LOTR vs. Religion

[Laialthriel]

Very interesting thread topic. I like it and I'm glad you brought it up. <P>Yes, a lot of people compare LotR with the Bible and they associate the characters within with Biblical figures. Which is not completely off the wall considering Tolkien was Catholic. You can definitely see parallels within the story line and its characters. Many people associate Gandalf with Jesus Christ, Sauron with Satan, etc...and say that is exactly what Tolkien intended. