|
Printer
Friendly Version - opens in separate window *** Article first
posted 30 March 2005 ***
Rev Graham Taylor assures
us that he is "a born again - spirit filled - evangelical Christian of
over 25 years in the faith". We are pleased to pass on this information
along with his assurance that he "spends most of his time helping people
escape from occultic bondages and lecture constantly on the dangers of
the occult".
However the following article expresses some serious concerns about the
theology of his books. In response he has said that in order to understand
the books, a person should "have a degree in NT Greek and a full theological
background". Since we consider that most of his readers will not have
such qualifications, our objections stand.
In the desire to be fair we have given Graham the opportunity to respond
and put his point of view. When the article is received we will link to
it here.
Synopsis
For a synopsis of Shadowmancer go here.
For a synopsis of Wormwood go here.
Introduction
Shadowmancer is being hailed by some as 'The Christian
Harry Potter'. My answer to that is 'Definitely not!' Admittedly there
are Christian sentiments expressed in the book, but the gospel does not
appear, nor is there any mention of Christ. The 'God' character is called
Riathamus and the 'devil' character is called Pyratheon, so it is not
clear whether these are meant to be the Christian figures or just some
fictional characters. Indeed, the author himself, although he is a vicar,
has said that the book is not a Christian book.
"It's not a Christian book, I refuse to have it called
that." - G. P. Taylor
As an example of how the book sounds Christian but misses the mark, here is a quote:
"Many people start off on the right path, then greed
or envy start to burn into their hearts. Soon the things of the world
take over and they are far from where they started. Power has always been
more sought after than love and yet the true power comes when we find
the one who can bring us perfect love. We must cling to that with all
our hearts." [Shadowmancer p.233]
This is an opportunity missed - we should be looking for a Saviour who can bring us forgiveness for sins and newness of life, not just perfect love. There is no challenge, just a play on emotions.
The book is full of occult characters and rituals. The most spectacular event is when the key character Raphah heals a deaf boy in a room full of miners and their families. The quote is quite long, but gives a real flavour of the tone of the book:
"'Tonight the one who sent me will show you something that will change
your lives forever.' Raphah stepped towards her holding out the [divining]
cards.
'What if we don't want to change?'
'Then he will open your eyes so that you may see the dung heap in which
your soul is sleeping.' He prodded her in the shoulder with his finger.
'Wake up. Rise from the dead. And let the light shine in your darkness.'
The deaf boy pushed him away from her. Raphah grabbed him by the shoulders
and pushed him into the lap of Mrs Landas.
'Hold onto your son, Mrs Landas. You're about to get him back.' He then
placed two firm hands upon the boy's head. Before she could speak Raphah
began to call out in a language she could not understand.
'Abba-shekinah, El Shammah, soatzetlay-isthi hugiez.'
He spoke at the top of his voice. Everyone in the room stood back, unsure
of what he would do next, frightened by the force of his words.
It was then that something strange and frightening began to happen. It
felt as if the whole building was beginning to shake. The children dived
under the table while the men looked at each other in complete disbelief.
A loud creaking made everyone in the room turn to see the large wooden
front door beginning to bend inwards. With a sudden crack it broke open,
smashing against the wall. Streaks of silver and white lightning crashed
in and arced across the room … A fine gold mist quickly filled the room.
Small round globes of rainbow light danced through the air above the heads
of the frightened onlookers.
Raphah, oblivious to the manifestations taking place around him repeated
the words over and over again. The young deaf boy began to shake, every
muscle and sinew of his body jerking with the power that swept through
him…
It was the sudden screaming and jumping around of the deaf boy that broke
the silence. He had never made a sound in his life but now he began to
whoop and holler like a young dog." [Shadowmancer p.115-117]
There are many concerns about the 'theology'
in the book, which have been admirably examined on the web site of Christian
Answers for the New Age. With the permission of the author I quote
two of her concerns here.
