Comments on: The Magic of Christmas and the Enchanted Mormon Worldview http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithpromotingrumor/2009/12/the-magic-of-christmas-and-the-enchanted-mormon-worldview/ Exploring Mormon Thought, Culture, and Texts Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:35:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Sheldon Lawrence http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithpromotingrumor/2009/12/the-magic-of-christmas-and-the-enchanted-mormon-worldview/#comment-7797 Sheldon Lawrence Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:25:54 +0000 http://www.faithpromotingrumor.com/?p=2534#comment-7797 Here is a little more Christmas advocacy: http://mormontimes.com/studies_doctrine/doctrine_discussion/?id=12348 Here is a little more Christmas advocacy:
http://mormontimes.com/studies_doctrine/doctrine_discussion/?id=12348

]]> By: Sheldon Lawrence http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithpromotingrumor/2009/12/the-magic-of-christmas-and-the-enchanted-mormon-worldview/#comment-7796 Sheldon Lawrence Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:52:30 +0000 http://www.faithpromotingrumor.com/?p=2534#comment-7796 Ethan, nice of you to come by. You were one of the best! Good luck with law school. Ethan, nice of you to come by. You were one of the best! Good luck with law school.

]]> By: Ethan http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithpromotingrumor/2009/12/the-magic-of-christmas-and-the-enchanted-mormon-worldview/#comment-7795 Ethan Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:01:24 +0000 http://www.faithpromotingrumor.com/?p=2534#comment-7795 Sheldon, Yes, I should've mentioned; I used to be among your troop of writing tutors. That was a great job, by the way. I trust that the Reading Center is doing well. As for us, we're living in Seattle now, and I'm preparing for law school next year. Sheldon,
Yes, I should’ve mentioned; I used to be among your troop of writing tutors. That was a great job, by the way. I trust that the Reading Center is doing well. As for us, we’re living in Seattle now, and I’m preparing for law school next year.

]]> By: Sheldon Lawrence http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithpromotingrumor/2009/12/the-magic-of-christmas-and-the-enchanted-mormon-worldview/#comment-7794 Sheldon Lawrence Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:51:36 +0000 http://www.faithpromotingrumor.com/?p=2534#comment-7794 Nitsav, thank you. Nitsav, thank you.

]]> By: Sheldon Lawrence http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithpromotingrumor/2009/12/the-magic-of-christmas-and-the-enchanted-mormon-worldview/#comment-7793 Sheldon Lawrence Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:48:51 +0000 http://www.faithpromotingrumor.com/?p=2534#comment-7793 Anon, In the sense we are using the word here, Lewis did embrace an enchanted view of Christianity. He was influenced by G.K. Chesterton (see the "Ethics of Fairyland") and George MacDonald (see "The Princess and the Goblin") in this regard. In his book on miracles, he basically states that anything is possible in the natural world if God wills it because nature and natures laws are God's invention. (This is admittedly different from the Mormon position.) Enchantment does not mean rejecting reality or reason or evening being above doubt. I see it as believing in mysterious and divine forces at work behind what we currently perceive and understand. For Lewis, fairy tales and magic best conveyed they feeling, and so as Chris pointed out, it pervades his fiction. Ethan, I think its the same tendency the the BoM warns about regarding rejecting spiritual gifts and present day revelation (whatever the time period). The tendency of the natural man is to drift into the safety of a kind of cynical empiricism and rationalism--and then, of course, talk solemnly of the horrors of religious history. (BTW, do I know you from BYU-I?) Anon,
In the sense we are using the word here, Lewis did embrace an enchanted view of Christianity. He was influenced by G.K. Chesterton (see the “Ethics of Fairyland”) and George MacDonald (see “The Princess and the Goblin”) in this regard. In his book on miracles, he basically states that anything is possible in the natural world if God wills it because nature and natures laws are God’s invention. (This is admittedly different from the Mormon position.) Enchantment does not mean rejecting reality or reason or evening being above doubt. I see it as believing in mysterious and divine forces at work behind what we currently perceive and understand. For Lewis, fairy tales and magic best conveyed they feeling, and so as Chris pointed out, it pervades his fiction.

