Has anyone seen the Lord of the Rings yet? Any thoughts?

Here are mine:

WOW!

Although it was a bit long, and toward the end got a little slow, for the most part I thought it was excellent. In fact, as I watched it, it was exactly as I pictured it in my mind's eye when I read the books originally. The director did an excellent job in bringing this classic tale to the big screen. I can hardly wait for next year's installment.

Incidentally, J.R.R. Tolkien was a Christian. From what I understand, he was converted by his good friend C.S. Lewis, for they belonged to the same literary club (the Inklings). Now some are automatically going to try to draw parallels between Tolkien's works and those Harry Potter books. However unlike Potter, magic in Tolkien's books (and in the movie) is almost always depicted as having evil origins. The rings of power were all made by the Dark Lord Sauron [a type of Satan?] to deceive and enslave the races of Middle Earth. The only exception to this is Gandalf's use of magic, and if one reads further, in Tolkien's book "The Silmarillion" it is hinted that the reason why Gandalf and the other wizards (I believe there were originally seven, although only three are mentioned in the LoTR) can wield this power is because they are not human beings but actually Maia, a class of angelic beings, of the same order of being as Sauron apparently, but for good (although Saruman turns evil and the other wizards become indifferent and pass out of knowledge).

-- Anonymous, December 26, 2001

Answers

Actually, Tolkien converted Lewis.

-- Anonymous, December 27, 2001

I stand corrected. I heard it the other way around from someone who didn't know what they were talking about apparently.

-- Anonymous, December 27, 2001

I look forward to seeing the movie. The Hobbit was required reading in 9th grade, with each of the Trilogy books being required reading in 10th thru 12th grades. Sad to say, I haven't read them since, but look forward to the flick, and maybe a dip back into the books following that.

-- Anonymous, December 27, 2001

BTS -- John -- In your opinion, what age would this flick be appropriate for? I know it is PG 13, and was told by one of the workers at a local theatre the rating was for the fighting ... no language, sex, etc.

-- Anonymous, December 27, 2001

There is no sex and no language. But lots of fighting, and a fair amount of suspense, especially near the beginning. PG-13 is a fair rating for this film; I would say 13yo's and up, with parental guidance.

-- Anonymous, December 27, 2001

BTW its blowing Harry Potter out of the water at the box office! :)

I was thinking of writing something about the subtle Christian subtext in the books, about Gandalf and Frodo being types of Christ, etc. ... if I ever have the time ...

-- Anonymous, December 30, 2001

I heard the scenery in LotR is awesome. Filmed in New Zealand isn't it?

-- Anonymous, December 31, 2001

Yes, and yes. :) Some of the scenery could have been matte painting, but I think I read somewhere that the director tried to stay away from mattes as much as possible.

-- Anonymous, December 31, 2001

They spent 18 months in New Zealand filming all three films. And having spent some time there while in the Navy, I can tell you it is a beautiful country.

-- Anonymous, December 31, 2001

I wish I was a kid again ... then I could blow my parents money going to see this movie 50 times like I did Star Wars, and not be weary of its length. Youth is wasted on the young.

-- Anonymous, January 02, 2002

I have seen the movie three times now and I absolutely love it. I consider it to be one of the best films ever made.

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2002

WELL, WELL, WELL. I am flabbergasted by the comments I have read so far in this thread. I did go see the movie, along with my family. I will not argue with any of you concerning the superb special effects, although I felt the acting was somewhat mediocre.

If J.R.R. Tolkien was a Christian as you say, one cannot tell it from this work. It is chuck full of occult symbolism, popular folklore, and gross deception. My little 11/2 year-old girl was the wiser one. She instinctively dragged her mother out of the theater. She is smatter than your may think. Other movies she has no problem with, but she did with this one. The next one to walk out was my 7 year-old son. I stayed with my oldest son to watch it in Toto, but walked out feeling nauseated by the horrible overkill on all that is ugly and gross. One used to have to go to a horror movie in order to watch that kind of junk.

If J.R.R. Tolkien was the one to “convert” C. S. Lewis, well that explains a lot of things for me.

