|
Hotter than Potter하다는 평의 섀도우맨서(생명의말씀사 출판)에 대한
한국양서보급중앙회 제공
[영국 런던에서 목양중이신 한국양서보급중앙회 영국 주재통신원 holyjoy목사]
영국에 계시는
한국양서보급중앙회 통신원으로 동역하시는 런던에서 목회하시는 청교도신학에 깊이 있는 신학자요 목회자인 저희들에 멘토가 되시는 목사님의 자료를
통해서 이 도서에 구입을 신중히 결정하시거나, 구입하지 말것을 권합니다.
요즘 유행하고 있는 소설책인데, 해리포터의 유행을 앞서고 있다고
합니다. 하지만, CANA의 평가에 의하면, 건전한 신앙을 가지고 있는 사람들이라면 주의해야 한다고 합니다. 저의 그들의 평가에 동의합니다.
위에 주소가 실려져 있는 곳에 가셔서 수많은 자료들을 살펴보시기 바랍니다.
국내에서도 번역되어 소개되고 있는데 분별없이 추천될 것
같아서, 이곳에 비판자료를 먼저 올려놓습니다. 테일러라는 성공회목사는, 스스로 자신을 평가하기에 나는 '그렇게 종교적이지 않다"(As far
as religion is concerned - I am not very religious) 합니다. 아래쪽 부분만이라도 보시면 그의 신앙의
정체에 대해서 감을 잡을 수 있으리라고 생각됩니다.
http://cana.userworld.com/cana_Shadowmancer1.html
SHADOWMANCER: A TANGLED TALE
by Marcia Montenegro
Written
April/May, 2004
(page 1 of 5)
[Note: This is neither a book review
nor a book summary, but rather an overview of some of the elements and themes
found in Shadowmancer that may be of interest to those visiting this site and to
those who are wondering about this book being called the “Christian Harry
Potter.” The edition read and used for this article is a paperback published in
London by Faber and Faber Limited, 2003, ISBN 0-571-22046-0.]
“Firstly Shadowmancer is NOT a Christian book.” G. P. Taylor
“It’s not a Christian book, I refuse to have it called that.” G. P.
Taylor
“I didn't set out to write a Christian book, and it's not a
Christian book, it's a book that deals with eternal images of faith.” G. P.
Taylor
“With an initial U.S. printing of 250,000, reorders for
65,000 and movie rights already sold for nearly $6 million, Penguin hopes
Shadowmancer will be its first blockbuster crossover.” Quote from Daily Record,
4/27/04, http://www.dailyrecord.com/morrislife/morrislife11-shadow.htm
INTRODUCTION
Shadowmancer, called the “Christian
Harry Potter” in numerous media reports, was written by a vicar in Yorkshire,
England, G. P. Taylor. Taylor, who describes himself as an “orthodox Anglo
Catholic” (interview with Daily Record, July 3, 2003 at http://www.surefish.co.uk/culture/features/030703_gp_taylor_interview.htm),
adamantly claims that his book is not Christian (see Addendum to this article at
the end). Three children, Raphah (a mysterious figure who appears in the story
without a clear explanation of who he is), Kate, and Thomas, along with an adult
smuggler, Jacob Crane, seek to stop Vicar Obadiah Demurral from his attempts
through sorcery to control the world with powers he is summoning in various
ways. There is an object called a Keruvim (which seems to be the cherubim figure
of the Tabernacle from Exodus 25) that Demurral has stolen for its power, an
object Raphah’s family has guarded (pages 76, 208). A God/Christ figure named
Riathamus and an evil Satan figure named Pyratheon are woven into the story,
which is set in the 18th century.
Though criss-crossed with
Christian references, many of them rather ambiguous, the book presents a vague
Christianity more as part of superstition and animism rather than as something
set apart from occult magick and powers. Rather than the world of an omnipotent
God, this book provides several incidents that evoke dualism, and a belief that
God can be defeated by evil. Additionally, there is a very subjective
spirituality present in the books with no clear-cut message about who Jesus is
or what He did on the cross, though there are hazy and confusing references to
it.
The Cross And An Unnamed Jesus
In chapter five,
Thomas, one of the main characters, dreams of finding himself inside a stone
chamber before a golden altar. He hears what seem to be angels singing “Holy,
Holy, Holy” and a voice in his head urges him to “wake up” (50-51). Raphah also
uses this phrase, “wake up” later in the book to a woman reading cards for
divination, telling her to “rise from the dead,” though Christ is never
mentioned to her (116). Though Jesus urged people to believe on Him, it is clear
from the Bible that salvation is done through faith, and the term “wake up,”
especially apart from any mention of Christ, is not an equivalent to having
faith.
