 Head of Greek God floating above Olympic stadium |
Olympic gods and C. S. Lewis by Berit Kjos - February 2006 See also Olympic Myths and Earthy Magic - 1994 The Greek Olympics - From mythical dreams to sobering realities - 2004 The Olympic Dream: A Renaissance of Unholy Oneness - 1996 Skip down to Tao |
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"During the ancient Olympic Games in Greece, a sacred flame burned at the altar of Zeus, in whose honor the Games were held. Its lighting signaled the opening of the Games, and its extinguishing signaled their end....
"The flame itself is lit during a ceremony at the site of the ancient Olympic stadium in Olympia.... Women dressed in robes similar to those worn by the ancient Greeks use a curved mirror to light the torch naturally with rays of the sun. The high priestess then presents the torch to the first relay runner."[1] Opening Ceremony
C. S. Lewis would have loved the Olympics. Its roots sank deep into the ancient mythology that had captivated his heart. Long after he chose to believe the Bible was true (1931), he continued to justify pagan myths as precursor to the Gospel. In his imagination-rich mind, he believed that "Christianity fulfilled paganism,"[2] for the two were simply a continuous thread of the same evolving story. Lewis' description of his visit to Greece in 1960 fits that persuasion:"I had some ado to prevent Joy and myself from relapsing into Paganism in Attica! At Daphni it was hard not to pray to Apollo the Healer. But somehow one didn’t feel it would have been very wrong — would have only been addressing Christ sub specie Apollonius. We witnessed a beautiful Christian village ceremony in Rhodes and hardly felt a discrepancy."[2]
The countless similarities between Olympic themes and the books by C. S. Lewis remind us that human nature doesn't change with time. In spite of cultural shifts through the ages, humanity faces the same timeless temptation to trade Biblical absolutes for the allure of man-made myths. The lures of the Olympics -- titillating tales, spiritual ideals, triumphant power, fleshly sensuality, and the vision of peace and unity -- match Lewis' enticing stories. Let's take a look at some of them:
1. Worshipping Zeus
Ancient myths tell us that the ancient Olympic Games were founded by the mighty Heracles (Hercules to the Romans), son of Zeus, the
reigning god on Olympus. This ancient theme continues to drive the modern Olympics and its opening ceremony. One revealing part is the Olympic hymn, a prayer to Zeus, the ruling Greek deity at Olympus:Immortal spirit of antiquity
Father of the true, beautiful and good
Descend, appear, shed over us thy light....
In thy light, plains, mountains and seasShine in a roseate hue and for a vast temple
To which all nations throng to adore thee
Oh immortal spirit of antiquity![1]
Many would justify this pagan ritual as little more than an affirmation of a benevolent spirit that fits global demands for a universal spirituality.
But God tells us, “You shall have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:3
C. S. Lewis carried this pagan theme further. For example, he presents the Roman gods Mars and Venus as visible angelic deities on planet Venus in his book Perelandra, the second book in his Space Trilogy. Ransom, the main hero, was transported to that planet by some friendly elvila, angelic messengers visible only by the light they emanate. On Venus, the nude Ransom befriends an innocent Eve and protects her from an earthly, demon-possessed tempter. The ensuing battle crushes the villain but bruises Ransom's heel, which continues to bleed until the end of the story -- as if a fulfillment of Genesis 3:15.
The third book in the series, That Hideous Strength, is set in England. Ransom must now stop a team of evil, totalitarian conspirators determined to rule the world through modern behavior strategies and ancient magical powers. But stronger forces stand by Ransom. Having traveled to both Mars and Venus, he has continuing contact with the friendly elvila. Working with Ransom and Merlin (Yes, the Druid magician featured in ancient Arthurian tales has been awakened from his 1500 year sleep), they summon the mighty powers of the planetary pantheon. The first god to arrive is Mercury (called Hermes by the Greeks), the "messenger" god of dark Hermetic magic.[3] Lewis described the mind-altering scene:
"The doubling, splitting, and recombining of thoughts which now went on in them would have been unendurable for one whom that art had not already instructed in the counterpoint of the mind, the mastery of doubled and trebled vision.... All fact was broken, splashed into cataracts, caught, turned inside out, kneaded, slain, and reborn as meaning. For the Lord of Meaning himself, the herald... was with them... whom men call Mercury [or Hermes]."[4 - page 322]
Moments later, Venus, the familiar goddess of love, arrives. Mars follows close behind. As you read the next excerpt, remember that in the ancient Greek games, the athletes -- all male -- competed in the nude. Homosexuality was considered good and normal. The fact that Lewis' lifelong friend, Arthur Greeves, was a homosexual,[5] may help explain why Lewis added these details before introducing Zeus.
