More than he knew he knew

Warning: this post is long. You won't miss any of our family's life events if you don't read it, you'll just miss my own thoughts and pontification on one of the recent century's greatest minds.

I think most latter-day saints have a healthy respect for C.S. Lewis...me included. Oft quoted in sacrament meeting talks and General Conference, the man certainly had a deep spiritual understanding.

I grew up watching the old WonderWorks versions of the Narnia stories on PBS and thoroughly enjoy 2005 version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Last week Natalie and I watched Shadowlands again. This is one of my all-time favorite films. It stars Sir Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger and is the true story of a portion of CS Lewis' life. Quite masterfully done. You can borrow it, if you promise to bring a large toffee and almond Symphony upon return (for Natalie).

I haven't seen Prince Caspian yet. But watching Shadowlands reminded me of the story and just how brilliant Lewis was. Looking at the story through a gospel lens makes it even more impressive to me. Perhaps it wasn't intentional, but much of the story of Prince Caspian falls right in line with the restored gospel on the earth.

Let's re-cap:
In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Aslan, the Son of the King across the sea defeats the White Witch and her demonic followers. This he does not through battle alone, but also through sacrifice. He is killed, yet becomes victorious over death and evil. He establishes a kingdom, but knowing he cannot stay, he places surrogates to watch over and care for the kingdom. Not coincidentally, Peter is the high king in Narnia. Peter and his siblings reign for a time, but then leave Narnia. Now we jump to the story of Prince Caspian.

The Pevensies return after a year, but in Narnia, centuries have passed. They find that with the absence of a rightful king, Narnia has been overtaken by outsiders and over the centuries has fallen into complete disarray. The people and creatures who remain lose not only their connection with Aslan and magic, but the very belief in these things. Because they don't believe in Aslan, they don't know what he's really like, and they fear anything connected to him.

I don't have the book in front of me so I can't quote specific passages, but here's what happens: Aslan returns to restore the kingdom to the rightful heir. That is, to the one who has been prepared to assume the thrown, even without his own knowledge. This of course, is Caspian. oh yeah, and Aslan first appears in a forest or grove.Aslan will restore the kingdom, but interestingly, he does so through Peter, the high king. Aslan will leave again; Peter will leave again, but because of what they have bestowed upon Caspian, the kingdom will prevail.

Without even knowing it, C.S. Lewis tells the story of Joseph Smith. Christ had established His church, had given Peter the keys of the priesthood, then ascended into heaven. As we know, Peter and the other apostles (save John) were killed. Their authority was not conferred upon others, and the kingdom fell into complete disarray. Or as we often refer to it, the Great Apostacy.
The kingdom could not rightfully return without the restoration of keys and authority that had to be given by someone who held them. Christ, the Lion of Judah, did return and appeared to the boy Joseph on more than one sacred occasion. But Christ did not personally give keys of authority to Joseph. Men who had held those keys in mortality, including Peter, returned in glorified form to bestow those keys upon Joseph, who had been prepared and prophesied of for millennia. Peter did not stay to reign, nor did Christ remain personally on the earth. But he will, after the Last Battle.

Am I stretching things way too much? Should I just enjoy the story and not try to make it into what it's not?

You can decide for yourself. But for me, this makes the story only that much better.