Dana Hanesová, Pavel Hanes, Daniela Masariková ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2522-8389 Pavel Hanes ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8618-865 Daniela Masariková ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2667-2326 Matej Bel University, Banská Bystrica, SlovakiaAbstract The authors present the results of authentic theologizing with children while using the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis in the process of religious education. Since the 1950s, when this series of seven fantasy novels for children was published it became recognized as an English classic of children’s literature. Although from the beginning, they have faced praise as well as criticism – particularly due to the recent attempt to use them as a script for a film adaptation – experience with this series of children’s book shows that they can contribute positively to the development of children’s religious thinking. The most important concept for the development of the spirituality of children is their concept of God and what it means to have faith in God.
The responses showed that most of the children who had read any of the books and also seen the films, preferred the films to the Chronicles of Narnia books. Their explanation was that the books seemed too lengthy and almost boring to them. It was caused by long literary descriptions or long static scenes. The films were more attractive to them because of the much higher level of action, and so they reminded them of other favourite action films.
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What the children appreciated about the books, was their main idea the idea of an imaginary country with such a special being as the Lion Aslan, and even the prosaic idea of an adventure for the children from the real world getting a chance to be in that country. Though sometimes they were confused with the complicated plot and fighting sides, the ending and the final victory of good was what they liked most. One of the scenes that children responded to most strongly was the good Lion Aslan sacrificing his life for the boy Edmund, who had been a betrayer. Probably based on other teaching in their R.E. lessons, all of the children understood that this was exactly what Jesus did for people. What was more revealing and directly lead to theologising with children, were the points of criticism expressed by the respondents against Narnias author. Dana Hanesov, Pavel Hanes, Daniela Masarikov Developing Religious Thinking Using C. S. Lewiss Chronicles of Narnia*
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Though they are typical fantasy books, several children did not like their fantasy features especially 10 years old children wondered about the strange character of Narnias animals and various creatures that Lewis purposefully included in his stories. Some children considered them too nave or too crazy, thus expressing their dislike of them. But the majority of respondents agreed that, yes, the Lion image of Jesus was very suitable, as he is the king of the world similarly to the lion being the king of the jungle. One serious counter-argument was verbalised by a 10year old girl who did not like that Christ was to be represented by such a wild animal as a lion. She quoted her father who told her that lions were the only animals eating their own cubs in time of hunger. So why is not Christ represented by any other big animal, why not a deer or another animal As if God eats us?
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Theologising in the context of a school club revealed some surprisingly thorough critical ideas against Narnia book which seem to represent the very nature of the youngest Generation Z. First, all but one of the girls complained about the presence of so much fighting for the purpose of rescuing somebody in all Narnia films and books. One of them commented that there was the same idea of fighting between bad and evil beings repeated in all the books, and thus they were too boring and predictable for her. Although she loved the idea of Aslan the Redeemer, she did not like to read something where she could have predicted that in any situation it was certain that the Lion Aslan would have to come and solve it. She, and several more girls joined her at this point, would prefer a real life story to this combination of natural world and fantasy world. They would rather read a story that might have happened in real life, where good people not always get well in the end but maybe die: I do n
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