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2002

I just have one question. What the heck are you doing taking a 1 1/2 year old and a 7 year old to a PG-13 movie in the first place?

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2002

John,

I just have one answer: I didn't know it was "PG 13" as those classifications do not exist in Mexico. They go by "A" "B" "C", etc. However, these classifications mean absolutely nothing, as they are habitually inaccurate, so no one pays any attention to them. Evidence of that is that there were many parents just like me with their little ones in the theater. I thought that you might want to know. PW

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2002

Didn't know you were in Mexico. But anyone who has read the books would have expected some violence ... I take it you hadn't?

-- Anonymous, January 07, 2002

No John, I had not read the writer's work. Now, I would be interested in hearing your defense regarding the content matter.

-- Anonymous, January 07, 2002

I don't think I have to "defend" the author's work. The author, while a professing Christian (though a Roman Catholic, if you feel like Catholic bashing today), was not writing a religious book. He was a professor of medieval literature, and wanted to write a modern-day tale in the tradition of ancient English and Norse tales such as Beowulf, an allegory about the evils of modern war, and about the triumph of good over evil, self-sacrifice over greed, etc. So yes, to cloak his allegory in the style of medieval literature, he drew in some folk concepts to make it seem believable.

But as mentioned before, magic in Tolkien's books (and in the movie) is almost always depicted as having evil origins. The rings of power were all made by the Dark Lord Sauron [a type of Satan] to deceive and enslave the races of Middle Earth. The only real exception to this is Gandalf's use of magic, and if one reads further, in Tolkien's book "The Silmarillion" it is hinted that the reason why Gandalf and the other wizards (There were originally five, although only three are mentioned in the LoTR) can wield this power is because they are not human beings but actually Maia, a class of angelic beings, of the same order of being as Sauron apparently, but for good (although Saruman turns evil and the other wizards become indifferent and pass out of knowledge).

And while there is no overt Christian or religious symbolism (unlike his friend Lewis' novels, which are replete with them), Frodo and Gandalf are both obviously types of Christ: Gandalf who selflessly gives himself for the good of the Fellowship, standing against the demon and falling into the pit, and returning as Gandalf the White later in the series, a far more powerful, transfigured being; and Frodo, who is seemingly unaffected by the rings power, its ability to make men lust after it and after power, but burdened by it, a man of sorrows, carrying it through enormous odds and hardships to the very mouth of hell itself, Mount Doom, stumbling under its weight and having to have his servant Sam carry it for him part of the way, like Jesus' cross.

-- Anonymous, January 07, 2002

For further support of what Tolkien was attempting to do in his books, I found an article on the religious/Christian symbolism in the Lord of the Rings, and while it is far too long to quote here, and I certainly didn't agree with everything the author had to say, the following quotes from it get the point across well enough.

... the Rings trilogy is profoundly Christian. Tolkien and his colleague C. S. Lewis, one of the most prominent voices for evangelical Christianity of the past century, often discussed the ways in which the Christian faith could be expressed in alternative shapes and forms. They believed that one can communicate the content of Christianity without merely repeating Bible verses, or works lifted from traditional creeds or confessions. And they both set out to create a new literature that would speak to traditional Christians as well as to readers who were alienated from Christianity. Tolkien in particular wanted to create a literature in which the faith was implied rather than imposed, and suggested rather than preached. ... In the Rings trilogy, the words "God" or "Christ" never appear, but the reality which these words refer to is communicated in every word and phrase of the text.

