Divx Free Streamingdigital Playground

Christianity against science fiction

how to get started from a small objection: not everyone likes to read books and certainly not everyone likes to read fiction. This blog was created for those who not only enjoy such literature, but also try to read it not in isolation and in relation to their faith.

Let's start with a simple definition. Science fiction is a genre invented by creative assuming the author actually using more specific literary resources. Among these measures are:

1 / attributing human traits are not human beings (as in classic fairy tales),
2 / giving wonderful characteristics and skills of human beings or other intelligent beings,
3 / create a fairy tale by the author rekwizytorium (magic items), and bestiary ( the essence of magic, mythical, etc.).

I think that this definition also includes fiction, if the word "magically" replace the "unimaginably advanced future technology."

It follows that the fantasy can include both Gilgamesh, the Odyssey, and Aeneid Aesop's fables and fairy-tales, stories about Moomins, Lewis and Tolkien's novels, or series of books about Harry Potter. Fantasy elements we find in the Bible: giants (Gen.), neck (Dn) sea monster (Ps, Iz), dragon (Ps, Iz), oblekające bones in flesh (Ezekiel), saying the trees (Judges). From Gilgamesh onwards until you see the realistic novel in the late eighteenth century, well over half of world literature was fantastic. Why? I see two reasons. First person is, as defined by Tolkien's "sub-creator." It is need, probably implanted them by the Creator, the creation of different things, including the amazing worlds and stories. Secondly, people are always asking themselves questions about the mysteries of life and death, and hence the need for a story about the unusual setting, allowing to look at reality from an unusual perspective. This brings us to the next point, namely the question whether there is any - in addition to providing entertainment - the purpose of creating fantastic literature?

I see at least two of these objectives, showing not only the specificity of science fiction, but even at her "superiority" to the literary mainstream of the last two centuries. Science fiction is a real workshop ideas. Fantasist has so used literary genre in its measures, the unique opportunity to test ideas and their consequences in a way unavailable mainstream writers. An example of "Travel Gulliwera" whose hero gets different views of the problem of power, while once giant dwarfs in the country, another time midget in the country of giants, or "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula Le Guin, intriguing study of gender issues. Showing a familiar aspect of reality in a distorting mirror to show the fantasist has readers of what every day escapes their attention. So it is genre fiction for the reader thinking and concerned world.

fiction can also, like prophecies, show hidden, but also a true shape of reality. Michael O'Brien writes, "Writing is able to shape the fantastic things unseen, take them into forms that facilitate their understanding." It achieves this by using unusual names, situations and props. What is unusual, it attracts our attention in a way unavailable realistic literature. Voluntarily suspending disbelief enter the world created by the author, in order to better understand the truth about our own world.
this hidden asset and also the Achilles heel of fiction. If the author does not have much to say, fantastic work is usually unproductive, and sometimes even dangerous pastime. This is particularly true of an important and controversial element of fantasy, which is magic. One thing we know for sure: in our world, it is a source, demonic. We believe as Christians that magic abilities, such as teleportation, lighting of the fire, the materialization of objects, visualization can take place only through support of the demonic. We know also that in the Bible the word "magician" refers to both the occult history of Simon Magus of Acts, and the Persian wise men who came to worship the Savior unborn. Words such as "miracle" and "mark" refer to the Bible, both actions committed in the name of the Lord Jesus and the power of Satan. The miracles done by Moses before the Pharaoh, were "magic", but their source was a divine power. The book of Daniel tells us that this God-fearing young man was a ruler of the Jewish Babylonian magicians:

is in your kingdom a man with the spirit of the holy gods. Back to the time your father was discovered in the special light of the mind, reason and wisdom equal to the wisdom of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, made him superior to all the enchanters, the Chaldeans, interpreters of dreams and sages. As is this Daniel, whom the king also called Belteshazzar, found special light of the spirit, knowledge, wisdom and ability to translate dreams, guessing puzzles and solving various problems, send so after Daniel, and he will tell you what the words mean (Daniel 5:11-12)

So in light of Scripture can not be fully distinguish between a "miracle" of God and "magic" of Satan. The real difference is not to grasp with the vocabulary, it lies in another area. It is the source - good or bad - an unusual event which is the power pozaludzka mover.

This brings us to the question of the use of magic in fantasy literature. Magic in literature serves, which gives the author: allegorical, allusive, forming a color wykreowanego world. Is an important goal, fundamental elements of the author, who goes after this and no other means of expression, it is not so much the existence of magic in the story as its literary use. Otherwise, we would have to condemn the Cinderella fairy for being turned into a pumpkin in your quads. May be helpful here to distinguish the following:

- good literary magic is an action which reflects both the moral order wykreowanego world and the moral order of our reality. This is precisely the magic of the present Prince Caspian narnijskich stories, blowing the horn, which once received from Aslan, the son of Lord Behind the Sea, Queen Lucy. That the use of magic item is the de facto calling asking for providential assistance to the King of the Sea and Behind the aid is actually coming. A similar "good magic" Lily Potter also grown, giving the victim's life for her son and giving him the same "magic" spell of protection against murderous sorcerer Voldemort.

- black magic in the magic of literature "Conquered", appropriated, is an attempt to capture power, which does not correspond to the nature of man or other fairy-tale hero (no matter whether it is a dwarf, hobbit or a centaur, it really tells a story is always about people.) Presents it in the same novel by Lewis dwarf Nikabrik, trying to summon a demon to help, the White Witch Jadis, cultivate it Sauron and Voldemort too, hiding their souls in magical objects.

Such a distinction is deeply Christian character. At the end of the first occultist was Satan, who tried to "get" the power of God, while the deeds of the Lord Jesus during his earthly kenosis are made from a power which he holds as the only-begotten Son of God.

fiction is a powerful, imposing on those who have not reach, special duties. Fantasist can create the most bizarre worlds, full of magic, superhuman heroes and monsters, however, should not create worlds of superhuman (superhuman?) And monstrous morality. Put simply, a writer who redefines good and evil at its own whim abuse given to him by God gift of sub-creation. On this blog we will try to write about the literature of fantasy, taking it into account.