A Lion Among Men

"The real purpose of books is to trap the mind into doing its own thinking." ~ Christopher Morley

I was disappointed in this book. I had hoped to learn more about what happened next... instead, I read the Cowardly Lion's back story.

Do you agree with the quote above? As an adult, I know I have deliberately used books to trap my mind into doing its own thinking. But, that is hardly the story of my life. I liked and indulged in a lot of fantasy books. I still do. I wasn't always a careful reader. Instead of thinking about what I was reading, I let the author's ideas teach me. When a story's characters, setting, and plot are pure fantasy, it is easy to just enjoy the story and not think too deeply about what is being said. The more fantastical the story, the easier it is not to think seriously about its contents. A Lion Among Men is a story that contains talking Lions, witches, magic books and is said to take place in a place that exists somewhere over the rainbow, Oz. It would be easy to thoughtlessly enjoy the books.

But, like the rest of the stories in this series, A Lion Among Men isn't purely fantasy. There is political posturing, wars and rumors of wars, ethical dilemmas, cultures and conflicts. The author's purpose in writing this series seems to be to educate his readers about the nature of evil, racism, class-ism and religious tolerance. He discusses the nature of man:

"We start out in identical perfection: bright, reflective, full of sun. The accident of our lives bruises us into dirty individuality. We meet with grief. Our character dulls and tarnishes. We meet with guilt. We know, we know: the price of living is corruption. There isn't as much light as there once was. In the grave we lapse back into undifferentiated sameness." (page 8)

In one short quote, the author has "taught" us something about what he believes to be true about the nature of man, the cause of evil and suffering the purpose of history and what happens to man after death. In the vehicle of a fantasy story, I doubt many readers critically examine whether or not the author is right. Does his thoughts agree with my thoughts? If not, upon what do I base my beliefs? Does what we observe about human nature, the behaviors of our own children, significantly agree with the author is asserting? Is my foundation sure?

I recently had a commenter write:

Those people who preface their remarks with, "Well, I'm a Christian and I think..." are officious and repugnant. What they're really saying is "I am worthier than you. My opinions carry more weight because I invoke the name of Christ."

I didn't approve the comment. I have a copy of the words in an email that was automatically sent to let me know someone had stopped by my blog. The same commenter left a series of negative comment on my blog. They all came from the same IP Address. In every case the commenter left a different name. So, I guess the comment was anonymous. There are a lot of very good reasons to write under an assumed name, including Internet privacy. But, if one is to assume a nom de plume, assume the same one. Did the commenter not believe enough in her words to stand behind them?

I do not mind people respectfully disagreeing with me, but the comment didn't add to the discussion. It was mostly just an indictment of me and my beliefs. But...

Well, I am a Christian and I think. I think a lot. Of the nature of man? My Bible, the foundation upon which I determine truth, teaches me that all humans are the crowning glory of God's creation, image-bearers. I am not worthier than you. When I preface my thoughts, it is only because I am communicating the tool I use for determining truth. Gregory Maguire is right, we start identical at birth, but it is our own nature that dulls and tarnishes our character. My history is not an accident; it is part of a divine plan. There is a pure light. It hasn't dulled, become distant or been extinguished. I just don't always choose to walk in it. And, I don't have any intention of spending eternity as an undifferentiated sameness. I don't have any intention of spending eternity as a disembodies spirit either. I plan on being bodily resurrected and spending eternity on this glorious, re-created Earth.

I challenge everyone, Christian or not, to read books thoughtfully.