My blog is more of a question than an observation. When Mr. Beaver is first telling the children about Aslan he says "'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." (chpt. 8 pg 146). When I first read this statement it seemed so ironic to me, the way Mr. Beaver speaks with such frankness as if it were a King's nature to always be full of potentially dangerous power and yet still be "good". Aslan's not-safeness (i can't think of a good word to use) and his goodness walk hand in hand.
Isn't this contrary to what we are acustomed? We want our rulers to be safe, we want checks and balances to their power. Even if our rulers act "good" we are always suspicious that there may be a hidden flaw. In our world, power is easily corrupted, yet the Narnians do not hesitate to put their entire trust in Aslan even though he has the ability to rip them to shreds.
Of course if you think of Aslan as "God" it is possible for him to be entirely good and entirely trustworthy, but I still think it is interesting to think about because usually "safe" is "good," but not in this case. So what do you guys think... do Mr. Beaver's words make sense?
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2 comments:
Mr. Beaver's comments make perfect sense, especially when interpreting Aslan as a deity figure. The fear of the Lord is a theme throughout scripture, and the terror that the Lord's judgment incites is a present consideration in the mind of the author of Hebrews: "a fearful expectation of judgment...a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries...It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:27-31)
Even without theological considerations, I would feel much safer when under a protective leader capable of inflicting intense and terrifying harm upon my opponents. Even though Aslan is dangerous, being with him is possibly the safest decision a Narnian could make.
Mr. Beaver knows what's up.
Well said mortimasiv (whose real name is....??) I've been trying to dictate a response to this blog, and everytime my words get jumbled and thoughts become confused. Good does not equal safe, nor does safe equal good. Great things to consider!! Knowing who God is makes me fear him because he is NOT safe, but knowing who God is also lets me know that what he does for me is out of love--which means he has our best interests in mind. So our awesome God is good because he cares for us and is trustworthy and reliable, but to say our God is safe...I think that is unfair to God's Character.
Chew on that for a bit--as will I...
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