Jumbled Quotes
In addition to unclear identities, there are also several places where
Biblical verses are oddly juxtaposed or meshed with other statements that
do stay true to the Biblical meaning. To take one example, we find Raphah
telling Kate, who believes that "life is only what you can see," that
"You can protest all you like, Kate, but inside you is a spirit that is
eternal. You were created by Riathamus to live in this world, then be
transformed in the next. This is the truth and the truth shall set you
free . . .Don't fear that which destroys the body, but fear the one who
can destroy the soul" (174). The statement that we were made to live in
this world and be transformed in the next is quite broad and could be
applied in many ways and to many beliefs.
The statement that the truth sets you free is said by Jesus in John 8
to the Jews "who had believed in Him" (verse 31), and it is said in context
with being His disciple and obeying His teachings, and that anyone who
sins is a slave of sin. Jesus goes on to say that it is the Son who sets
people free (verse 36). But in the book, the statement has no resemblance
to the Biblical meaning, instead implying that the truth that sets Kate
free is that we are made to live in this world and be transformed in the
next, which in and of itself is vague and meaningless here.
The other statement about fearing "the one who can destroy the soul" is
from Matthew 10:28 where Jesus is talking to the twelve apostles. The
full statement in Matthew is: "And do not fear those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and
body in hell." Raphah actually misquotes the verse. In Matthew, Jesus
is sending His apostles out into the world and warning them about how
they might be flogged and beaten, but it will be done to bear witness
before the Gentiles (verses 17, 18). Jesus goes on to encourage them not
to be afraid because they are of value and that "everyone who acknowledges
Me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
but whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before My Father who
is in heaven" (verses 32, 33).
These quotes as used in Shadowmancer completely lose the original meaning
from the Bible and would make no sense to Kate, who has not even come
to believe in Riathamus, as well as probably making no sense to most readers
as they are given. This kind of quoting, partial quoting and misquoting
of the Bible is found in several places in the book.
Sovereignty of God In Question
There are two places in the book that use the term "the Battle of the
Skull" (208, 297), obviously a reference to Golgotha, the term for the
place of the Skull, where Jesus was crucified. But the first reference
speaks of this place as where Riathamus (God? Christ?) defeated the Glashan
(seemingly a term for demons) and Pyratheon, implying that the battle
came about because Pyratheon wanted the Keruvim (208). However, the crucifixion
is not portrayed in the Bible as a battle, but rather as the payment for
the penalty of sins and as a victory over Satan. We cannot even know if
Satan opposed it (though he opposed Christ), as it is not clear from scripture
that Satan realised what was being done on the cross. In fact, the Bible
tells us that Satan entered Judas as he went to betray Jesus, so that
Jesus would be arrested and eventually killed. Even if the disciples did
not understand or believe Jesus' clear prediction several times that he
would die and be raised up again, we cannot assume Satan knew or believed
this. The term "battle" implies, along with other situations in the book,
a dualistic battle between God and the Satan figure rather than God holding
the reins of victory all along as a sovereign God, despite the opposition
of Satan, who is, after all, an angel created by God.
When Raphah tells Thomas and Kate early on about Demurral being evil,
he tells them that if Demurral gets the Keruvim and has his way, "he could
control the world and even the power of Riathamus for himself" (28). No
man or even Satan could have such power, or take over the power of God.
Thomas later tells Kate that Demurral "has a power that can call up the
dead, control the wind and the sea, and make those beasts in the glade
follow his every word" (48). The power of raising the dead from life and
controlling the elements has never belonged to anyone but God and Jesus
Christ; there is no place in the Bible that gives the idea that even Satan
can have such powers (the closest being Rev. 13:3, a statement that what
appears to be a fatal wound [but apparently is not] in the beast is healed).
Jesus raised the dead (and later gave this power to the apostles), and
Jesus had power over the sea and wind (Matthew 8:23:26; Mark 4:35-41;
Luke 8:22-25) because of His authority as the Son of God and God the Son.
After the Glashan are set free to attack earth, Raphah says that "heaven
and earth are in great danger" and that the Glashan will take over the
world and will "attack Riathamus" (222, 223). An atmosphere is evoked
of God being in danger of losing His power to Satan.