First, and most important, is the basic fact that events that transpire in Middle Earth do so, not according to the will and intent of the characters who populate these realms, but rather according to a lovingly crafted plan, which would be referred to in Christian parlance as "Providence." The suggestion that the "Ring" can be the key to whether good or evil prevails speaks of a universe founded upon certain principles, or as Christians would put it, "created" by a certain God. Second, the characters in the narrative are shaped and defined according to their particular role in the unfolding of that plan. Central to the Rings cycle is the notion of Christian heroism, as expressed, for example in both Frodo and Sam. The true heroes for Tolkien, are not those who excel in qualities of strength or intelligence, but rather exhibit a spiritual depth. The outward manifestation of the inner light is fidelity to a higher cause. At bottom, what makes the hero truly heroic is devotion rather than valor. The ethic that governs Tolkien's imaginary world is the same one articulated by St. Paul who wrote: "... So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

The very word "fellowship," said it all: ... Setting out into a world of danger and adventure, armed with sometimes magical powers to do battle with the cosmic forces of evil, accompanied by a motley band of friends and comrades with whom one shares experiences that are beyond anything one could have possibly imagined in this mundane world, while being freed of the conventional constraints of home and hearth: this is at bottom what the faith first articulated by Jesus Christ is all about. That the adventure also involves resolution of the deepest conflict within oneself and the encounter with the infinite in the midst of this finite world, makes the journey all the more liberating and enlivening.

-- Anonymous, January 09, 2002

A further thought on Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, et. al.

I think it behooves us as Christians to become familiar with at least the general gist of popular books/movies such as this. Why? Which is more productive: to blast an unbeliever about the godlessness, witchcraft, etc. that may or may not be in such movies, or to use it as a springboard to share the gospel?

With the LoTR, one could easily translate from the basic storyline to a discussion of Christianity. (This is actually what converted C.S. Lewis; after coming to the realization that almost every culture had a dying god-man myth, Christianity to him was 'the myth that became reality.') In the case of Harry Potter, the witchcraft issue notwithstanding, we have a tale of a boy who is fighting a powerful evil, who's mother selflessly took the curse of death meant for him on herself that her son might live, breaking the evil wizard's power ...

These are the modern mythologies, analogous to the ones Paul used on the Areopagus. We come off as silly, prudish, out of touch with reality and hysterical when all we do is attack these modern myths without offering something of more value in exchange.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

John,

If you want to see a way we can incorporate "modern culture" into teaching the word, see the works of John Eldredge, especially "Journey of Desire" and "Wild At Heart".

Quickly -- "Journey of Desire" is about how God uses desire to woo us to Him and God has placed desires in us as a part of our "calling" to the purpose He has for us.

"Wild At Heart" is about how men reflect God's image at the heart level. Men reflect God's adventurous nature, the risk taking aspects. (in contrast to women, who better reflect the romantic/intimacy side of God).

-- Anonymous, January 12, 2002

Hi to all. I did see Lord of the Rings recently and thought it was well-done and fairly represented Tolkien's story. I appreciated the allusions to Christianity (i.e. 1 character in the movie says "Do not let your hearts be troubled," idea of putting others before yourself, good overcoming evil, the types of Christ/Satan in characters, etc.) and thought that as a fantasy genre movie it really worked. I'm with John in looking forward to the upcoming movies that will continue the story and if they are as well-done as LoR, I believe that Mr. Tolkien would be proud. In relation to this I have a little difficulty in separating LoR and Harry Potter as they both reflect fantasy and/or the use of evil and would like any comments about what makes one appropriate and one not appropriate. Much has been written about this issue, but I have yet to see any concrete justification that makes LoR ok and HP not ok. As I said, I saw LoR (as did my children)and we enjoyed it. I/we did not see HP, but as a Christian my personal feeling is that I would not be comfortable seeing HP and would not be comfortable if my children saw HP. What separates the two and makes one acceptable to Christians and one not acceptable? God bless.

-- Anonymous, January 12, 2002

I covered this in another thread, but my personal opinion is this: In traditional fantasy such as LoTR and Narnia, majic is almost always seen as an evil force used by the bad guys, which the good guys must overcome. But in HP, witchcraft (wicca) is used by both sides, there is "white" and "black" majic, and the good guys must use the power of the white majic to defeat the power of the black majic. In traditional fantasy, witchcraft is a force to be opposed, whereas in HP it is a force to be embraced.

-- Anonymous, January 12, 2002

When deciding which, if any, of the movies, books, etc. that include any mention of witchcraft, it becomes a decision each person must make for themeselves and for their children.

