Am I unique?

[Ken Hutchinson]

No: HPFGUIDX 171307

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Cassy Ferris" <xellina at ...> wrote:
>
> 2007/7/4, Kim <puppylove at ...>:
> >
> >
> > I realize that the Lion sacrifices himself to save the children in the
> > Chronicles of Narnia. But I see his role as different from
Harry's. And I
> > admit I never read the books - knowing they were a Christian
allegory, I
> > wasn't interested... Others may see him differently...
> >
> >
> Cassy:
> 
> A bit off-topical, sorry, but this thing always nugged me about Narnia -
> that Aslan KNEW beforehand that he will come back to life. Not much of a
> sacrifice, was it? I mean, dying is certainly not pleasant, but when you
> know for sure that it's not permanent and you'll be back alive and
kicking
> soon, it can be endured. Thus all idea of a self-sacrifice seemed quite
> diminished to me in that book.
> 
> 

Ken:

Because we, like Voldemort, fear death and see it as final it is easy
to miss what Aslan's (or Christ's) sacrifice really was. Death was not
the sacrifice because death is not final for any of us. Dumbledore is
right, Voldemort is wrong: Death is the door to the next adventure.
Dumbledore was also correct when he told Voldemort that there are
other ways to destroy a man. Oddly enough Voldemort's speech in the
graveyard scene is where you should turn in the Potterverse to get the
best glimpse of what Aslan's death sacrifice involved. You know where
he talked about having his soul ripped from his body and his mean
state of existence during his personal "dark ages"? In the Christian
trinitarian view Aslan's/Christ's sacrifice involved the sundering of
God's person for a time. Mere death does not describe it nor can mere
humans truly understand it. The healing of the rift between God and
humankind required that God be rent for a time.

Because death seems so final to us who stand on this side, it has
become common to refer to any sacrifice where one gives their life for
another, or even loses something very dear for the sake of another, as
Christ-like. I don't have a problem with that but we should remember
at least occasionally that there was more to Christ's sacrifice than
death. Lily's sacrifice was Christ-like in this sense. Mr. "It is a
far, far better thing I do than I have ever done, it is a far, far
better rest I go to than I have ever known" in *Tale of Two Cities*
made a Christ-like sacrifice in this sense. Frodo made this kind of
sacrifice in *Lord of the Rings*. The loss of a finger was trivial but
having saved the world he found that he had not been able to save it
for himself, so he passed on to the Undying Lands.

These are some of the most powerful images in literature, though there
are many others and some might say better. I think we all realize that
Harry Potter's world will be in straits as dire as any faced by these
characters by the time the climax of *Deathly Hallows* is reached. If
it is required that someone make a Christ-like sacrifice to save it
then we all know who will be tapped on the shoulder.

But we don't have to like it! And there is always the possibility that
someone else, Snape perhaps, with go to that better rest in his stead.
Hmm, Snape as the Christ figure? Even a Baptist has to love *that*....

Ken, who is proud to be antiquated when he thinks it is called for