Thomas encounters a man in this dream who tells him not to fear
and that he can be forgiven. When Thomas looks into this man’s eyes, he sees
they are “the eyes of the cross” (52). This is the only specific mention of the
cross in the book, aside from a reference at the end by Pyratheon, the Satan
figure, to “the victory on the tree” (297). When Thomas asks the man in the
dream who he is, the man replies, “I am a king. Have you not heard of me? Don’t
you know my voice?” The man continues, “All you have to do is believe in me.
Thomas, I can be your king,” and later he tells him that he has known Thomas
since he was “knitted together in his mother’s womb” (52-53).
A
Christian will likely conclude that this figure is Jesus (because of the phrase
“the eyes of the cross”), and many will recognize the words about being “knitted
together” in the womb as coming from Psalm 139, but anyone else who is either
not familiar with the Bible or who has little or no Christian background is not
necessarily going to understand who this man is or why he is saying these words.
Why believe in this man? Why is he a king? Why should Thomas know his voice? Why
is this man able to forgive? What is the uniqueness of this man?
Nevertheless, Thomas decides to believe the man; he can feel the
man’s “majesty and authority,” and the man’s face “radiates pure white light”
(53). The man refers to this light by saying, “It is the light of the world”
rather than “I am the light of the world.” This appears to be a direct
revelation of Christ to the boy Thomas, but crucial parts of who Christ is are
missing. Also, since it is clear that Christianity is already in the world, why
the mysterious message with no references to the atonement and resurrection? The
possible answer to this is provided by the author, who has said that this is not
a Christian book, but a book primarily for Christian, Judaic, and Islamic
monotheists (please see Addendum). And despite this encounter, Thomas later
thinks, as he views a public hanging, that it is “a cruel God” who can give and
then take life (103). If Thomas had had such a glorious encounter with Christ,
why would he later think God is cruel? At the very least, this is confusing,
especially considering the book is for children.
The unnamed man gives
Thomas a “belt of truth” and a sword, telling him that his enemy is the “father
of lies” and a “devouring lion” (54-55), all Biblical statements, with the belt
and sword coming from the armor of God in Ephesians 6, the “father of lies” said
by Jesus in John 8:44b, and the other found in 1 Peter 5:8 where Satan “prowls
around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” These are New Testament
quotes (and there are others elsewhere), although Taylor has stated that he used
only Old Testament quotes in the book ("Yes, I've quoted from the Old Testament,
but the Old Testament is the book of the Jew and the Muslim as well. That's why
I did only quote from the Old Testament so that it did have an appeal for those
of no faith and faith,” quote at http://www.surefish.co.uk/culture/features/030703_gp_taylor_interview.htm,
accessed 4/26/04). The belt and sword in Shadowmancer are literal, and are used
later by Thomas to fight the opposition.
Acts 4:12 tells us that
“there is no other name by which men can be saved,” and Romans 10:9 says that
“if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in
your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your
mouth that you are saved.” In Acts 10:43 we read, “He is the one all the
prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have
their sins forgiven through his name.” The resurrected Christ is a very specific
person: “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him
crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). In other words, one must know that it is Jesus
who is the Christ, and that it is specifically Him whom we must believe. Since
the story clearly takes place in a time and place where Christianity does exist
(though represented wrongly by Demurral), the revelation of Christ and his name
has explicitly been revealed. There is no reason to obscure or leave out Jesus’
name or his title of Messiah or Christ (“Christ” is the Greek translation for
“Messiah,” meaning the “Anointed one”).
Unclear Identities
Raphah, Thomas, and Kate encounter a mysterious personage dressed as a
shepherd who tells them that the “cattle on a thousand hills belong to me, not
even Solomon in all his glory had the wealth that I possess” (238), fusing two
Biblical passages together (Psalm 50:10 and Matthew 6:29) and changing the words
of the Matthew verse. The stranger tells Raphah that “his people” are descended
from Solomon and that it is Raphah’s task to “save the Keruvim from those who
would use it for evil” (238). Raphah wonders who the man is and the stranger
responds, “I AM WHO I AM. This is all you need to know” (239). He then gives
instructions to them for an escape from the villains, telling them to keep
trusting him. The earth beneath the man glows, his clothes change, and he says,
“I will be with you always, even to the end of the time,” as golden light swirls
around him (239). Raphah declares later that this was Riathamus, and when Kate
asks how he knows this, he responds, “I just know, don’t ask me how. It was his
voice, something in his eyes. It was the way he knew so much about us” (240).
