Bible on Fantasy?

[Drybonesreborn]

I'm not being a biblical nut-case and go insane by not watching TV, or movies or anything to turn me into a reclusive person, but I have a question being a writer about fantasy.

""For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." -2 Timothy 4:3-4 "

I mean for those against Harry fine, it's a great argument. What about writers who are Christiant that right for the LORD, and place a "what if" about God--like with Aslan in Narnia?

Fables as in wanting Harry over God? Any ideas? How can I write for God if I might be lead away from the inside out? I don't read Harry and avoid any thing like that.

[Tommie Lyn]

Drybones, I'm not a Biblical scholar -- I'm just an old lady, so take this as just the understanding of a gray-haired granny, but, I believe Paul was speaking of religious fallacy that would be introduced into the church, not secular writings. I believe the key words which indicate he is talking about religious issues are "sound doctrine," and, in my humble opinion, means that he was referring to doctrinal fables. If he was also referring to secular writings, then ALL us writers of fiction are in trouble.

[Phy]

E. Stephen Burnett has posted something about this up at Speculative Faith. It's worth the read as it tackles this very question, and his opinion is as heartening as it is startling--Fantasy fiction: Christ-followers had it first.

http://specfaith.ritersbloc.com/2007/07/25/wehaditfirst.aspx

...my strongest stylistic, even philosophical, objection to the article’s substance regards its implication that Harry Potter — who of course Apparated into the article from the very first paragraph — is the Big Original Fantasy Cheese right now, and all the Christian fantasy authors are coming after.

That’s just not the case. Christian epic fantasy authors were there first. And I’m not just talking about Lewis and Tolkien.

[Drybonesreborn]

Thanks. I didn't really get the article. But thanks.

[Phy]

Stephen is saying that, as Christians, we don't need to look at Harry Potter--regardless of our opinion of JK Rowling and her hero--because our fantastic literature came first in the form of scripture:

God’s Word itself is the epitome of epic fantasy fiction.”

Therefore, any fantasy story involving warriors, battles, ancient civilizations, strange new worlds and fantastic cities and empires incidentally borrows concepts from Scripture. Any story involving the supernatural also plays off the concept of the Triune God as supernatural (though uses of magic and such can of course be highly distorted). And any fantasy stories involving elements of True Good versus Evil tributes God’s division between ultimate Right and Wrong, even if their writers don’t know it.

That’s something of which Christ-followers can be staunchly proud. And we can keep that in mind and boldly go into our culture, and the Church especially, as — Lord willing — popular media and readers’ attention to Christian-worldview fantasy and science fiction continues to increase.

To put it another way, we don't have to look at Tolkien for orcs and elves and wizards, or at Lewis for fauns and lions and witches, or even at Rowling for magical schools and muggles, we can look to scripture and craft our fantasies based on those models of wild epic conflict, evil, and redemption.

Brandon Sanderson has written an entirely original work called Elantris. It is a one-off book (no trilogy to wade through) and it asks the question what would you do if a city that was heaven on earth suddenly became a leper colony? And what if your savior was afflicted with the disease that was wasting the city away? And what if the princess promised to the prince was left in his city by herself? And what if there was a religion of war who had designs on the whole world, and they were moving in as the prince was taken away? How can the righteous win in the face of that overpowering, overwhelming forces and situations? There isn't an orc in sight, and the power of that land is grounded in scientific probability. It is a wildly entertaining story, and any one of us could have written it.

With the marvelous, terrible history of scripture, we don't need to follow. We can lead. Let's write the next great fantasy, shall we?

[Drybonesreborn]

Well I meant about Christians looking at the bible and saying "What if in a land of elves somone like Adam and Eve sinned?" That's what I meant. Can we point to Jesus with a story and not be blashemous?

[wardog25]

I'm not sure if this is what you are wondering about, but the word "fable" from 2 Timothy 4:4 is not refering to fantasy stories in general.

Many translations (NIV, NASV, ESV) use the word "myths" instead. Read a commentary or two on 2 Timothy 4 if you want to get a more accurate understanding.

Paul was telling Timothy how people would spread false teachings and lies about Christianity or about God. These are the types of fables/myths he was referring to. Allegorical stories like Narnia were probably the furthest thing from His mind at this point.

Fantasy stories that teach truths about God and that are moral and God-honoring can be wonderful tools for evangelism and discipleship. Narnia is an excellent example.

[Lookin^Up]

What if you witnessed a miracle and told others about it? Would you accept the evaluation that the story was a "true myth"? Myth, by its very nature, is an enhanced story about how nature works, not really true but often considered true because it's based on a known fact. (The sun shines and seems to move across the sky; therefore that must be a sun god riding his chariot. That's the essence of the Egyptian god Ra.) I know C.S. Lewis talked about "Bible myths," but that's one point where I disagree with him.

The Bible is all true, nothing truly mythic about it. Even today, lepers and other diseased people are healed, miracles still happen (especially in favor of the Jewish people when many nations and despots have tried to wipe them out), and prayer is still powerful. We Christians know (or should know) from experience these things are true. Don't let anyone water it down by saying it's just a myth.