There is a Disney classic due this Saturday on TV (January 12) ... Mary Poppins. She certainly used "magic" when flying in on her umbrella, etc., etc. Add to that shows and movies such as Bewitched, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Casper, Sabrina, Peter Pan, Snow White, Wizard of Oz, Cinderella, etc., etc.

Certainly the Bible is quite clear on participating in witchcraft, and all the other aspects that could be mentioned. But it says noting directly about watching movies such as HP, Rings, Peter Pan, etc.

If you believe it would be wrong to watch any, or all of these movies, then don't! If they would, or might, cause you to sin, stay away from them.

We have to be careful of transferring our level of spiritual maturity (be it low or high) onto other Christians in areas where the Scriptures are silent.

And the point made earlier about being able to use parts of movies to spark an interest and discussion is well taken.

-- Anonymous, January 13, 2002

The question, I suppose, is whether reading a book or watching a movie in which majic is portrayed is the same thing as actually participating in majic or condoning it? When you read your Bible, some of the people in it bear false witness, murder and commit other sins. Have you then by reading it (or watching it in a movie perhaps) also participated in those sins?

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2002

I have to agree with you, Darrell: If you believe it would be a sin to see any of these movies, then for you it is a sin and by all means you should not go to see them.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2002

I think you are right on about whether it is sin or not...

But.... is it a good thing to be seen condoning something that will surely have a negative impact on (some) children? How about the rise in the interest in the occult now happening because of these movies?

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2002

I don't know of any "rise in the interest in the occult" that occurred because of the publication of LOTR or the Narnia books. Nor from the other movies that have been made from either. There has been a rise mainly from the Potter movie and books, and its clear to see that there is an agenda among wiccans to promote this (and booksellers aren't complaining, of course; in fact I saw one bookstore where their Potter bookshelf was alongside their New Age bookshelf, with "wiccan for kids" books highlighted).

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2002

Thanks for the insight and discussion. Much appreciated. God bless.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2002

Read 'Silmarillion' , it has Pagan Gods and stuff. Maia are lesser Pagan Gods, there is the godess of fruits and god of the ocean etc. etc. Also CS lewis represents God as the head of an Alien race

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

Not exactly. It is explicitly spelled out in the Silmarillion that there was one God, known as Eru (The One) in Tolkien's work, also known as Iluvatar (Father of All). The Ainur (consisting of the greater Valar and the lesser Maiar) were spiritual creations of Eru, akin to the angels. However, unlike angels, the Valar were given by Eru the power to assist in his creation of Arda (the world of Middle Earth); nonetheless they were not considered gods. They were revered, but not worshipped, by the elves.

And I suggest you re-read the Space Trilogy again if that's what you got out of it.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Dear ALL,

It was never my intention to "prohibit" anyone from reading or seeing anything! PERIOD!

The gist of my comment was that I could not understand such favorable reviews coming from the lips and/or pens (computers nowadays) of otherwise discerning, intelligent, educated, Christian men.

As for "Catholic bashing"....hhhmmm. I just don't see the connection with what I said, but it certainly sheds a lot of light on the subject.

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2002

Philip: The "Catholic bashing" comment was written B.S. (Before Saffold's ban), and was said because I expected to see long diatribes against Catholics that were totally unrelated to the topic at hand because of my dropping the "C" word.

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2002

Hey Phillip...

Since you are concerned about the spiritual themes in the LOTR series I would recommend you read a book I picked up recently. It is called: Tolkien's Ordinary Virtues: Exploring the spiritual themes of the Lord of the Rings by Mark Eddy Smith. It is published by IVP and the ISBN is: 0-8308-2312-3.

This should help you gain a better view of the works of Tolkien. I think that the books and the movie trilogy (although it doesn't follow the book story verbatim) are some of the best things Hollywood has ever put out. Even above Star Wars, and there was a time when saying such a thing constituted high blasphemy in my world.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2002

The following comments by Joseph Chambers are interesting:

World events make no sense unless you understand the “Book of Revelation.” This entire universe is on a pre-determined course set by the foreknowledge of its Creator. Whether it is the poetry of the poet, the business adventure of the money mad tycoon, the grand plans of the One World designers, the cinema creation of the movie makers, or the imagination of a J.R.R. Tolkien, it is all under the auspices of the “Beginning and the Ending.” The God of the Book of Revelation proclaimed, “I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8).