Additionally, there are Biblical quotes taken out of context or altered,
sometimes in strange ways. At one point, a man condemned to death says
to the crowd gathered to watch his hanging that he will be back to haunt
them, and then he tells the judge, "As for you . . before the cock crows.
. .you will be dead" (102). One cannot help but think of Jesus' prediction
that Peter would deny him (Jesus) three times before the cock crowed (Matthew
26:34). But why have such an unsavoury character say something akin to
Jesus' words?
Summing Up
I believe the book can be summed up by a
quote from the key character Raphah:
"He had met with a people who beneath a profession of faith still believed
in the power of spirits. People who clung to the old gods but dressed
them in new clothes; who called them different names but still believed
in their power." [Shadowmancer p.221]
Wormwood
When it comes to the second book by G P
Taylor, Wormwood, the occult influence is much stronger and the 'Christian'
content much less. I found it excessive - there are occult creatures all
over the place and special powers and secret rituals. There is a book
that everyone wants, which is almost alive with its power over people.
"The father of all lies scrawled on every page and has led the world a
dance ever since. You see, child, your kind is obsessed by secret knowledge
because they think it brings the power to influence their lives. Give
a man a secret, write it in some ancient language and bind it in an old
book.. Then tell him that it is from another world and if used in the
right way will bring him wealth and power, and you have the Nemorensis.
It is a book that loves to be loved, a book that thinks it's a god. That's
why so many have died to find and keep it. With every turn of the page
it demands a sacrifice, for every word read it demands payment and its
wages are paid in death. Touch it and it will burn your hand, read it
and it will burn your mind, and once read it will have you in its grip."
[Wormwood p.202]
This really sums up the plot of the book. It may be considered by some people to be a good story from a secular point of view, but I felt the occult devices were over-used, and spoiled it.
There are a few 'Christian' references, including some angels, but once again they are unsatisfying. For example, the quote below is spoken by an angel to the main character, Blake:
"The best you can aspire to in your own strength is like dirty rags to
us. Humanity has no goodness within itself - that is a delusion of the
faithless, the blind that lead the blind. Your noses are so far into the
dirt that this world is all you see and you tremble with fear when it
is being taken from you. Open your eyes, you ape of Eden, and see what
is really happening." [Wormwood p.260]
There is no solution offered to this dilemma, and ultimately it is the power of the angel and the destruction of the book that saves the world from destruction.
There is also a quote from this book that sums it up appropriately:
"Superstition and magic fills the heart and no one
can be bothered to search for truth." [Wormwood p.180].
Synopsis
Shadowmancer
When G P Taylor
told his congregation that he was disturbed by the amount of witchcraft
and the occult in children's books like 'Harry Potter', he was challenged
to write his own book. The result was 'Shadowmancer', widely hailed as
the Christian answer to 'Harry Potter'. The story is deeply imbued with
Christian imagery and set on the Yorkshire coast in the 18th century.
Two local teenagers, Thomas and Kate, help a boy, Raphah, washed up on
the shore from a shipwreck. They are trying to stop an evil vicar, Obadiah
Demurral, from his attempts through sorcery to control the world. He already
has a powerful object called a Keruvim, an object Raphah's family has
guarded for centuries, and Raphah hold the key to another Keruvim. The
pair together will give Demurral ultimate power. The children are later
helped by a smuggler, Jacob Crane. A God/Christ figure named Riathamus
and an evil Satan figure named Pyratheon are woven into the story. ... return
Wormwood
The book is set in London in 1756 and tells of
the struggle for possession of an ancient leather-bound book called the
Nemorensis, which holds the secrets of the universe. It is owned by Dr
Sabian Blake, an astronomer, scientist and master of the Kabbalah. He
is struggling to interpret a prophecy scribbled in one of the book's margins,
which could hold the key to saving London from catastrophe when a meteor
strikes. Held captive in an attic is an angel, who fell to earth with
the meteor, whose only hope lies in the friendship of a servant call named
Agetta. The Shadowmancer web site describes the book as a 'tale of sorcery,
treachery, intrigue and supernatural strife'. The book's title comes from
the quote: Wormwood...... the bright star shall fall from the sky .......
and many will die from its bitterness. ... return
|
