Well... since I have not heard back from our scheduled poster for tomorrow, you will at last get to see the first post in my Dragon series. Mods and Blue Buddies, feel free to run over this and make suggestions if you want. I will post it on the blog tomorrow, and announce its arrival.
Dragons: Introductory (Part 1 of 4)So, why is a 4 part blog series on dragons so important, you might ask? Well, let me first ask you a question. Who has ever wondered about Dragons? The answer: Everyone. And if everyone hadn’t wondered about them before How to Train your Dragon came out, they do now.
Dragons have captured the minds of Fantasy writers as far back as Fantasy writing goes, as we will see in part 3 of this series. In fact, Dragons are now the number 1 Fantasy creature of today’s culture. Everyone loves Dragons. But when did we come to believe that Dragons were simply inventions of our fantasies? When did reality fade away?
It may, or may not, surprise you that a large group of people view Dragons as nothing more than a literary masterpiece crafted to either entertain, or frighten, children. My goal in this series is to show you that dragons, and subsequently dinosaurs, did in fact exist. In fact, I would posit to you that a dragon is actually a type of dinosaur the Lord created in all of his imaginative splendor.
Now, before we can continue with this series, I’d like to establish something that we will be able to build off later. I am sure many of you have heard the argument that Dragons are evil, right? Now, to a dragon lover such as myself, this is a shocking thing to hear! Your most beloved scaled creature is evil?! However, many people are concerned that depicting dragons favorably in a Christian fantasy is the same as depicting demonic aberrations favorably. The reason they feel this way is very simple. Was not the father of lies, Satan himself, depicted in scripture as a dragon? We are speaking specifically about the revelation portrayals of Satan.
Now, I have a number of issues with this line of thinking. I think we have to be careful that we don't link creatures likened unto Satan as being Satanic. The Bible likens Christ to a Lion and a Lamb, but that does not make these animals sacred or Holy. In fact, the lion creates lot of controversy for this line of thinking. After all, both Christ and Satan are depicted as a lion.
Here are two such references to Satan as such:
1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
2 Timothy 4:17 “But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.”
This line of thinking also causes some conflicts with the Chronicles of Narnia. Now, whether you like the stories or not, if you are going to hold to this viewpoint, you must extend it across all species and literary works. Satan is portrayed as a lion several times. So the question must be raised, if you come from this viewpoint, should Lewis have portrayed Aslan as a lion because of this association? What about snakes? You have the fall of man which includes a snake. Do you feel it is wrong to portray snakes? (I almost do just because I dislike them).
Biblically and Historically Dragons were real creatures created by God (as we will see in part 2). They really did breathe fire. In fact, historically dragons are not seen as icons of evil. They were viewed as creatures of life, strength, and vitality, by many cultures. Thus I do not feel that dragons can be seen as unholy, due to the association in revelation.
Now, why was this magnificent creature chosen as a depiction for Satan during the end times? I can’t really tell you. Is it because of the awe and magnificence the creature inspires in us humans, as Satan will do in the end times? Is it because of the strength and power we find in the loins of the beast? Or is it because of the seemingly ugly scaled hide hidden beneath the veil of magnificence, symbolic of Satan’s true nature? I don’t think we will know here on earth. But what I do think we can know is that the Dragon is not chosen because it is an unholy beast demonically spawned by Satan.
So, in this series we are going to hit on three other topics. Dragons of the Bible: What does the bible have to say about dragons, if anything. Dragons of the Past: A look at historical evidence both literary, and archeologically. And Dragons of the Present: Are dragons still in existence today? My goal for this series is to bring to light certain facts often overlooked by people when they view dragons. I think it is up to you to be the ultimate judge. My job is simply to help inform you. So I pray this series will be a jumping point to help you as you decide the answers to so many questions about dragons.
I like it.
