Polly Toynbee Gets IllPolly's one of those weird British writers who can be wonderful at time and exasperating at others. Anybody who doubts that the American Left and Right are synonymous with the British versions should read her for a month.
Today
she's exasperating. Talking about the religious symbolism in the new movie,
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, she opines:
Does any of this matter? Not really. Most children will never notice. But adults who wince at the worst elements of Christian belief may need a sickbag handy for the most religiose scenes. The Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw gives the film five stars and says, "There is no need for anyone to get into a PC huff about its Christian allegory." Well, here's my huff.
Why? Because here in Narnia is the perfect Republican, muscular Christianity for America - that warped, distorted neo-fascist strain that thinks might is proof of right. I once heard the famous preacher Norman Vincent Peel in New York expound a sermon that reassured his wealthy congregation that they were made rich by God because they deserved it. The godly will reap earthly reward because God is on the side of the strong.
