Fantasy and Satanism
Many years ago, I was challenged to seek out the difference between fantastic and satanic. Twenty-five years later, I think I might have some answers. In what follows, I won't be throwing biblical references around - those who need them ought to know where to look. What follows is a rant - it is meant to provoke, to vent steam, to be an irritant in the shell. Deal with it accordingly.
Here is an excerpt from As Empty As A Renegade's Soul, a little-known piece of fiction, c.1990.
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Gothic arches, unaged by river-misted years, shadowed them as they passed along the Sorrowful Way through the City of the Lost Ones. Time long gone, it had been a glorious city, the City of Angels, and the Silver Elves had lit a flame of joyous civilisation in their capital which would never be extinguished (or so the bards sang). Then, war had come to the Land, a final reckoning had been made on the field of battle at Alingin, and the hopes of ages had come to dust.
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Is this fantasy? The genre tropes are obvious, so it must be. Is it satanic? I think only the word 'elves' might possibly cause offence to anyone with a religious persuasion - after all, elves are commonly treated as imps or other supernatural beings. The excuse of fiction won't wash, with such as those.
But let's look at the Bible, oft-misquoted and abused source of anti-elvish discrimination. I believe that the highest form of debate is to take the other side's material and make it work for you.
Time and again, authors of the testaments quote from pagan sources or works of fantasy. They use visual images which are obviously not meant to be taken literally - hence fantastic - and in at least one of the books, God is not mentioned at all. It's a pretty good book too - a sort of historical romance with assassination plots, jealous rivals and dastardly acts. Step One: recognize that God allows fiction, and in fact, is the Prime Author of things which are not real as well as things that are real - and who's to say which is which?
But elves?? A talking ass, nephilim, angels - these are taken as the real elements of the biblical text. Why then do we discriminate against folklore - as folklore? What's wrong with writing stories about non-human intelligences who do non-human things? After all, that's exactly what we do when we write about angels. It's explicitly stated that we shouldn't venerate angels, so it can't be blasphemous to write fiction about angels. And if angels, why not devils - to be blunt? That's exactly what C S Lewis does in The Screwtape Letters. Let alone poor figments of dying or dead folklore. Step Two: recognize that it can't be sinful in itself to write fiction about the non-human and supernatural.
So what is the difference between fantastic and satanic? It has to do with the nature of Satan - as revealed in the Bible. He's all about pride, defiance, self-glorification in the face of his creator. He's all about loving things which aren't deserving - money if loved becomes the root of all evil, Tyre cursed for its obsession with trade. Reading the Bible carefully makes it clear that pride (which makes of one more than what one is meant to be) and greed (which seeks to get more than what one is meant to have) are probably the mainstays of Satanism. I'd say that Monopoly, by these criteria, is more satanic than Scrabble, but Chess is probably harmless.
Perhaps the greatest deception of all is that which leads us to spend time castigating those who read Harry Potter while attributing respectability to those who do nothing but make money as an end unto itself. After all, love of money is the root of ALL evil, but love of fiction is the... hang on. Is there a problem with love of fiction? Burn all Literature teachers at the stake! And their accomplices, the librarians! But keep the bookies alive, we need them to invigorate our economy!
Actually, to end this before I go into my here's-ten-thousand-words-of-diatribe-against-people-who-routinely-give-Satan-all-the-wrong-credit mode, let me issue a challenge. Ask yourselves whether those who trade in war, death, drugs and lucre have done more to save mankind than those who write fantasy novels; ask also what the nature of their clientele is. And then shift targets appropriately. Don't let the straw man of the fantastic distract you from the tin man of the material.
Here is an excerpt from As Empty As A Renegade's Soul, a little-known piece of fiction, c.1990.
=====
Gothic arches, unaged by river-misted years, shadowed them as they passed along the Sorrowful Way through the City of the Lost Ones. Time long gone, it had been a glorious city, the City of Angels, and the Silver Elves had lit a flame of joyous civilisation in their capital which would never be extinguished (or so the bards sang). Then, war had come to the Land, a final reckoning had been made on the field of battle at Alingin, and the hopes of ages had come to dust.
=====
Is this fantasy? The genre tropes are obvious, so it must be. Is it satanic? I think only the word 'elves' might possibly cause offence to anyone with a religious persuasion - after all, elves are commonly treated as imps or other supernatural beings. The excuse of fiction won't wash, with such as those.
But let's look at the Bible, oft-misquoted and abused source of anti-elvish discrimination. I believe that the highest form of debate is to take the other side's material and make it work for you.
Time and again, authors of the testaments quote from pagan sources or works of fantasy. They use visual images which are obviously not meant to be taken literally - hence fantastic - and in at least one of the books, God is not mentioned at all. It's a pretty good book too - a sort of historical romance with assassination plots, jealous rivals and dastardly acts. Step One: recognize that God allows fiction, and in fact, is the Prime Author of things which are not real as well as things that are real - and who's to say which is which?
But elves?? A talking ass, nephilim, angels - these are taken as the real elements of the biblical text. Why then do we discriminate against folklore - as folklore? What's wrong with writing stories about non-human intelligences who do non-human things? After all, that's exactly what we do when we write about angels. It's explicitly stated that we shouldn't venerate angels, so it can't be blasphemous to write fiction about angels. And if angels, why not devils - to be blunt? That's exactly what C S Lewis does in The Screwtape Letters. Let alone poor figments of dying or dead folklore. Step Two: recognize that it can't be sinful in itself to write fiction about the non-human and supernatural.
So what is the difference between fantastic and satanic? It has to do with the nature of Satan - as revealed in the Bible. He's all about pride, defiance, self-glorification in the face of his creator. He's all about loving things which aren't deserving - money if loved becomes the root of all evil, Tyre cursed for its obsession with trade. Reading the Bible carefully makes it clear that pride (which makes of one more than what one is meant to be) and greed (which seeks to get more than what one is meant to have) are probably the mainstays of Satanism. I'd say that Monopoly, by these criteria, is more satanic than Scrabble, but Chess is probably harmless.
Perhaps the greatest deception of all is that which leads us to spend time castigating those who read Harry Potter while attributing respectability to those who do nothing but make money as an end unto itself. After all, love of money is the root of ALL evil, but love of fiction is the... hang on. Is there a problem with love of fiction? Burn all Literature teachers at the stake! And their accomplices, the librarians! But keep the bookies alive, we need them to invigorate our economy!
Actually, to end this before I go into my here's-ten-thousand-words-of-diatribe-against-people-who-routinely-give-Satan-all-the-wrong-credit mode, let me issue a challenge. Ask yourselves whether those who trade in war, death, drugs and lucre have done more to save mankind than those who write fantasy novels; ask also what the nature of their clientele is. And then shift targets appropriately. Don't let the straw man of the fantastic distract you from the tin man of the material.
etched with acid at 4:58:00 am
5 Comments:
Goodmorning Sir
I know you eant you don't have a defined audience, just humouring dear Kaleni.
Exams approach, I am accumulating emotional dross. Your entry provided some food for thought and some respite for me, thanks.
Cheers.
Nice post sir. Same views here. Its great to read someone who shares the same sentiments.
ah my mistake re the void thingy... hM very true very true. those ppl who slam fiction for satanism don't exactly make sense =P considering acsp's principal banned harry potter, that says alot about encouraging reading eh...
And sir, what would be your stand on Harry Potter?
Thanks to all those who have posted here. Must I make a stand on Harry Potter? Well, here it is: it is a money-making device as bad as David Eddings' Belgariad, and insofar as it occupies valuable time with low-quality (but entertaining) images, it is as satanic as the sort of reality tv which puts unmarried people in one place with the express intention of getting them to fornicate. There, I've said it...
Or for those who need it plainer: WE are supernatural beings if Christian theology is in play. Any activity involving humans is therefore tainted with the spiritual regardless. And that means that excessive moneymaking, lovemaking, warmongering, fishmongering, whatever - all these things have the potential to be as evil as any other excess. Please note: the Christian bible has a lot more to say about sex and violence and laziness and not fulfilling one's potential than it has about witchcraft and divination. True Christians should choose better targets - or is it that they would then be striking too close to the bone?
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