As we all know, the kooky Christian Right has been damning Harry Potter and other pieces of literature that deal with wizards and magic for a long time. It's Satanic, they say. The devil is the source of all sorcery, whatever you choose to call it. And such literary and cinematic representations of magic threaten to turn our children toward evil.
I find it odd that there is one other fantasy fiction mainstay that is not so damned by these freaks: talking animals.
I mean, let's face it, animals can't talk. To portray them as possessing the ability to speak is… well, that's just it… it's possession. Only an animal possessed by evil spirits can converse with human beings. At least, that's what a talking animal should represent, to these people. And it's bad enough when only the animals can talk to each other, but look at Stuart Little. Here's a mouse that not only can talk to humans, but he's part of the family! Forget movies where kids are possessed by devils, here's a talking rodent that's part of a family!
Why is there no outcry from Falwall, Robertson, and their ilk? Why is E. B. White not vilified as J. K. Rowling is?
And let's not overlook a series of books soon to be made into a major motion picture (possibly a series), the Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. These books deal with talking animals and other mystical creatues. Oh, but that's right... It's all allegory! One of the books in the series, for example (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) symbolises the death and resurrection of Jesus, and his promise to vanquish Satan and his followers. Of course, what would one expect from the author of The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity, two oft-cited books of Christian faith?
So it's okay, apparently, to use the mystical in storytelling, so long as it's really about Jesus. But if it's not about Jesus, then it must automatically be Satanic, in their minds.
This is no different than saying that any movie or book that isn't about Jesus (whether through allegory or not) is automatically about Satan. Or, as the father of a dear friend of mine believed, any music that doesn't glorify God is Satanic.
This is the same mentality that says that if you're not for something, you're against it. It doesn't accept the idea of neutrality or ambivalence. It's possible, hard as this may be to swallow, to write a book, movie, or song that carries no opinion whatsoever on theological matters. Really!
And it's possible (hold onto your hats) to use talking animals and, yes, magic as a storytelling device and not have anything to do with Satan or Christian allegory.
To insist otherwise is the fantasy of these religious zealots.
