Q:
Did
J.R.R. Tolkien believe the Lord of the Rings was a Catholic story?
A:
Bulletin: November 25th (a short biography) at Simple Catholicism.
Q: What
elements of the Lord of the Rings are particularly Catholic?
A:
"J.R.R. Tolkien's Take on the Truth" by Zenit.org
"Catholicism in the
Lord of the Rings" on www.CatholicQandA.com
"Faith and Fantasy" by Steven D. Greydanus at DecentFilms.com
"The
Lord of the Rings -- A Catholic View" by Charles A. Coulombe
at www.charlescoulombe.com (only the noted page is recommended).
Q: Are there
any important differences in theology and morality between Christian
stories
like the Lord of the Rings and secular stories like the Harry Potter
books?
A:
"Harry Potter: Agent of Conversion" by Toni Collins at EnvoyMagazine.com
Q: Does
J.R.R. Tolkien define and demonstrate evil from a uniquely Catholic
perspective in the Lord of the Rings?
A: "10 Uncommon Insights on
Evil from the Lord of the Rings": by Peter Kreeft at PeterKreeft.com
(the fourth group down on the page.)
Note from the Editor:
I first discovered my appreciation for J.R.R. Tolkien
after speaking to
my college Literature professor about the works of C.S. Lewis. My
wife had just finished reading Lewis' "Narnia Chronicles" and we
were
discussing the Christian allegories found within (Aslan the Lion as
Christ,
etc.). My professor mentioned to me that Lewis was converted to
Christianity
by J.R.R. Tolkien, who was his good friend at Oxford. He
explained
to me that Tolkien was also a Christian writer--in fact he was a devout
Catholic. I began to remember how my Dad used to read Tolkien's
books and how I used to have a t-shirt of the Lord of the Rings
animated movie as a kid. Never before had I heard that Tolkien
was Catholic until then; not even from the Catholics I had known.
One day at work,
my friend Kevin (kevpetros) mentioned that director Peter Jackson was
planning to release three Lord of the Rings movies. We began to
discuss Tolkien's Catholicism. Kevin knew much about the story
having been a childhood interest of his, but neither of us could find
anything obviously Catholic about it. My wife and I subsequently
read the story together, but
again, nothing particularly jumped out at me. Kevin later found
an
article online that brought the story's Catholic inspiration to
light.
Having read the article, I can now see the depth Tolkien's Catholic
devotion
plays. Tolkien decided to give the religious elements more depth
than
Lewis, which was the reason I did not see them before. And now
that
my wife and I have seen the newly released film, we both have fallen in
love
with the Catholic elements of the story.
Knowing that
many
others have found the Lord of the Rings to be an inspiring tale, Kevin
and
I felt the need to share that and other similar articles with everyone
online. I created a bulletin board here, as well, so those
interested can share their appreciation. I hope this topic brings
a new appreciation for Tolkien's faith and the Catholic elements of his
works. God bless.
In Christ,
Steve S. (Abercius24)