Are Martians Christians?

For my entire adult religious life, I've been confronted by well-meaning (I assume) people who want to tell me that I'm not Christian. I'm not Christian, I'm going to burn forever, yada yada yada, because I'm a Mormon, or more officially, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. LDS. I've got a million of them. Now, I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe he's the son of God, and that his sacrifice is what will ultimately save all who are "saved." But, according to tradition and semantics, evidently I'm not "Christian." And that's fine with me. This book, by C.S. Lewis, creator of Narnia, master of Allegory, friend to J.R.R. Tolkien, and author of other Christian Masterpieces (The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, and The Dark Tower are all must-reads), reminded me a lot of those questions about the fundaments of my own theology.

The book is the first of Lewis' "Space Trilogy," which was written just before (and extending into) World War II. Much of the concerns about man's inhumanity to man are addressed and explained in these books, and I find it a fascinating snippet of history in that way. What were the English thinking in 1938? Here's a glimpse of what one of their luminaries felt about the impending War.

The plot involves a professor of language and literature, Dr. Irwin Ransom. Ransom is kidnapped by two men, Weston and Devine, and transported to Mars. The kidnapping and the journey to Mars are told in a way that reminds me of Jules Verne or H.G. Wells' novels about exploration of space--in an era before rockets had ever been launched, Lewis' descriptions about the beauties and the dangers of deep space were more poetic that scientific, and for the story, it works perfectly. It also reminded me of the various ways that the Pevensie children of the Narnia stories were carried into Narnia; it has bits of science in it, but there's as much faith and magic involved as nuts and bolts.

Ransom arrives on Mars (or "Malacandra" as it's known to its residents) to find a world quite unlike the Mars we now know. Lewis' descriptions here amazed me, and I found myself trying to imagine what it would look like On The Big Screen. Unlike Star Trek or Star Wars, which are the planetary expeditions I'm most familiar with, Lewis gives us a world completely unlike that of Earth. Ransom is incredibly disoriented for the first day or two, because on Malacandra, a tree doesn't look like a tree on Earth. Mountains don't look like mountains. Even the water has different properties. Lewis describes the experience as being trapped within an expressionistic painting, and only after days of exploration does Ransom begin to comprehend his surroundings.

Ransom and the other humans (together and separately) meet with various inhabitants of Malacandra, including the "Hrossa," which, in their giant otter-like form prefigure the Mr. and Mrs. Beaver of Narnia...Ransom befriends and becomes a part of their culture before he moves on to another part of the planet to meet the Sorn--giant, stone-like creatures who, though frightening in appearance, end up being as friendly and helpful as the Hrossa, although Ransom never feels quite at home with them.

Ransom's interactions and conversations with these new cultures are fascinating to read--what would an Oxford professor of the 1930's say to completely new species upon meeting them? Lewis' own love of languages is evident here, and we get glimpses of what Lewis himself would have liked to have discovered on Mars. Ransom discovers that there's a sort of hierarchy of gods, angels, and devils that inhabit the universe, and that each planet has them--Mars' own God is named Oyarsa, and Oyarsa is described as a being of pure light, intellect, love, and curiosity.

This is where the transition really came from a sci-fi novel to an allegorical one, and one that sets the stage for the other books in this trilogy. Oyarsa explains that each of the planets has these beings of light, and they all "sing" to one another in a specific harmony. Milennia ago, the "god" of Earth stopped singing, and when that happened, the harmony changed. It affected the culture of Mars, which had once included flying beings (angels?) and great cities...it signaled the eventual end of all things. Oyarsa and others feared that a "bent" being of light had found it's way to Earth, and that's when the planet was silenced. The title "Out of the Silent Planet," refers to Earth, and Ransom becomes an emissary (although at first unwillingly) to Malacandra, and eventually, to other planets.

This book seemed to set the stage for further adventures, and at it's brief length (just over 150 pages) it was in itself a great read, but felt somehow incomplete. We know Ransom has a great role to play in the further books, but here he serves largely as an expositionary device. He is TOLD many things, but he really DOES very little. Toward the end, in a conversation with the humans and Oyarsa, we get a wonderful discourse on the demands of justice and mercy--how can one man atone for the crimes or sins of another? And when is that atonement justified? Should an unrepentant man be forgiven, despite his wish to remain unforgiven? What would be the toll on his soul if that occured, and would he ever appreciate what was done for him?

These conversations raised questions and conversations in my own mind about my own relationship with God, and about my own thoughts, feelings, and opinions toward Jesus Christ. I recommend this book as a wonderfully-written sci-fi adventure, but also as an allegorical story that will make you think about your own life, no matter what your religious persuasion.

So ARE Martians Christians?

You'll have to read the book to find out.