Liam Neeson: Narnia's "Aslan" Represents All Great Spiritual Leaders

[Catholic_Press]

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.

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[thomasf]

Imo, it couldn’t be any clearer. Aslan is supposed to represent Christ.

 

[Michael_C]

Well I understand all the symbols and parallels to Christ, maybe he could be more specific and point out how Aslan represents Mohammad and Buddha…I sure can’t.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

I think C.S. Lewis was very clear in who Aslan was representing and it was not “all great spiritual leaders.”

I wonder where an actor gets the feeling that he may speak on this in such a way as to distort the original authors intent. Maybe he feels comfortable enough doing so knowing that the author is not around to disagree with him.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I think C.S. Lewis was very clear in who Aslan was representing and it was not “all great spiritual leaders.”

I wonder where an actor gets the feeling that he may speak on this in such a way as to distort the original authors intent. Maybe he feels comfortable enough doing so knowing that the author is not around to disagree with him.

Neeson didn’t attempt to distort the original author’s intent, but stated clearly that it was his opinion of the character Aslan, which he is the voice of in the movie.

I like Liam Neeson. I think he’s one of the great actors of our time.

Jim

 

[tomarin]

Neeson didn’t attempt to distort the original author’s intent, but stated clearly that it was his opinion of the character Aslan, which he is the voice of in the movie.

Lewis must be spinning in his grave.

 

[Steel_Pinwheel]

Christians don’t control Hollywood. Liam Neeson wants to preserve his acting career.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Lewis must be spinning in his grave.

Why?

When I create a painting, I don’t expect to force people to see what I was trying to express.

Whatever they get from it is up to them.

In the case of Neeson he got more than what C.S. Lewis was expressing, but I doubt he’d be upset about.

People with the gift of creativity rarely get upset over criticism, especially when it isn’t negative.

Jim

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Christians don’t control Hollywood. Liam Neeson wants to preserve his acting career.

I don’t think Neeson worries about his acting career to the point of expressing himself in order to be politically correct in Holywood circles.

Jim

 

[OrdinaryMelkite]

Christians don’t control Hollywood. Liam Neeson wants to preserve his acting career.

I said in another thread that Neeson almost certainly knows Aslan is directly supposed to be Christ, but is saying this as an attempt to be be “diplomatic” to certain elements in Hollywood and elsewhere who already think the Narnia Movies and Books are already too OVERTLY “Christian” and are somehow (bizerrely) an attempt by certain people to push Christianity/Religion on the General Public.

I think it is also an attempt to Maximize the number of possible viewers to the Movie and to make it “accesible” to EVERYONE.

I do agree having to deempahsize one of the main themes of the movies and books IS Unfortunate, though. More evidence of the Obscene Secularization and Blatant Anti-Christianity of our Society.

 

[tomarin]

Why?

Because Lewis obviously took Christianity seriously, whereas Mr. Neeson apparently does not (or any other religion for that matter). Nor does he care that he is doing a violence to the author’s clear apologetic intent of the books.

Mind you, it wouldn’t have bothered me if he had said something along the lines of “I never cared much for the religious undertones, I just enjoyed the fantasy elements” because that was how I felt when I read them as a kid. But I wouldn’t have tried to minimize or ignore Lewis’s real Christian intent because it’s well, intellectually soft and/or dishonest. I feel like this is part of a plot to de-Christianize the most explicitly Christian of children’s classics.

 

[Michael_C]

Christians don’t control Hollywood. Liam Neeson wants to preserve his acting career.

This was my first reaction.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

tomarin

Because Lewis obviously took Christianity seriously, whereas Mr. Neeson apparently does not (or any other religion for that matter).

Does the Pope not take his Christianity seriously when he says that other religions have truths that we should not reject, just because they’re not Catholic?

I don’t know if Neeson takes his Christianity seriously or not by his statement.

I see good in Gaadhi and Buddha, but that doesn’t make me a Hindu or Buddhist.

Nor does he care that he is doing a violence to the author’s clear apologetic intent of the books.

Violence? I think he’s actually showing respect for the author by showing the people of all faiths can relate to the character.

Mind you, it wouldn’t have bothered me if he had said something along the lines of “I never cared much for the religious undertones, I just enjoyed the fantasy elements” because that was how I felt when I read them as a kid. But I wouldn’t have tried to minimize or ignore Lewis’s real Christian intent because it’s well, intellectually soft and/or dishonest. I feel like this is part of a plot to de-Christianize the most explicitly Christian of children’s classics.

I don’t know if Neeson ignored Lewis real intent or not, but the last thing I would attempt to do, is control the thoughts, feelings and words of others.

Jim

 

[tomarin]

Does the Pope not take his Christianity seriously when he says that other religions have truths that we should not reject, just because they’re not Catholic?

Jim, saying that we should acknowledge the truth and beauty found in other religions is not the same as saying that all religions teach the same thing, which is the implication of Liam Neeson’s statements, and why I found his statement so off-putting. This “all religions lead to God” business is a pet peeve of mine.

I don’t know if Neeson takes his Christianity seriously or not by his statement.

I didn’t he say he didn’t take his Christianity seriously, I said it appears he doesn’t take Christianity seriously. Because if you think that the Narnia books “work” equally well with Aslan standing in for any religious figure, then you by definition regard Christianity as less unique and special than Lewis did. Saying he doesn’t take his Christianity seriously on the other hand implies that he doesn’t go to church enough or something, whereas my problem with his statement is on a more philosophical and paradigmatic level.

I see good in Gaadhi and Buddha, but that doesn’t make me a Hindu or Buddhist.

I respect both as well but I’m not sure how Aslan could work as a Ghandian or a Buddhist. Or to put it another way: if C.S. Lewis were a committed Buddhist or a follower of Ghandi’s I’m pretty sure all those Narnia books would be seriously qualitatively different from the way he wrote them in reality as a Christian. (Added: I will say that Ghandi’s political philosophy seems closer to me to Christianity and was perhaps influenced in part by his experiences with Christianity though the brand of Christianity it most resembles is the Mennonite and Quaker pacifist one.)

Violence? I think he’s actually showing respect for the author by showing the people of all faiths can relate to the character.

You can respect a something (say, a belief system) while acknowledging the differences that separate it from your own belief system. If we’re talking about religions, I would say you show greater respect for an orthodox Jew when you openly acknowledge the fundamental ways his religion differs from your own (assuming he finds your characterization a fair one).

I don’t know if Neeson ignored Lewis real intent or not, but the last thing I would attempt to do, is control the thoughts, feelings and words of others.

If you are writing a piece of criticism you are at least trying to persuade other people to see the work of art your way, or make a case for seeing the work of art your way. That’s the sense in which I would disagree with Liam Neeson’s statement.