Religious Themes in The Lion, The Witch, And the Wardrobe

Religious Themes in The Chronicles of Narnia Divine Law Fall from Grace Last Judgement Heaven Afterlife

Religious Themes in The Chronicles of Narnia Divine Creation In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep...And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. "In the darkness, something was happening at last. A voice had begun to sing...The Voice rose and rose, till the air was shaking with it. And just as it swelled into the mightiest and most glorious sound it had yet produced, the sun arose...The Lion was pacing to and fro about that empty land and singing his new song...And as he walked and sang the valley grew green with grass. It spread out from the Lion like a pool... " The Magician's Nephew

Religious Themes in The Chronicles of Narnia Good vs Evil In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, “evil” is the current state of the world - Eden after the Fall. How does evil enter into Narnia originally? Through human sin… Good and Evil are the result of choices people make choose good, the world becomes good (Christmas and spring arrive when the Pevensies arrive) Choose evil, the world responds with evil - Lewis’s answer to “natural evil”?

Religious Themes in The Chronicles of Narnia Fall from Grace Sin is introduced from outside - the result of human choice Temptation Redemption Forgiveness is possible Evil is necessary as a result of Fall, but all world will be redeemed in the end.

Religious Themes in The Chronicles of Narnia Heaven/Afterlife Aslan’s true country turns out to be heaven Those who love Aslan get to go there after death Those who hate him, don’t. Atheists don’t get an afterlife?

Religious Themes in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Faith - beavers Devotion - Lucy and Susan Sacrifice - Aslan Resurrection - Aslan Transformation/kingdom of God - Santa/spring Sin - Edmund Forgiveness Aslan/edumund Redemption Edmund

Aslan as Christ - Sacrifice He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. Isaiah 53:7 "But [Aslan] made no noise, even when the enemies, straining and tugging, pulled the cords so tight that they cut into his flesh." The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Aslan as Christ - Resurrection After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. Mark 16:12 "[Susan and Lucy] looked round. There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen him before, shaking his mane (for it had apparently grown again) stood Aslan himself." The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Aslan as Christ - Provider/Comforter/Lamb As soon as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.John 21:12 "The water was warm and all the time it got shallower. At last they were on dry sand, and then on grass... Then they noticed for the first time that there was a fire lit on the grass and fish roasting on it." The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. John 21:12 " Come and have breakfast,' said the Lamb in its sweet milky voice." The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Aslan as Christ - Judge “When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit on his throne of glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them from one another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set his sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world...Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Matthew 25:31-34,41 "The creatures came rushing on, their eyes brighter and brighter as they drew nearer and nearer to the standing stars. But as they came right up to Aslan one or other of two things happened to each of them. They all looked straight in his face...and when some looked, the expression of their faces changed terribly - it was fear and hatred...All the creatures who lookd as Aslan in that way swerved to their right, his left, and disappeared into his huge black shadow which...streamed away to the left of the doorway. But the others looked in the face of Aslan and loved him, though some of them were very frightened at the same time. And all these came in at the Door, in on Aslan's right." The Last Battle

Aslan as Christ Aslan as Numinous (fear and trembling) Aslan as Trinity? Aslan as Supreme Good Aslan as Redeemer