No book in the Bible makes more sense in today’s world than the grand closing of God’s Revelation. The Book of Revelation was designed to bring the church of Jesus Christ from the hour of its early beginning to the glory of its eminent future. The seven letters to seven churches in Revelation chapters two and three embodies the entire time from the beautiful beginning of the church to the apostasy of its waning hours. The saints will not be raptured in the glory of the church’s organizations and wealth, but in the grace of His holiness and imparted purity. Beginning in chapter four of Revelation, we have the future of His kingdom after the church age as it unfolds both on earth and in the Heavens. Our world is speedily racing in preparation for this incredible climax.

There must be two movements simultaneously preparing for the end. Darkness and light are opposites. Goodness and evil are expressions of the exact same difference as darkness and light. Every story that someone tells or writes will in some way embody these two opposites. Righteousness is on course for her grand hour of victory, while darkness must become darker to meet its fate of extinction. J.R.R. Tolkien’s imaginary epic in his three grand books, Lord of the Rings, is a clever look at what awaits the religious world. The final hour of religion will be the darkest time of her entire history. The sun-clothed woman will finally end in a blob of religious superstition and pagan deception.

No writer has ever portrayed the blending of pagan myths with distorted Christianity more cleverly than Tolkien. These books can be and are being heralded by the liberal Christian world and the pagan world at the same time. The Christian bookstores and many ministries speak to Tolkein’s great message of espousing values and even some hidden form of the Messianic hope. The pagan world promotes it right in the middle of witchcraft and occultic ideas. It is a perfect pattern for the “global spirituality” of the coming One World Government and One World Church.

The Premise For His Myths Was Flawed Tolkien believed that the pagan myths of pre-Christian history were somehow earlier expressions of the future revelations. Both Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were victims of religious teaching that failed to keep truth and error clearly separated. Many pagan ideas had invaded the church world. Instead of the church rooting out superstition and paranormal experiences, they have found it easier to accommodate the two opposing themes. There is no doubt but that the political mix of church and state of that period lay at the heart of this problem. The world in which Tolkien found himself certainly affected his thinking and writing. Tolkien was a devout Catholic and made the statement that his literary works was an extension of his faith. Tolkien said, “The Lord of the Rings was ‘a fundamentally religious and Catholic work.’” (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter, editor (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1981), p. 172,243.) Professor Ralph C. Wood, a foremost expert on Tolkien and his writings stated, “The unrestrained quality of mercy is what, ‘I suggest, makes the Lord of the Rings’ an enduring Christian classic despite its pagan setting.” (www.leaderu.com/humanities/wood- classic.html.)

Tolkien was much moved by the pagan myths that his highly intellectual world of friends saw as intriguing and of great value. He was fascinated by Norse and Celtic mythologies and taught a pantheon of gods in his earlier work, The Simarrilion. His “All Father,” as he called the one God he considered to correspond to the God of the Bible, had fifteen sub-gods. They were put in charge of “Middle Earth,” his mythical idea for the world as he would present in his myth telling.

Let’s allow Professor Ralph Wood to describe this idea, “At the top stands Iluvatar, the All-Father, corresponding roughly to the One whom Christians call God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth. From him all things proceed, and to him all things return. He is the beginning and the end, the One who shapes all events to his own purposes. He dwells in the Timeless Halls and only rarely intervenes in his Creation, preferring instead to work through the agency of his Valar or Ainur. These are the fifteen subordinate beings Iluvatar created with the Flame Imperishable of his Spirit. They are themselves entirely spiritual creations who work Iluvatar’s will in the world.” (www.leaderu.com/humanities/wood- cosmogony.html.)

