Are Atheists very interested in books/movies like Narnia?

I'll wait for the DVD of course, but I would like to see it.

For the record I have yet to find a Deity I desire to follow...

From a literature perspective, religious allegories make for exceptionally rich stories. Narnia is no exception. Great books.

And I loved the books when I was a kid. I recognized that it was a retelling of the Christian story using the fantasy fiction genre, but somehow the books never...umm...converted me, so to speak. I remember being about twelve or thirteen and crying when Aslan died.

I can't wait to take my kids to see it and I would be willing to bet that if nobody ever told them, they would never recognize it as a 'religious' movie.

edited for typo

We need a break from reading Nietzsche and Bertrand Russell!:D

I've never read the books, but I'm giving my oldest daughter a set of them for Xmas. I enjoy a good spiritual message if it rings true, whether it's Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, pagan, or whatever. I see all religions as similar metaphors, anyway, and, in some ways, at least in the movie (I've never read the books) the only religion was metaphor.

The Santa Claus bit was just wierd, though. Even my six year old thought that was out of place.

then of course we're interested in it.

Why wouldn't we be? Remember, we have no faith to test.

as another. Biblical fiction (as in entertainment based on the Bible) is as good and many times better than other fantasy creations.

I really loved Christopher Walken in the Prophesy franchise. Liked Stigmata a lot. Laughed my ass off at Dogma.

Hey, the only thing I can possibly know is that I can't possibly know . . .

I loved Dogma, too. And grew up watching all the big blockbuster Bible movies and loved them. While I dabbled in Christianity, it never took. That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy a good Bible story for what I see it as...a story. And if someone else sees it as something else and derives religious inspiration from the tale; whatever works for them.

But I grew up in Canada, in a place where even Lord of the Rings reached but Narnia was never, ever seen...

I was only 9 or so. However, to me they were pure fantasy and escapism, as were Mary Poppins and Bednobs and Broomsticks. Did I have an inkling Aslan was meant to be Jesus? No. Would I have cared? No. Do I care now? No.

A good story is a good story - no matter what the underlying message. To any child reading the books or watching the movie it is just a damn good story unless some adult spoils it for them by over analysing the whole thing.

I got no religious theme from Aslan and Mr Tumnus any more than I sat around with my 9 year old classmates discussing whether Lewis Carroll was on an acid or opium trip when he wrote Alice in Wonderland. Children don't analyse books, they just enjoy them.

Will I see the movie? I'm not sure. Only because I've already seen several very good BBC productions over the years. Probably will rent it though at some point.

Not so soon after LOTR, anyway. I'm kind of burned out on those sort of epic fantasy movies.

I am, on the other hand, very much looking forward to Superman Returns. Hopefully we can get through that without the fundies trying to hijack Superman as an allegory for Jesus.