Dateline: May. 24, 2008
On The Subject of Magic I
Hi, I'm back:)
So, back to the subject of magic. This is a very contreversial debate in the Christian circle. I am not stating these opinions just because I felt convicted of an obsession and want to save the world or because I felt uncomfortable. I'm writing these quotes to ponder them in my heart.
While reading the Prelude chapter to a Midsommer's Night Dream(prelude written by Jared Miller), I was drawn in by his description of magic and how it can relate to the Christian faith. So, enjoy:)
"Christians have often been suspicious of magic, even when it appears to literature. This is understandable attitude has its root Israel's law, which forbade any kind of witchcraft (Duet. 18:10-14; Lev. 19:6) and which was reaffirmed in the New Testament when newly converted Christians burned their books of magic (Acts 19:19). Furthermore, the only supernatural creatures the Bible talks about are angels or demons, so Christians often don't know what to do with stories about faeries, elves and hobgoblins.
What are we to make of this? As you've learned from reading stories like J.R.R Tolkein's Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, magic (understood in a certain way) can be a rich inspiration for Christian literature. It expresses the key doctrine that the world is personal and poetic, not mechanical. After all, a world created out of nothing, only by a word.It is a world governed by a faithful covenant and upheld by God’s power (Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:17). It is a world where miracles happen: languages are mysteriously mixed up, oceans are parted, iron floats on water, a virgin gives birth, water is changed into wine and the dead are raised to life. In this sense the Bible is full of magic.
Magic in literature also makes us see in a new light the things that we think we know already. Lewis describes Christ’s atonement in terms of the Deep Magic of Aslan and the Emperor-over-the-Sea. Tolkien describes the artistry and skill of the elves in terms of magic. Sauron’s ring becomes a symbol of selfishness, excessive ambition and the corrupting desire for unlimited power. We know that those things are evil when we start the book, but actually seeing them at work in the story adds a whole new dimension. Christian literature can rightly use the categories of good magic and bad magic rather than avoiding magic altogether. "
well that is part I, I hope you enjoyed it:)
and yes, there is more:)
onedaymore
What are we to make of this? As you've learned from reading stories like J.R.R Tolkein's Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, magic (understood in a certain way) can be a rich inspiration for Christian literature. It expresses the key doctrine that the world is personal and poetic, not mechanical. After all, a world created out of nothing, only by a word.It is a world governed by a faithful covenant and upheld by God’s power (Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:17). It is a world where miracles happen: languages are mysteriously mixed up, oceans are parted, iron floats on water, a virgin gives birth, water is changed into wine and the dead are raised to life. In this sense the Bible is full of magic.
Magic in literature also makes us see in a new light the things that we think we know already. Lewis describes Christ’s atonement in terms of the Deep Magic of Aslan and the Emperor-over-the-Sea. Tolkien describes the artistry and skill of the elves in terms of magic. Sauron’s ring becomes a symbol of selfishness, excessive ambition and the corrupting desire for unlimited power. We know that those things are evil when we start the book, but actually seeing them at work in the story adds a whole new dimension. Christian literature can rightly use the categories of good magic and bad magic rather than avoiding magic altogether. "
well that is part I, I hope you enjoyed it:)
and yes, there is more:)
onedaymore
Comments
May. 24, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by aliveagain13
That is cool! ;)
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luv Katy