Each of these God-like creations has a pagan description of their place and office in this pantheon of gods. Manwë was the good and pure and reigned over the air, wind, clouds, and the birds. His spouse was Varda, the Exalted, who made the stars and set the course for the sun and the moon. Melkor was given by Iluvatar greater power and knowledge than all other gods and was gifted in substances and craft. Melkor fulfilled the idea of Satan by rebelling and seeking power equal to Iluvatar himself. Tolkien even names the fifteen sub gods Valar, taken from his primary god’s name, Ilu-vatar.

Melkor’s shadow god or equal was named Aule. He was given the same power as Melkor, but had no desire to dispossess and rule instead of Iluvatar. There was Ulmo, the lord of waters, Irmo, the author of visions and dreams, and his wife, Este. Then, we have Nienna (compassions), whose tears bring healing, Mandos, who keeps the Houses of the Dead. There are six more of these valars with different god-like responsibilities. All this Tolkien saw as a “splintering fragment of the true light.” He said, “In making a myth, in practicing ‘mythopoeia,’ and peopling the world with elves and dragons and goblins, a story-teller . . . is actually fulfilling God’s purpose, and reflecting a splintered fragment of the true light.” (Quoted by Colin Gunton, Professor of Christian Doctrine in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at King’s College, London. His article first appeared in the King’s Theological Review (Vol. 12, No. 1), in 1989. Included as a chapter in Tolkien: A Celebration, edited by Joseph Pearce (London: Fount, 1999), p. 130.)

It’s easy to see that Tolkien’s basis for his claim of Biblical harmony in his myths was dead wrong. Paganism is exactly what it is called, “paganism.” I agree that the pagan writers and the spirits behind their writing do indeed imitate truth in a kind of vague fashion. Satan is the master imitator, but his evil inspiration can never be seen or used as a kind of foundation for truth. A mixture of truth and error is completely forbidden in Scripture. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?” (II Corinthians 6:14-16a).

His Characters Were Similar to Those in the Book of Revelation

The occultic powers, as clearly revealed in the Book of Revelation, are strangely similar to those same powers in Lord of the Rings. This may have been unintentional on Tolkien’s part, but unlikely on Satan’s part. The world must be prepared for the coming seven years of “Great Tribulation.” The world would not receive a sudden infusion of strange mythical creatures empowered by paranormal ability unless there had been years of preparation and acquaintance with those ideas. The Lord of the Rings series is only one of many fictional themes that our world has fallen in love with today. It is very apparent that millions have come to love beastly creatures, strange mystical powers, occultic themes and almost any idea that is otherworldly.

One of the scary things about Lord of the Rings is that some authorities see the powers, which are manifested, as being supernatural, instead of magical. This in itself suggests that they are very much presented in a Bible-like fashion. Listen to an interview/question with Author Joseph Pearce (Books: Tolkien: Man and Myth and Tolkien: A Celebration):

“Question: In recent years, magic in diverse forms such as games, TV shows, etc., has been very popular among young people. Given the way magical powers are presented in the Lord of the Rings, do you think that there could be any dangers for youngsters?

“Pearce: There is very little of what could be termed magic in The Lord of the Rings. There is much that is supernatural, but only in the sense that God is supernatural, or that Satan is supernatural, or that good and evil are supernatural. It would be more accurate to describe the so-called magic in The Lord of the Rings as miraculous, when it serves the good, and demonic, when it serves the evil.” (www.leaderu.com/humanities/zenit-tolkien.html).

Mr. Pierce further stated, “Far from being a ‘fantasy,’ The Lord of the Rings is a theological thriller.” (Ibid.) The entire atmosphere created in this epic is a borderline story between a world of occultic mythology and Biblical creatures out of the Book of Revelation.

Berit Kjos documents the tremendous presence of demons, wizards, spells, and other creatures or activities that are clearly Satanic in nature. Here are a few of her quotes:

“Both stories (Harry Potter series and Lord of the Rings series) involve wizards, spells, mythical creatures and magic charms. Both demonstrate the battle between a mythical good and evil. Both pit heroic white magic against dark menacing occultism.”

