The Religion of Literature and the Literature of Religion

¶ … epic narratives like Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and Lord of the Rings contain some of the same elements and archetypes as those found in the Biblical narratives. Sacrifice, bondage, exodus, and survival in the wilderness are themes in each of these stories. For example, in Star Wars, the Skywalkers were forced to flee Tatooine, making numerous sacrifices in preventing the dark side from winning. In Game of Thrones, characters like Arya have been forced to survive in the wilderness as well as live in bondage while also being exiled from her place of birth. Frodo and Bilbo Baggins make sacrifices and survive in the wilderness during their journeys in Lord of the Rings. These secular stories often contain strong moral messages, just as the Bible does. Honor, integrity and virtue are as important for exhibiting strong leadership in secular as in religious literature. The main difference between secular epic narratives and religious ones is that the latter has been deemed "sacred," as if existing on a profound level apart from everyday life. Pious people even believe that religious texts are the word of God, revealing how strongly the effect of these texts on their readers versus secular stories. Audiences often follow secular stories like Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and Lord of the Rings with "religious" fervor, but that type of fervor is qualitatively different from that felt by religious people who view the Bible reverentially.

All epic narratives have instructional value. They show readers that strong leaders almost always have tragic flaws. All of the Biblical leaders, particularly in the Old Testament, have flaws just like other tragic heroes. Some fail to follow God's commandments; others fail to trust God. The Biblical stories are strongly instructional in nature. Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and Lord of the Rings are designed to be entertaining more than instructional. Even if these narratives have some instructional merit, they do not provide codes for people to live by. They do, however, offer blueprints for human character development and can teach readers about issues like friendship and loyalty.

Part Two

1. What major differences do you see in the denominations and is there any room for theological agreement?

One of the main differences between Christian denominations is their liturgy and ritual. Catholicism retains the sacraments like the Holy Communion, but few other sects do. Anglicanism (the Church of England) retains more rituals than other non-Catholic denominations but for the most part, liturgy and ritual remains a key dividing point. Another difference is theological. Some sects believe that Jesus is fully divine, and other sects believe that Jesus is both human and divine. Protestants generally believe that faith alone is sufficient for salvation, whereas Catholics believe that "faith without works is dead." Finally, the role of baptism is a key difference between different denominations, with some like Catholicism believing that babies need to be baptized and other sects like the Baptists believing that only a conscious adult should be baptized. In spite of the major theological differences, there is of course room for agreement because all Christian denominations by definition focus their teachings on the gospel of Christ.

2. How has the Christian movement changed from its early beginnings when the Church was holding councils and discussing the theology of the Holy Trinity, to the Church in modern times?