Hmmm...who knew that "Messiah" means "Mentor"?

Liam Neeson is a swell actor. He should stick to acting (via Catholic News Service):

Catholic actor Liam Neeson said he thinks the magical lion of C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia" series not only represents Christ but also symbolizes other great spiritual leaders.

Neeson is the voice of Aslan the lion in "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," a 20th-Century Fox film premiered for journalists in London Nov. 30. It will open in U.S. theaters Dec. 10.

At a Dec. 2 news conference, Neeson explained what the character meant to him.

"As we know, C.S. Lewis, who wrote the books, was a famous atheist who then became a famous convert to Christianity. I have read quite a lot of his books other than "The Chronicles of Narnia."

"Yes, Aslan symbolizes a Christ-like figure, but he also symbolizes for me Mohammed, Buddha and all the great spiritual leaders and prophets over the centuries," he said.

"That's who Aslan stands for as well as a mentor figure for kids -- that's what he means for me," he added.

Well, sure, because Islam is so enamored with the idea of the Incarnation, and Buddhism thrills to teach about redemptive suffering, and Hinduism is much concerned with sin and the final judgement. Right. We all know, it goes without saying (insert exasperated sigh here), that it makes perfect sense that an Anglo-Catholic such as Lewis, known for his many works defending and explaining Christianity, would desire that his Narnia characters and narratives reflect equally Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Scientologist themes, beliefs, imagery, and such. Uh, no. As Lewis noted in several different places, the Narnia books weren't not written as allegories, but Aslan did provide an answer of sorts to the question, "What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?" (see Walter Hooper's C.S. Lewis: A Complete Guide to His Life & Works, p 424). I don't think Lewis ever mentioned Mohammed, Buddha, or Eckhart Tolle in the same way.

But the key point in Neeson's remark is the prepositional phrase, "for me". It used to be that we took seriously the beliefs and perspectives of authors, and we took care to read what the author wrote rather than to read into what the author wrote. This navel-gazing approach to literature and art is, I think, merely a logical outgrowth of many decades of deconstructionism charading as literary criticism mixed with a certain syncretistic political-correctness that insists on the inate equality of every perspective. "Hey, Fred and Suzie, what does this book mean to you? What does this Bible verse mean for you? How does it make you feel" And so forth. Which is why Neeson's sixteen-year-old co-star, Georgie Henley, thinks feels Neeson's take on Aslan is borderline genius:

She said Neeson had not discussed his interpretation of Aslan with any of the cast, but they were "very excited" to hear his remarks during the news conference. "I can see where he is coming from," said Henley.

"Aslan represents more than Jesus or God for a wide range of people..."

Yes, more than God. Which would be...what or who exactly? Obama? The One? The Cosmos? The Force? It? She? They? But, in the end, I think what is most distressing is the notion that a great character such as Aslan is reduced to a "mentor"—and this is somehow meant to be a great and heart-warming thing. Because, you see, the Real Gospel is this: "For god so wished the world to think well of itself and have a wonderful self-image, healthy and über-tolerant, that he sent his side-kick and our buddy, the Mentor, that whosoever should be nice, be safe, be diverse, and be inclusive should not offend others, but have everlasting good karma and a reduced carbon footprint."

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Comments

[Charles E Flynn]

Yet another painful reminder that actors are so often at their best when reciting someone else's thoughts.

[Kanakaberaka]

It seems to me that Liam Neeson explained Aslan's identity simply to give the film a wider audience appeal. If he had admited what Lewis intended then critics would have hammered him for not being tolerant of other Non-Christian cultures. Marketing, not religious knowlege is the problem.

[TDJ]

Qui-Gon Jinn said that? Noooo!!

:-)

-Theo

[David K. Monroe]

It's doubly depressing to hear Georgie Henley express such apparent relief that she now can think of the Narnia story in a post-Christian context. There Hollywood types are so incredibly eagar to run away from anything authentically Christian, to take wine and turn it back into water. I hope such comments don't hurt the franchise. It certainly can't help it. I can anticipate some Christians reading Neeson's remarks and saying, "Well, if they're trying to equate Aslan with Muhammad and Buddha then I'm not going to see it."

However, this reminds me of the interview with Anthony Hopkins on the Shadowlands DVD. It's obvious when viewing the interview that Hopkins understands virtually nothing about C.S. Lewis. Still a good movie though.

[Joe]

The Narnia film project is already as concerned with getting viewers, it seems to me, as with getting a message out. Huge billboards around town with a lion's head and NARNIA suggest to me more a franchise and a "purpose-driven" marketing campaign than concern for content. Call me cynical, but the whole process just seems to lowest common denominator-driven. Neeson's comments seem totally Hollywood, as does the Narnia film franchise. WHy do we feel compelled to have to make a movie of everything, anyway? Amusing ourselves to death much? I realize Lewis was entertaining children as well, But I wonder how much he would have been into the film process. ANd a seven-fil franchise? HArry Potter is insufferable enough! As I said, call me cynical. LOL.

[Ed Peters]

What a doopey-doodle. And while we're at it, I'm not convinced that LN's all that great of an actor. His voice patterns require too much attention for understanding.

[Marcel LeJeune]

Neeson confirms my suspicions - he doesn't know much about Christianity, Islam, or Buddhism.

I am not surprised that Neeson doesn't want to approach the truth about Aslan, because it might make him shake off his spiritual-but-not-religious Hollywood life and search for God honestly. That is really quite difficult to do in the culture he lives in.

A mentor is quite a tame little kitten.

[Brad]

His opinions are so common and so nauseating to hear as a Catholic but also to hear knowing he's Catholic.

Christ is never enough for people, it seems. He's never the second person of the Trinity. He's always got to be equivocated and cheapened. For this, He suffered greatly in the garden looking forward into time.

Recently a reporter asked Obama why he is Christian. Obama answered "because I like his teachings", clearly focusing on his social teachings but not the Teacher Himself. That is arianism: reducing Christ to a swell guy among several historical, global luminaries, all mortal.

He's either God or not. If the former, that's why one worships Him. That's the true Christianity. Everything else is just idol-izing an enlightened (word as used today is pablum) "man".

[vincent manning]

The New Zouave Movement declared the film acceptable notwithstanding the actor's ignorance and selfishness.But how can Liam take the risk of depicting Mohammed as an animal? The New Zouaves will not,however,be watching his back.