Then... Merlin received the power into him."[4 - pages 326-267]"The three gods who had already met... represented those two of the Seven Genders, which bear a certain analogy to the biological sexes and can therefore be in some measure understood by men. It would not be so with those who were now preparing to descend. These also doubtless had their genders, but we have no clue to them. These would be mightier energies: ancient eldils...."[4 - page 325]
"Suddenly a greater spirit came.... Upstairs his mighty beam turned the Blue Room into a blaze of lights.... Kingship and power and festal pomp and courtesy shot from him as sparks fly from an anvil.... For this was great Glund-Oyarsa, King of Kings... known to men in old times as Jove [also called Jupiter by Romans, Zeus by the Greeks]....
2. A Global Ethic for man and nature
Working hand-in-hand with the United Nations, The Olympic Committee established a set of goals and "universal rules" for human development and collective behavior. These include:
• "the establishment of a peaceful society concerned with preservation of human dignity. ...
• "the promotion and safeguard of human rights, as historically achieved through the [United Nations'] Universal Declaration of Human Rights....
• "the recognition – in addition to economic and social rights – of the principles of sustainable development and environmental sustainability.
• "educate people to the values of peace, tolerance, justice, freedom, solidarity and equality between people and individuals."[6]
Like the UN and Olympic leaders, C. S. Lewis saw a need for a global ethic. Thirteen years after he called himself a Christian, he wrote The Abolition of Man, which presents the Chinese Tao, not the Bible, as a moral and ethical standard for all mankind.
Symbolized by the Yin Yang, this Tao would be the supreme guide to values and action -- including man's attitude toward the environment. It would replace the Bible as the ultimate authority and guide for our lives -- and for the common good.
Ponder these statements
from The Abolition of Man,
which Lewis -- a fan of Darwin and evolution -- refers to in
Mere
Christianity. Notice that, in Lewis' message, this Tao precedes even the
Creator:
"The Chinese also speak of a great thing (the greatest thing) called the Tao. It is the reality behind all predicates, the abyss that was before the Creator Himself. It is Nature.... It is the Way the universe goes on, the Way in which things everlastingly emerge... into space and time. It is also the Way which every man should tread in imitation of that cosmic and supercosmic progression, conforming all activities to that great exemplar....
This conception in all its forms, Platonic, Aristotelian, Stoic, Christian, and Oriental alike, I shall henceforth refer to for brevity simply as 'the Tao.'"[7 - pages 30, 32]"We do not look at trees either as Dryads or as beautiful objects while we cut them into beams: the first man who did so may have felt the price keenly.... The stars lost their divinity as astronomy developed, and the Dying God has no place in chemical agriculture."[6 - page 78] [referring to ancient myths in which the sun god died during the winter solstice] From this point of view, the conquest of Nature appears in a new light. We reduce things to mere Nature in order that we may 'conquer' them."[7 - page 79]
"Only the Tao proves a common human law of action which can overarch rulers and ruled alike.... In the Tao itself, as long as we remain within it, we find the concrete reality in which to participate is to be truly human: the real common will and common reason for humanity.... While we speak from within the Tao we can speak of Man having power over himself in a sense truly analogous to an individual's self-control. But the moment we step outside and regard the Tao as mere subjective product, this possibility has disappeared."[7 - pages 81, 82]
But "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. "'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9
3. Art and Entertainment.
The opening ceremony of the 2006 Olympics in Turino featured a dramatized rendition of Botticelli's famous painting, "The birth of Venus." In the actual painting, Venus was nude. On the Olympic stage, the model was modestly draped in white cloth.
Botticelli actually painted this portrait for the powerful De Medici family (which included two popes). "Like them, the artist subscribed to Neoplatonism: an esoteric philosophical and literary theory blending paganism into Christianity and professing a spiritual union with God."[8]
C. S. Lewis, who was no fan of art galleries, loved Botticelli. "I took the desperate resolve," he wrote, "of entering the National Gallery, where I finally came to the conclusion that I have no taste for painting.... The only thing (besides portraits) that I cared for much were Botticelli's Mars and Venus with satyrs...."[9] Botticelli illustrated Dante's Divine Comedy, a long, allegorical poem describing Dante's spiritual journey through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso before returning to earth. Five centuries later, Lewis presented an essay on this poem to Oxford's Dante Society.
4
. PassionIf you watched the opening ceremony, you would have seen a crowd of performers on stage move in the shape of a beating, throbbing heart. They were illustrating passion -- the passion of the Olympic torch runners, of training, of competition, of the pursuit of global oneness....
