On Reading Imaginary Fiction?
I was tooling around on the internet the other day and came across this (a warning from a large US fundamentalist Christian organization): "The book's [Harry Potter, The Sorcerer's Stone] discussion guide ...implies that we can find out truths about bravery, loyalty and the power of love by reading imaginary fiction."
Okay, this is so bizarre that I need to clarify that this group is criticizing the discussion guide for implying that readers can learn important ideas from "imaginary" fiction. Let's leave the phrase "Imaginary" fiction aside for a moment and ask really? about the rest of the statement. I can only guess that fiction is meant for what? Just entertainment or escapism? Or is all fiction -- imaginary fiction -- totally evil?
It's mind-boggling. So what kind of fiction discussion guides are they okay with? Discussion guides that ask questions like, um, I dunno, "What colour hair does the main character have? And how does that make us feel?" Or maybe they're saying we can only learn about bravery, loyalty and the power of love through reading non-imaginary fiction (aka non-fiction?). If that's the case, what do these people do with the parables? Jesus' parables are all well and good, but they're imaginary fiction so we can't learn anything important from them?
The whole thing being sadly stupid notwithstanding, why is it that Christians feel the overwhelming need to communicate how right(eous) they are about everything? How about doing right instead of always trying to be right?
As I'm writing this, I'm feeling slightly hypocritical because I'm being mean/sarcastic toward this unnamed group. My problem really isn't with Harry Potter. I'm happy to disagree; my point isn't to convince anyone that I'm right. My point is to suggest that as Christians we do more damage than good by staking our flag on the moral high ground of issues instead of on the character of Christ: love, compassion, kindness, gentleness, self-control, generosity, healing, peace and joy.
In one of the most enriching books I've read recently -- Renovation of the Heart in Daily Practice -- the author writes, "...righteous meanness is a common point of commiseration among Christian leaders... 'Why are Christians so mean?' The answer is that [they] are taught by word and example that it is more important to be right... than it is to be Christ-like."
Okay, this is so bizarre that I need to clarify that this group is criticizing the discussion guide for implying that readers can learn important ideas from "imaginary" fiction. Let's leave the phrase "Imaginary" fiction aside for a moment and ask really? about the rest of the statement. I can only guess that fiction is meant for what? Just entertainment or escapism? Or is all fiction -- imaginary fiction -- totally evil?
It's mind-boggling. So what kind of fiction discussion guides are they okay with? Discussion guides that ask questions like, um, I dunno, "What colour hair does the main character have? And how does that make us feel?" Or maybe they're saying we can only learn about bravery, loyalty and the power of love through reading non-imaginary fiction (aka non-fiction?). If that's the case, what do these people do with the parables? Jesus' parables are all well and good, but they're imaginary fiction so we can't learn anything important from them?
The whole thing being sadly stupid notwithstanding, why is it that Christians feel the overwhelming need to communicate how right(eous) they are about everything? How about doing right instead of always trying to be right?
As I'm writing this, I'm feeling slightly hypocritical because I'm being mean/sarcastic toward this unnamed group. My problem really isn't with Harry Potter. I'm happy to disagree; my point isn't to convince anyone that I'm right. My point is to suggest that as Christians we do more damage than good by staking our flag on the moral high ground of issues instead of on the character of Christ: love, compassion, kindness, gentleness, self-control, generosity, healing, peace and joy.
In one of the most enriching books I've read recently -- Renovation of the Heart in Daily Practice -- the author writes, "...righteous meanness is a common point of commiseration among Christian leaders... 'Why are Christians so mean?' The answer is that [they] are taught by word and example that it is more important to be right... than it is to be Christ-like."
Pretty poignant here Rocco. You make some really good points that many of us need to take in more often.
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