Are fairy tales evil?

[BryanW]

Here is a link to a site where you can read a not-so-well-known essay written by Tolkien on the subject of Fairy Tales. Peter Kreeft has said that it is the wisest thing he has ever read on the subject. (Dr. Kreeft is one of the finest teachers of the Catholic Faith around today.)

brainstorm-services.com/wcu-2004/fairystories-tolkien.html

Good answer, though I think the essay is more well known than your thinking.
Also GK Chesterton said “Fairy Tales are important, not because they teach us that Dragons are real, but because they teach us that Dragons can be beaten” not a verbatim quote.

 

[Corpus_Cristi]

Fairy tales are fairy tales, just that. Unless there are references to the devil or to occult practices, then no, they are not “evil”. I think people forget that in stories, even ones like Harry Potter, there’s never really any attention paid to where magic or powers come from. The world of the author isn’t necessarily a reflection of the real world, especially in a fairy tale. Why do people constantly assume that casting a spell or brewing a potion, when referenced in a fairy tale, is an occult practice when the “world” of the story doesn’t have anything to do with the real world (ie. REAL spells being cast with the aid of REAL evil spirits)? It’s funny how people constantly railing against books that require people to explain the difference between fiction and reality to children can’t tell the difference between fiction and reality themselves.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Why do people constantly assume that casting a spell or brewing a potion, when referenced in a fairy tale, is an occult practice when the “world” of the story doesn’t have anything to do with the real world (ie. REAL spells being cast with the aid of REAL evil spirits)?

Not to mention, if real spells were anything like fairy tail ones, you’d be changing the very nature of ‘magic’ as it is understood in the theological sense.

 

[Debora123]

Why do people constantly assume that casting a spell or brewing a potion, when referenced in a fairy tale, is an occult practice when the “world” of the story doesn’t have anything to do with the real world (ie. REAL spells being cast with the aid of REAL evil spirits)?

Because people can be quite amazing.

 

[EasterJoy]

If the story is intended to subvert the mind towards falsehood, then obviously it is wrong to transmit something like that to someone who might be vulnerable to it. If the story isn’t likely to subvert anyone’s the mind towards falsehood, it’s just a story. If the story is intended (as the ones recorded by the Grimm brothers tended to be) to be a morality tale, the fairy tale can even be useful for religious instruction.

Like all art, it just depends…but usually it is, at worst, inappropriate for the young or otherwise morally vulnerable people. Very little art is inherently evil for anyone whatsoever. Some, but not much, save that intended to spit in the eye of virtue.

 

[Tomek]

That is, are they cases of occult practice?

I have been thinking about it and occult practice seems to mean soliciting info. or effects by using naturally and causally inadequate means through the help of knowledge gained through the devil, spirits, etc. Also, I know at least some of it can be effective even with tacit invocations (invoking even w/o belief). In my opinion it could be the case that any of it could be sinful w/o belief.

So given that, would a story where a guy divines something be good because even though the audience doesn’t believe in what is happening, again it could be bad even w/o belief. venially sinful w/o belief yes, but still sinful and also, possibly gateways for the devil.

your thoughts?

The simple answer is, no, they’re not. Christians have enjoyed fairytales as entertainment for millenia.