I’m not a religious man. I have my beliefs, you may not ever hear about them, and they may not coincide with yours, but I have them, just as you have the right to have yours. But apparently Liam Neeson isn’t allowed to have a belief without getting vilified by the Third Reich of the Christian community, who have taken one simple thing Neeson said and blown it out of proportion... like they do.
In speaking with UK’s The Daily Mail, the long-time actor and devoted Catholic, you know, one of those religions that also believes in Christ as Christianity does, had this to say about his character Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia series:
Aslan symbolises a Christ-like figure but he also symbolises for me Mohammed, Buddha and all the great spiritual leaders and prophets over the centuries. That’s who Aslan stands for as well as a mentor figure for kids – that’s what he means for me.
Aslan was written by C.S. Lewis as a Christ allegory, right down to his death and resurrection in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. So because Neeson who voices the character in the films, equates Aslan with other similar spiritual leaders, Christianity top dawgs and those close to Lewis' estate are calling Neeson’s comments blasphemous and even stupid.
But they seem to have missed the part where Neeson says that’s what Aslan means "for me”. If anyone can legitimately explain to me why a Catholic isn’t allowed to interpret a piece of art any way he wants I am all ears. It seems to me that what's really going on here is that a bunch of ignorant attention hounds are looking to get the church back in the news again, as they did with The Golden Compass and with Harry Potter before that. Besides, Neeson says Aslan ALSO symbolizes for him Mohammed and Buddha, meaning as well as Christ. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t see Christ in Aslan, you’d be a fool not to, just that other leaders and deities carry similar ideals.
Why can’t this story be for everyone of every religion? Should practicers of Buddhism and Islam be excluded from find meaning in The Chronicles of Narnia simply because the guy who wrote it did so with Christ in mind?
Like Neeson, I'm just one man. I’d like to hear your opinions on this matter whether you’re Christian or otherwise. Be respectful of others beliefs and share your thoughts in the comments below,