(Much is made in the book about knowing people by looking in their eyes). Was
this God the Father or Jesus? Or is it supposed to be both, or either? If the
book is written for Jews and Muslims as well as Christians, then it cannot be
Jesus. And why the strange words about Solomon?
Later, Kate,
Thomas, and Raphah encounter a mysterious stranger, Abram, who seems to have
been sent to help them by a godlike “friend,” who seems to be the shepherd
encountered by the children earlier. Kate asks Abram who this friend is, and
Abram answers, “He has many names, some are known to the world, others are
secret only to him. His name is really important; but knowing him is all that
really matters” (276). How does Abram know some names are “secret?” And if the
name is “important,” why is it not given? Abram also responds that he calls on
“his name” every day, “since long before you were born. I AM, Riathamus, or just
the longing of the heart are names for him” (277).
In the Bible,
God identifies himself to Moses as “I AM THAT I AM,” but in other places is
revealed as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Righteous one, the Lord,
the God of Israel, the Lord God, the living God, the Shepherd, the Lord
Almighty, etc. He does not hide behind esoteric puzzles about who he is. And how
can “the longing of the heart” bring us to God since we are told in Jeremiah
17:9 that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who
can know it?” Our heart does not lead us naturally toward God.
It is hinted that Abram, whose name suggests Abraham, is
actually the angel Raphael when Raphah (whose name actually resembles the name
of Raphael) hears Abram called “Raphael;” however, Abram only replies, “What’s
in a name? All you have to know is that I am here to help you” (278). What’s in
a name, indeed, when identities are so confused and blurred with each other, and
alternate names are given to replace Biblical names.
The
identity of Raphah is unclear through most of the story as well. At times it
almost appears as though Raphah is being presented as a Christ figure, and other
times as an angel; however, he is described at one point as “a child of the
Book” (76), a phrase that calls to mind the Islamic term used for themselves,
Christians, and Jews, as “people of the Book.”
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 realized 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. If
even 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
unsavory character say something akin to Jesus’ words?
Dreams,
Wonders, Magical Objects
Raphah is constantly telling Kate and Thomas that
Riathamus has sent him, and urging them to trust him (Raphah), but the main
evidence he gives them for this are what seem to be dramatic supernatural
actions and experiences for Kate, Thomas, and sometimes the smuggler, Jacob
Crane (27-30; 115-118; 158-159; 224; 265, 266). At one point, he even tells them
that “dreams are a shadow of the future or of ourselves; they are never to be
feared but embraced and used for our good” (30). God certainly sent dreams and
visions to the prophets of the Old Testament before His written word was
complete; and He sent dreams to Joseph, the wise men, and a few others in the
New Testament, most of which had to do with the protection of the Christ child,
and one being a warning to Pilate from his wife. Dreams are not the normative
way for God to speak to us today because we have the canon of scripture, and we
are told that it is “useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for
training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and
equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16). Even if dreams in this book are
a literary device, the statement by Raphah that dreams “are a shadow of the
future or of ourselves” is not Biblical at all.
Although the apostles
were given supernatural powers by Jesus to show an unbelieving world that they
were followers of Jesus, who himself performed miracles to fulfill prophecy and
give evidence of who He was, we are told to preach the Good News and proclaim
Christ: “With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations,
beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me’”
(Luke 24:47); “Brothers, listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your
sins. Everyone who believes in him is free from all guilt and declared right
with God” (Acts 13:38a); and in Romans, “But how can they call on him to save
them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have
never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells
them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is what the
Scriptures mean when they say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring
good news!’” (Romans 10:14,15).
The story is set in motion by the Vicar
Demurral’s magic causing a shipwreck in order to steal an object, the Keruvim,
from the sunken ship. He already has the other one and needs a matching pair in
order to work his magic. However, he fails at getting the other Keruvim. The one
Keruvim owned by Demurral is described as having golden wings and “the head of a
beautiful child with eyes of purest pearl” (8). Though we are not told what the
Keruvim are, the term sounds like “cherubim” (elsewhere the term ‘Seruvim’ seems
to be used for Seraphim, p. 54) and seem to refer to the cherubim made for the
Tabernacle according to God’s instructions in Exodus 25:18-20. The Exodus
passage gives little information on how the cherubim look; it mentions wings and
God directs that the cherubim are to face each other (see Ex. 25:20, 22; 37:9).
