Get the Facts: Allegory vs. Reality

Posted February 29, 2008

A commentary by Amanda Stiver

How real is reality to you?

Why not believe in the mythical, fictional "super-realities" found in films, books and video games? Why be interested in the past record of human experience, let alone universal truth?

An allegory, according to my Webster's Dictionary, is a narrative in which the actions of characters represent abstract ideas or moral principles.

The past seven years have produced a glut of allegorical, fantasy books and videos. The Harry Potter movies from J.K. Rowling's books and The Lord of the Rings film trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's books were first. Then came The Chronicles of Narnia film based on C.S. Lewis's book and The Golden Compass extracted from Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy.

Each has an allegorical element and a very specific moral basis. The Harry Potter stories feature the fight between the less powerful and the more powerful within an assumed worldview of witchcraft. Dressed in epic supernatural battles, Pullman's trilogy champions human evolution based on an atheistic defeat of religion in general.

Tolkien's adventures emphasize the fight between good and evil within the context of human nature encased in Anglo-Saxon and Celtic mythology. Narnia draws its good versus evil struggle from the precepts of the Judeo-Christian tradition clad in characters of classical Greek and Celtic mythology.

Expertly crafted, these films developed a popular following. But are any of them based in reality? No. Does everyone know that—and does the impact of pseudo-historical movies like these affect common perceptions of what is historical truth? The answer is astounding.

A recent survey of teenagers by UKTV Gold in England found that 47 percent of surveyed teens didn't believe that King Richard the Lionheart of England had existed; 27 percent thought Florence Nightingale, the distinguished British nurse of the Crimean War, was a myth; 65 percent believed that the mythological King Arthur was real; and 58 percent believed that fictional character Sherlock Holmes actually lived at 221B Baker Street.

Most shocking of all—of those surveyed, 23 percent thought that Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the man who led their grandparents through the dark days of World War II, was a fictional character.

Experts believe the impact of popular films is shaping the core beliefs of young people.

Why is it important to know the truth of the past and not just rely on allegories to teach subjective human values? The reason, as columnist Jonah Goldberg says, is that "families are civilization factories. They take children and install the necessary software, from what to expect from life to how to treat others." Young people who don't know true history grow up into parents who can't teach their children truth because they themselves don't know it and can't recognize it. Read "Truthful Tribal Storytelling" for more insight.

What is the greatest truth of all? God and His Word, the Bible. To know that the events in the Bible are truth—that God does what He says He will do—is fundamental to a successful personal life. It is vital for God's plan of redemption for humanity throughout history.

Why do people throughout history need redemption? To understand, obtain a solid foundation in biblical and human history from which to assess the accuracy and bias of faux-history and fantastical allegories.

Beware the allegories! Some shed light and illustrate concepts of truth—while some merely muddle in the murky waters of disbelief and confusion.

First, get the facts—the reality of God's life-giving and light-filled truth! VT