“In his personal letters (many are included in a book titled The Letters of J. R. R Tolkien), he expressed caution toward occult practices. But he equipped his team of mythical heroes -- the fellowship of the Ring -- with the pagan powers that God forbids. For example, ‘Gandalf [a helpful wizard] is able to wield potent magic... To do battle with the forces of darkness, Gandalf the Grey can call upon not only his spellcraft, but also his staff of power and the Elven sword Glamdring.’”

“The movie version of The Lord of the Rings idealizes occultism and cheers the pagan practices used by good characters. Like Star Wars, Harry Potter and the world's pagan cultures, it seduces its fans into an imaginary world that pits ‘white’ or benevolent magic against dark, evil magic. Both sides of this imagined ‘battle between good and evil’ use occult practices that God forbids.”

“This incarnate ‘angel’ wouldn't fit into the host of Biblical angels. But he could well fit in the hierarchy of ‘devas’ or ‘angels’ and ascended masters in the elaborate spiritual system called Theosophy or ‘Ancient Wisdom.’ Founded by Madame Helena Blavatsky, this esoteric blend of Hinduism and Western occultism received its doctrines from ‘ascended masters’ or spirit guides such as Djhwal Khul who channeled his messages to the medium Alice Bailey.” (www.crossroad.to/articles2/rings.htm).

Tolkien himself clearly saw his creature creations as strange and mystical. He probably would have been a bit offended if someone had called them Satanic. Here are some of his descriptions:

“Gandalf is not, of course, a human being (Man or Hobbit). There are naturally no precise modern terms to say what he was. I would venture to say that he was an incarnate 'angel'.... with the other Istari, wizards, 'those who know', an emissary from the Lords of the West, sent to Middle-earth as the great crisis of Sauron loomed on the horizon. By 'incarnate' I meant they were embodied in physical bodies capable of pain and weariness....”

“Why they should take such a form is bound up with the 'mythology' of the 'angelic' Powers of the world of this fable. At this point in the fabulous history the purpose was precisely to limit and hinder their exhibition of 'power' on the physical plane, so that they would do what they were primarily sent for: train, advise, instruct, arouse the hearts and minds of those threatened by Sauron to a resistance with their own strength.... The wizards were not exempt, indeed being incarnate were more likely to stray, or err. Gandalf alone fully passes the test, on a moral plane anyway. For in his condition it was for him a sacrifice to perish on the Bridge in defense of his companions.... Gandalf sacrificed himself, was accepted and enhanced and returned.”

“Gandalf really 'died' and was changed.... 'I am Gandalf the White, who has returned from death'.” (The Letters of J. R. R Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter, editor (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1981), pp. 201-202.)

The picture clearly evident in these descriptions is that of fallen angels subject to Satan himself. In several locations in the Book of Revelation, there are hordes of unclean spirits seeking to work havoc on the population. “And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.” “And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.” (Revelation 9:2-3, 7-9).

Tolkien Rejected the Classical Ideas for the Romantic Ideas

Professor Woods, a Tolkien historian, gave a revealing description of what were the greater influences in Tolkien’s life. “It is not surprising to learn that Tolkien was deeply influenced by the 19th century Romantics, chiefly S. T. Coleridge and George Macdonald, since his friend and literary companion C. S. Lewis was also decisively shaped by them. Nor is it startling to find Tolkienian connections with J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan and Mary Rose, with the Four Quartets of T. S. Eliot, even with Henry James' unfinished story The Sense of the Past. What comes as a genuine shock is the news that Tolkien's mind and work were marked by the fictional dream-journeys of George Du Maurier, by the psychic experiences of Charlotte Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain, by the time-travel fantasies of H. G. Wells, and especially by the notion of J. W. Dunne that all temporal events are simultaneous. Dunne held that time is no less constant than space, and that by certain habits of mind we can move backward and forward over time as we traverse space, even experiencing events that have not yet happened.” (www.leaderu.com/humanities/wood-review.html).

