cliff
> Fadiman)
Actually, I am very familiar with Narnia, I keep a copy of all seven books here and reread them from time to time. I would say that with the exception of a little allegorical reference in "The Magician's Nephew", Ripacheep (The chief mouse) going to "Aslan's Land" at the end of "Voyage of the Dawn Trader" and most of "The Last Battle", the Christian apologetics are surprisingly muted, which makes them (IMO) suitable reading for children and fun for children and adults. It is perhaps no surprise that "The Last Battle" is the worst of the books. Again, Mr Lewis missed the point that fantasy should be written to be read, and the story line should not to be sacrificed in order to carry subliminal messages.
I have used "The Last Battle" to enter discussions with children on why the idea of one person being sacrificed for others is a completely inappropriate idea, and how "Aslan's self-sacrifice", like that of Lewis' prototype was actually not a sacrifice at all if he knew he would "live again" but how it was completely wrong if he did not. It is fun to see how fast children see the flagrantly poor ethics displayed, and without prompting, lead the conversation to Christianity - figuring out for themselves how vile the model the Christians base their religion upon really is.
TheHermit
P.S. I think that we should not turn "atheism" into a religion or proliferate inappropriate punctuation by falling into the Christian idea of punctuation.