Florida and Narnia

A statewide contest to encourage reading scheduled to coincide with the release of a major motion picture? Sounds like a great idea! So why are these people complaining?

CourtTV reports on a brewing controversy in Florida. The state has set up a reading contest around C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” which is scheduled to be released as a motion picture on December 9, 2005. The Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AUSCS) has pointed out that the Narnia series is widely viewed as a Christian Allegory intended to convey the fundamental truth of Christianity and therefore the contest violates the principle of “religious neutrality” in schools.

The AUSCS is not asking the book be removed from the contest, simply that other books be made available. The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a Christian advocacy group, has said they will support in court any school threatened with a legal claim free of charge.

A spokesman for the ADF is quoted as saying "I am dumbfounded how they believe students shouldn't be reading this book in the contest. It violates freedom of speech."

The same spokesman is also quoted as saying that numerous books encouraged to be read in schools have religious undertones, including "The Lord of the Rings," "To Kill a Mockingbird," and "The Diary of Anne Frank."

Oh boy, where to start with this one. I guess a couple of observations.

First of all the ADF, since I’m certain they can comprehend the English language, is clearly being dishonest when it implies that the AUSCS wants to prevent anyone from reading the book. The AUSCS has no problem with the book being part of the contest it simply is asking for alternate choices. What the hell is the problem with that? The “numerous books” with “religious undertones” especially “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Diary of Anne Frank” strike me as a pretty good list of alternates!

Not that I agree that these books are in the same class as the admittedly Christian Allegory of C.S. Lewis. “The Lord of the Rings” does include a weak pagan fantasy mythology that I would hardly call a “religious undertone” and any “religious undertones” in the “The Diary of Anne Frank” or “To Kill a Mockingbird” are INCIDENTAL to the story and not a central theme.

If there isn’t a Christian Agenda here why is the ADF getting involved? I could understand if the AUSCS wanted to censor the book or have it removed from the contest, but that’s not the case. It simply wants other choices. Why not include Harry Potter? The next HP movie is due on November 18.

This strikes as another example of Christianity claiming rights for itself that no one else has. It’s ok to push a Christian allegory in a public reading contest and no one has the right to complain. I’m still looking for an explanation as to WHY adding other books would be a problem if the sole purpose is to encourage reading? Wouldn’t a LARGE selection of quality books do a better job of encouraging kids to read?

While I believe the legal case is a bit shaky as there is clearly a secular purpose here, the state of Florida and Jeb Bush could be a little more aware that even Florida is a plural society and not everyone believes Christianity is a good thing.