Ethan,
I think its the same tendency the the BoM warns about regarding rejecting spiritual gifts and present day revelation (whatever the time period). The tendency of the natural man is to drift into the safety of a kind of cynical empiricism and rationalism–and then, of course, talk solemnly of the horrors of religious history. (BTW, do I know you from BYU-I?)

]]> By: Ethan http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithpromotingrumor/2009/12/the-magic-of-christmas-and-the-enchanted-mormon-worldview/#comment-7792 Ethan Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:13:20 +0000 http://www.faithpromotingrumor.com/?p=2534#comment-7792 I like your thoughts about finding magic in modernity. We Mormons may too often shrug off the idea of the "enchanted" in the modern day with the claim that modern technology can properly take the place of angelic visits and other supernatural phenomena. Why send an angel to declare glad tidings, for instance, when the Saints can just plug into the Christmas devotional broadcast on TV? There may be some truth to that, but it seems like that may easily become a justification for lacking faith in the miraculous. When King Saul lost his testimony, he went to a soothsayer because he'd lost faith in divine manifestations. When our faith is lacking, we may seek secular substitutes and rationalize that all is well. Who knows what wonderful things we could be missing out on! I like your thoughts about finding magic in modernity. We Mormons may too often shrug off the idea of the “enchanted” in the modern day with the claim that modern technology can properly take the place of angelic visits and other supernatural phenomena. Why send an angel to declare glad tidings, for instance, when the Saints can just plug into the Christmas devotional broadcast on TV? There may be some truth to that, but it seems like that may easily become a justification for lacking faith in the miraculous. When King Saul lost his testimony, he went to a soothsayer because he’d lost faith in divine manifestations. When our faith is lacking, we may seek secular substitutes and rationalize that all is well. Who knows what wonderful things we could be missing out on!

]]> By: Chris Henrichsen http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithpromotingrumor/2009/12/the-magic-of-christmas-and-the-enchanted-mormon-worldview/#comment-7791 Chris Henrichsen Wed, 09 Dec 2009 03:52:27 +0000 http://www.faithpromotingrumor.com/?p=2534#comment-7791 Anon, I actually do not care much about Lewis. I see his fiction as enchanted because it involves talking animals, witches, and closets that are portals to other dimensions. I am not the literature guy here but sounds enchanted to me. Anon,

I actually do not care much about Lewis. I see his fiction as enchanted because it involves talking animals, witches, and closets that are portals to other dimensions. I am not the literature guy here but sounds enchanted to me.

]]> By: anon http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithpromotingrumor/2009/12/the-magic-of-christmas-and-the-enchanted-mormon-worldview/#comment-7790 anon Wed, 09 Dec 2009 03:41:35 +0000 http://www.faithpromotingrumor.com/?p=2534#comment-7790 CS Lewis was NOT an "enachanted" Christian. Have you ever read a Grief Observed? He knew reality quite well, and doubted to his very core for a time being. CS Lewis was NOT an “enachanted” Christian. Have you ever read a Grief Observed? He knew reality quite well, and doubted to his very core for a time being.

]]> By: Nitsav http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithpromotingrumor/2009/12/the-magic-of-christmas-and-the-enchanted-mormon-worldview/#comment-7789 Nitsav Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:06:38 +0000 http://www.faithpromotingrumor.com/?p=2534#comment-7789 I love this time of year. I only wish Christmas came later in winter, since January-February-March is a long cold slog. Nice post Sheldon. Welcome to FPR. I love this time of year. I only wish Christmas came later in winter, since January-February-March is a long cold slog.

Nice post Sheldon. Welcome to FPR.

]]> By: Sheldon Lawrence http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithpromotingrumor/2009/12/the-magic-of-christmas-and-the-enchanted-mormon-worldview/#comment-7788 Sheldon Lawrence Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:04:25 +0000 http://www.faithpromotingrumor.com/?p=2534#comment-7788 Maybe "mystery" is the better word, in the sense of not fully being able to explain the powers a work, but finding joy in them none the less. I know Einstein wasn't religious, but I like his quote, "The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious." I still like magic and enchantment because they convey the feeling I'm getting at, even if by definition they negate natural law. Maybe “mystery” is the better word, in the sense of not fully being able to explain the powers a work, but finding joy in them none the less.

I know Einstein wasn’t religious, but I like his quote, “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious.”

I still like magic and enchantment because they convey the feeling I’m getting at, even if by definition they negate natural law.

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