Most believe these cherubim are representations of angelic beings. Ezekiel
chapter ten describes cherubim has having human hands under their four wings
(verses 8, 21), and having four faces: the face of a cherub, a human face, the
face of a lion, and the face of an eagle (verse 14), but there is no indication
that the human faces are the faces of a child. The cherubim in the Tabernacle
are statues whereas the cherubim in Ezekiel are actual living creatures. As
there were two cherubim in the tabernacle, so in Shadowmancer the Keruvim are a
pair.
However, in Taylor’s book, the items called Keruvim have magical
powers, something entirely absent from the Biblical objects representing
cherubim, and it is a concept not only foreign to, but in opposition to any
Biblical concept about any object from the Tabernacle or made for God at his
request. The belief that objects have magical powers is part of animism, the
belief that spirits and forces inhabit inanimate objects, imbuing them with good
or evil powers. It is also part of the occult worldview that objects can be
empowered with supernatural or magical powers through various methods. one can
see this in our culture through the belief that four-leaf clovers bring good
luck; in New Age beliefs, there is the idea that certain stones can heal, bring
peace, or protect; and in Feng Shui practice, various objects are place to
attract or repel good or bad chi.
Even more disturbing, this belief
that the Keruvim are magical is not only held by the villain, but by the good
guys, Raphah and Thomas (28, 48). This belief as having substance is borne out
by events later on in the story, particularly when it is revealed that Raphah is
the other pair of the Keruvim that Demurral needs for his sorcery to work.
Raphah reveals rather dramatically to Thomas and Kate, “There are two Keruvim in
the world, one is made of gold, the other of flesh. Today we stand in your
midst” (208). It is interesting that here Raphah clearly seems to be an angelic
being, when the author stated that Raphah could be Jesus to Christians, the
coming Yeshua to Jews, or the Prophet to Muslims ( see quotes below from http://www.rejesus.co.uk/encounters/interview/04_gp_taylor/text_interview.html).
Raphah states that the “power of the Glashan has been bound
since the time of the Great Capture, when Riathamus defeated them at the Battle
of the Skull,” but that if Demurral kills him (Raphah), then the Glashan will be
released to fight Riathamus (208). Pyratheon (the Satan figure) wants the pair
of Keruvim, too, because that will enable him to fight Riathamus. So Raphah
confirms that there is a power in the Keruvim that can be used for evil. Raphah
says that if Demurral is successful in getting this power of the Keruvim, then
“the moon will turn to blood, the sky will grow dark, and the earth will be
struck by a falling star that will poison the seas,” and there will be plagues,
wars and earthquakes as well as the “earth will then fall into the captivity of
Pyratheon for one thousand years” (208).
Aside from Raphah being the
other Keruvim, this is very strange theology. It is apparent that the author has
taken some predictions about the end times (from Joel, Acts, Mark, and
Revelation) but given them a new twist so that not only do the Keruvim have such
power if controlled by Pyratheon or Demurral, but their power will be to the
extent as to give Pyratheon dominance over the earth for 1,000 years. This is in
direct contrast to Biblical prophecy that Jesus will bind Satan and reign over
the earth for 1,000 years (interpreted differently by various theologians).
Personally, I find it disturbing that the Bible is being misused to introduce an
idea that Satan can gain power through a pair of objects (even if one is a
living angel) from the Tabernacle. If the Bible is to be used in a story, let it
be used correctly and with respect.
Elsewhere, Abram gives Kate some
crystals which she throws against a wall to get rid of some Glashan (278). Kate
is told by Abram that “Riathamus has given all things in the world,” and here he
enumerates cures from plants and trees, honey, bitter nuts, and also “Abaris
crystal to send fallen Seruvim back to where they belong” (280). Here is another
portrayal of objects with magical powers, this time given by Riathamus himself.
Although reading cards is presented as an evil activity, the
card reader actually predicts something that is at work and may come to pass
(113). Raphah speaks against the cards and talks about the one who can set
people free, but he never names who it is, he does not talk about repentance,
and he only says that “the one who sent me will show you something that will
change your lives forever” (115). A dramatic shaking of the earth ensues, with
lightning and loud noise, and a gold mist fills the room. Following this, the
card reader’s deaf son is healed (116-117). The card reader is filled with joy
and decides not to read cards again (118) but there is no information given as
to why all this has happened or who specifically has set the card reader free.