The most passionate performance that night might have been Luciano Pavarotti's climactic aria from Puccini’s opera "Turandot.” Yet Puccini's magnificent music might not have stirred C. S. Lewis' heart as dramatically as did Richard Wagner's operas, especially "The Ring of the Nibelung." He was ecstatic about its mythical themes[10] and powerful music. In his book, Surprised by Joy, he described his passion:
"All this time I had still not heard a note of Wagner's music, though the very shape of the printed letters of his name had become to me a magical symbol.... I first heard a record of the Ride of the Valkyries.... To a boy already crazed with 'the Northernness' [the Norse and Germanic myths behind Wagner's work], the Ride came like a thunderbolt.... [I]t was... a new kind of pleasure, if indeed 'pleasure' is the right word, rather than trouble, ecstasy, astonishment, 'a conflict of sensations without name." [page 75]
"We are taught in the Prayer Book to 'give thanks to God for His great glory.'... I came far nearer to feeling this about the Norse gods whom I disbelieved in than I had ever done about the true God while I believed. Sometimes I can almost think that I was sent back to the false gods there to acquire some capacity for worship...." [page 77]
But God warns us, "You love evil more than good...." [Psalm 52:3] "....these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity." Ezekiel 14:3
5. Imagination
Applause broke out in the Olympic Stadium when Yoko Ono stepped to the podium to introduce "Imagine" -- John Lennon's popular song about an idealized new world order. Loved by New Agers, it mocks God's promise of heaven and denies the reality of hell. Then it continues with a few other suggestions:
...Imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for, no religion too...
No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people sharing all the world...
The song ends with the hope that all will embrace this vision, so "the world will live as one."
These dreams may sound noble to those who are blinded to reality. But they bring darkness, not light. Man's myths, visions and dreams lead to deception and control, not truth and freedom. Lennon's global oneness can only be established through totalitarian measures that include universal behavioral modification, lifelong learning in new global values, continual assessments of compliance, and total loss of individual freedom.
Actually, C. S. Lewis could anticipate this horrendous shift. He was close enough to the Oxford establishment to hear the futuristic plans. He was familiar with the brainwashing strategies being developed at "scientific" behavioral laboratories such as the Tavistock Institute in London.[11] As an idealist, he believed that a universal pursuit of the Tao would prevent such tyranny. But his Taoist dream is as misleading as John Lennon's "Imagine."
Both C. S. Lewis and John Lennon have fueled the shift away from a firm foundation of fact and truth. Both have undermined resistance to the Olympic committee's aim for a global ethic -- and to the UN goal of a borderless world with a unified spirituality. But it's easy for Christians to recognize the false visions in Lennon's song. It's harder to discern the deceptions in Lewis' popular books -- partly because we have learned not to expect anything but truth from this revered author.
As the transformation of church and culture accelerate, we need to be on guard. Our minds must be tuned to God and His Word, not the world and its enticing visions. For He alone can give us lasting peace and oneness!
Colossians 2:6-9"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ."
See also
Warnings - How mysticism & the occult are
changing the Church
and
Endnotes:
1. Opening Ceremony protocol at http://history1900s.about.com/library/weekly/aa081000a.htm
2. Roger Lancelyn Green, C.S. Lewis: A Biography, Revised Edition (Orlando, FL: Harcourt Inc., 1974), page 30, 274. (The first reference points to page 62 in Surprised by Joy. Lewis expands on this view of on page 235: "Where has religion reached its true maturity? Where, if anywhere, have the hints of all Paganism been fulfilled?... Paganism had been only the childhood of religion. Where was the thing fully grown? There were really only two answers possible: either in Hinduism or in Christianity..." Then he rules out Hinduism and points to Christianity.)
3. More about Hermetic magic at www.crossroad.to/articles2/2003/occult-rpg.htm and www.crossroad.to/Excerpts/books/lewis/inklings-williams.htm
4. C. S. Lewis, That Hideous Strength (MacMillan Publishing Company, 1946), pages 326-327.
5. Alan Jacobs, The Narnian: The Life and
Imagination of C. S. Lewis (
6.
www.torino2006.org/ENG/OlympicGames/bin/page/C_3_page_eng_58_paragraphs_paragrafo_2_attachments_allegato_0_object.pdf
7.
8. Alessandro Botticelli, Italiamia
9. Kathryn Lindskoog, "Spring in Purgatory: Dante, Botticelli, C. S. Lewis, and a Lost Masterpiece at www.lindentree.org/prima.html
10. For more information, see http://larryavisbrown.homestead.com/files/Ring/Ring0_intro.htm, and http://larryavisbrown.homestead.com/files/Ring/Ring2_Valkyrie.htm: "In the Icelandic Volsunga Saga, Siegmund [son of the god Odin] obtains his sword from the tree, mates with his sister 'Signy' but unknowingly (as she's in disguise), and kills her cruel husband, but in the end she dies with her husband in a fire. By another wife, Siegmund has 'Sigurd.' Siegmund is killed in battle when Odin smashes his sword..."
11. C. S. Lewis warns against this totalitarian process frequently in The Abolition of Man.
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