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"God is the Lord, of angels, and of men—and of elves" No doubt
comparisons will be made with J. R. R. Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings'. Both stories feature epic battles between good and evil and are set in strange lands populated by mythical peoples and creatures. Coincidentally both
film versions were also made in New Zealand. Moreover Tolkien and Lewis were actually good friends and were both members of a group of Christian writers who called themselves the "Inklings" and
which also featured Dorothy Sayers amongst others. However, whilst Tolkien's Middle Earth epic rose out of a few stories written for children, it is primarily directed at an adult audience. Lewis's Narnia stories on the
other hand were written particularly with children in mind – though they certainly can be appreciated by an older audience. Also, though both men's Christianity can be seen in their fiction, Tolkien's beliefs are
reflected in the themes of his stories whilst Lewis's stories are much more allegorical. So while Lord of the Rings reflects Tolkien's Christian view Narnia contains direct parallels with the Christian story itself.
Aslan the Lion is clearly a Christ figure who not only sacrifices himself for others but is resurrected also. Despite this Lewis was keen that his stories were primarily able to be enjoyed simply as exciting
adventures, and could therefore be appreciated by Christians and Non Christians alike. The books certainly achieved this and I look forward to seeing whether the films do likewise. Epilogue If you would like to see the film also, and perhaps discuss it informally with others
afterwards, then why not join my Advent film group. The plan is to go and see a film each week in Advent and then go for a drink afterwards so as to have the opportunity to share our thoughts and opinions in a fairly
gentle way. One of the films we shall go to see will certainly be "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" but please see the separate article on page X for dates and more details. It should be a good opportunity to see
some films you might not normally go to - or maybe even go to the cinema for the first time in ages. It will also give us the opportunity to do something a bit different in the run up the Christmas, which will
definitely come this winter!
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