Not only that, there is no mention of the card reader’s change of belief, only
that she no longer will read the cards.
Raphah has powers and ideas that
closely match the occult, such as scrying, when he shows a jet black stone to
Thomas so that Thomas can see images in it (26-27); Raphah makes the statement
about dreams showing us the future and ourselves (31); Crane feels heat from
Raphah’s hands when Raphah heals him (224) – (the description is similar to
those of psychic healing that I encountered in the New Age); and when Raphah
urges prayer, he does not use words but tells Kate and Thomas to just close
their eyes and think of Riathamus, and “let him speak to you” (265), a rather
mystical approach not taught in Scripture. When prayer is presented in the
Bible, it is always presented as speaking words to God.
The
Fairness of A Response
Since this book presents a Godlike figure and oblique
references to what seem to be Jesus, we cannot bypass evaluating the theology
that is expressed. The author thrusts these figures, along with numerous quotes
from the Bible, into the story and thereby into the reader’s line of vision.
Therefore, it is only fair to respond to what is presented.
In interviews, Taylor has expressed his fear that the church is alienating
young people and downplaying the power of God, something he tried to fix in his
book. This is a valid concern. However grand his intentions, in trying to make
the book attractive to several religions, Taylor ends up with a God that does
not belong anywhere, and an obscure Jesus figure that is not clearly the
revealed Jesus of God’s word or of history. In trying to depict a God who
appeals to so many, we end up with a generic God and only mystical, subjective
ways to know him -- a dismissal of God’s clear revelation of his truth through
the Bible and through Christ.
This does not mean that one cannot use the
story as a springboard to dialogue on spiritual issues with those who read this
book. In fact, using the book for such dialogues is a good way to perhaps
untangle some of the unclear theology that is presented. However, no untangling
would be necessary if the book had been clear rather than confusing or blurry in
the first place.
ADDENDUM: AUTHOR G. P. TAYLOR, WHAT DOES HE SAY
ABOUT HIS BOOK AND BELIEFS?
In an interview dated Sept. 26, 2003 found at http://www.zanzaro.com/shadowmancer/interview.htm (accessed
4.26.04), G. P. Taylor, the author of Shadowmancer, clearly states that his book
is not Christian: “Firstly Shadowmancer is NOT a Christian book. I get emails
from Muslims - Hindu's and all sorts of faith thanking me for the book.” He goes
on to say, “As far as religion is concerned - I am not very religious. I am a
believer but don't care for all the religious trappings and man made traditions
that go with it. I follow Riathamus.” He also is an admirer of the Harry Potter
books and of J. K. Rowling, and considers it an “accolade” to be compared to
her.
In another interview, Nov. 23, 2003, at http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/gp_taylor.php (accessed 4/26/04),
Taylor says: “Shadowmancer is not a Christian book, it is a book about good and
evil and appeals to Jews and Muslims as well as atheists. I was ordained after
youthful experiments with punk rock, druidism, the occult, and transcendental
meditation. I read the Qu’ran before reading the Bible and I am just as happy to
talk about the Talmud. My writing is informed as much by Judaism and Islam as it
the by the Christian tradition. It is the account of an eternal truth.”
Taylor answers the question of who is Jesus by saying, “Jesus was the
Son of God. He was a radical theologian of the time who came to liberate women,
the poor, everyone who had been oppressed. A man, fully human and divine, his
miracle and power and wonder transformed the lives of those he came into contact
with” (http://www.rejesus.co.uk/encounters/interview/04_gp_taylor/text_interview.html,
2003 interview, accessed 4/26/04). However, he says nothing about Jesus coming
to atone for sins. When asked if Jesus can “survive” the Church, he responds:
“Of course he can survive the Church, I think he is better off without the
Church.” He may be talking about a church that is just organized religion and
not the true church, but the true church is the body of believers, and Jesus
said that he loved the Church. “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the
church and gave himself up for her” and “For no one ever hated his own flesh,
but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church” (Ephesians 5:25,
29).