This kind of influence and thinking produced in Tolkien a mind- set with little room for the genuine truths of Holy Scripture. He was guided by occultic thinking and the many strange ideas of those emerged in that world. Another writer, Verlyn Flieger, spells out even more clearly a description of his background and mindset. Professor Wood quotes her as follows, “There she revealed, as she does again here, that the massive moral and religious questions that exercised and animated Tolkien's imagination--the nature of good and evil, of heroism and self-sacrifice, of desire and dispossession, of death and immortality--are but subsets of his central lifelong concern with the nature of time and timelessness. In both books Flieger has shown us a darker, less cheering Tolkien than many of his Christian apologists have acknowledged. Here again she is right: Tolkien was a man whose faith was shadowed and doubt-filled, and whose fiction thus counsels a sad joyfulness as the most that we can hope for this side of eternity.” (www.leaderu.com/humanities/wood- review.html).

Understanding the difference between the classical thinking where the emphasis is on principle and character, plus good taste, restraint, and clarity to the opposing idea is important. The romantic style was similar to the change agents of our day. A present romantic style would represent those that want to rewrite our history, change our value system, and impose a system of their own. An English dictionary, first published in 1901, described the romantic mindset as following, “inclining towards, or savouring of, romance, fictitious, extravagant, wild: fantastic.” (Chambers English Dictionary, 7ed, 1990, p 1270.) This kind of view into Tolkien’s life should give his cult followers a jolt into reality.

Reincarnation & Doom

Tolkien’s view of life, death, and the absence of a happier nature certainly played a big part in his sad myths. A bookstore manager asked him if he had dealt too strongly on the metaphysical aspect. His answer reveals something of his theology. “‘Reincarnation’ may be bad theology (that surely, rather than metaphysics) as applied to Humanity... But I do not see how even in the Primary world any theologian or philosopher, unless very much better informed about the relation of spirit and body than I believe anyone to be, could deny the possibility of re-incarnation as a mode of existence, prescribed for certain kinds of rational incarnate creatures.” (The Letters of J. R. R Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter, editor (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1981), page 189.)

Reincarnation is the very opposite of eternal life and cannot be reconciled in the least. This kind of thinking is natural for a man that loved and enjoyed the myths of paganism. C.S. Lewis, deeply involved in the same mythological world, saw into the sad nature and writings of Tolkien and said that the Ring epic is embedded with “a profound melancholy.” Professor Wood joined in suggesting the same general consensus.

“The word ‘doom’ -- in its Anglo-Saxon meaning of damning judgment as well as final fate in ruin and death -- pulses like a funereal drumbeat throughout the entire work. Toward the end of Volume I, the elf Legolas offers a doom-centered vision of the world. It sounds very much like an elvish and Heraclitean version of entropy. ‘To find and lose,’ says Legolas, is the destiny ‘of those whose boat is on the running stream.... The passing seasons are but ripples in the long long stream. Yet beneath the Sun all things must wear to an end at last.’ Though elves are so long-lived that they seem immortal to humans and hobbits, the tides of time will sweep even them away. A deeply pagan pessimism thus pervades all three of the Ring books.” (www.leaderu.com/humanities/wood-classic.html).

The Tolkien epic of the Ring falls terribly lacking of any semblance of the Christian hope, salvation, or eternal life. It is rather filled with the hopelessness of paganism and its dark future of judgment.

Conclusion

Tolkien’s ideas were sadly lacking in contrast to the glorious truth of the infallible Word of God. He argued that “mythic tales grope toward the Hope which, in the story of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Jesus Christ, finally enters space and time to become historical reality, God’s own myth-made-fact.” (www.leaderu.com/humanities/wood-classic.html). It is marvelous indeed that no man has to read and follow the myths of paganism to find his way to the cross. Only a few Tolkien’s or Lewis’ would find such an idea satisfying.

The Book of Revelation is filled with these similar beasts, spirits, spells, and, in every case, they are shown to be the enemies of God and faith-filled mankind. Tolkien gave us nothing but a distorted view of Christianity all mixed up with the world of Satan, which is soon to be presented to this world as Satan’s imitator of true religion. Reading the Book of Revelation would fill you with such hope and assurance that you will not need the lies of pagan myths to inspire your soul.

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2002