Review Detail

There’s always that fine line of being able to write about religion or any sort of religious issue and not seem too preachy. In reading C.S. Lewis’s "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" it has finally been proven it can be done. He covers issues of religion while not ever coming across as advocating for any religious value whatsoever. Papa don’t preach!

Some people hear about Lewis’s theologian history and are completely surprised. His world full of talking animals, witches, and magic seems as far away from the Bible as possible. I could be wrong, but I think that was the point. He wasn’t trying to tell any reader that his or her religious beliefs were wrong or that they should support Christianity at all costs. Rather, he was delivering some solid messages of morality from the Bible in a way that’s digestible to all people regardless of religious affiliation. I’m also a guy who’s pretty dang agnostic, so like good ol’ Jack, I’m not trying to advocate for any one religion.

Any Google search of the religious references in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" will come up with page results of biblical proportions. The Witch is a daughter of Adam’s first wife, Aslan dies for Edmund’s sins, Aslan is resurrected to better the evils of the world, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Yet despite all these religious references readers are never taken away from the world of Narnia or blatantly told by Lewis to pick up a Bible. Instead, Lewis’s writing gives young readers a first look at religion, allowing them to decide whether or not they want that look to graduate from just a glance to a full on stare, or if they just want to enjoy the magnificent fantasy of Narnia without the influence of any religious institution. I typically go for the latter myself, but the beauty of Lewis’s Narnia is that the wardrobe can take you in many directions.