More comments from G. P. Taylor on Shadowmancer:
From http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/faith/2003/shadowmancer/index.shtml
(BBC, December, 2003, accessed 4/26/04): I didn't set out to write a Christian
book, and it's not a Christian book, it's a book that deals with eternal images
of faith. A lot of my readers are Muslims, and a number are Jews. Three Muslim
guys turned up at the door asking me to sign their books. It appeals to them
because the main character is black, he's from Ethiopia and they said to me
‘He's a Muslim, we know he's a Muslim Mr Taylor’. So they look at the book from
a Muslim perspective. The Christians read it and think ‘It's a book about God’,
the Jews read it and think ‘It's a book about Yahweh,’ really it's a
monotheistic book with themes of good and evil that are familiar to all the
major religions.
I wanted to make God really positive and reflect how he
really is in my belief, and the belief of thousands of Jews, Christians and
Muslims.
It should be pointed out that Taylor believes the Muslim God is
the same as the Jewish and Christian God (see comment at same website).
From a July 3, 2003, interview at http://www.surefish.co.uk/culture/features/030703_gp_taylor_interview.htm
(accessed 4/26/04): It’s not a Christian book, I refuse to have it called that.
Yes I've quoted from the Old Testament, but the Old Testament is the book of the
Jew and the Muslim as well. That's why I did only quote from the Old Testament
so that it did have an appeal for those of no faith and faith.
"I think
many people today find their spirituality in literature, instead of in organized
religion, and I'm trying to show the choices." G. P. Taylor, The Daily Record,
4/27/04 at http://www.dailyrecord.com/morrislife/morrislife11-shadow.htm
(accessed 5/10/94).
http://www.rejesus.co.uk/encounters/interview/04_gp_taylor/text_interview.html
(2003 interview, accessed 5/9/04): “I wanted to make my villains scary,
frightening, horrible and realistic – something that would really frighten the
crap of out the kids! If you read the Bible, especially the Old Testament in
Hebrew or Greek, you will find it is quite a scary book, with very dark themes,
but, like Shadowmancer, the Bible also has themes of light, hope, goodness,
purity and resurrection. Always there is this great overcoming, there is
redemption, light, hope, peace and, ultimately, there is the victory of good
over evil. Children like to be frightened and need to learn to deal with fear.
Fear also brings an excitement which then brings them on to learn and read and
keep turning the pages. That's all that I wanted to do, write a book where kids
turned the pages. Shadowmancer is aimed at older children. Yes it is
frightening, but it's also a feel-good story
. . . .I get emails from
Muslims who are convinced it is a Muslim book, from Jews who are convinced it is
a book about Judaism, and from pagans who are convinced it is a book about
paganism. I think the story resonates at a deep level, but my character Raphah
is never named as Jesus, so to Jews he could be the coming Yeshua, to Christians
he could be Jesus, to Muslims he could be the Prophet and to pagans he is in
some ways an avenging angel. Shadowmancer is not a Christian book, it is a book
about good and evil.
I was ordained after youthful experiments with punk
rock, druidism, the occult and transcendental meditation. I read the Qu'ran
before reading the Bible and I am just as happy to talk about the Talmud. My
writing is informed as much by Judaism and Islam as by the Christian tradition.
It is the account of an eternal truth.
I wanted to appeal to as many
different people as possible, to different faith groups and people of no faith.
It's a story which deals with issues of life, death, faith and hope in a
"non-Goddy" way... and then people can draw their own conclusions.
[On
Jesus] . . . We have to get our heads around who Jesus really was. He was the
black guy from the north of the country who didn't fit in. He was the outcast
who came with these radical ideas. It was revolutionary what he had to say and
if the Church could get to grips with it, it would be a completely different
institution.
We have paganised Jesus, we have taken the Christian Jesus
and made him into the pagan Thor, like we have taken the goddess Diana and
converted her into the Blessed Virgin.
With Roman influence, Jesus
became very much like Caesar, which made Christianity the legitimate religion
for empire – they couldn't have coped with Jesus the illegitimate black Jew
being the key to eternal life. We have taken the established pagan religions of
Rome and converted them into the liturgy and ritual of church. We are wolves in
sheep's clothing.
We can have Jesus representing our particular ethnic
or religious group, but let's not forget what he was really saying. We have to
get back to who Jesus, the disciples and Paul really were and what they were
really saying.
Jesus was the Son of God. He was a radical theologian of
the time who came to liberate women, the poor, everyone who had been oppressed.
A man, fully human and divine, his miracle and power and wonder transformed the
lives of those he came into contact with. He is a mindblowing God. We don't do
him justice, we underplay him all the time.
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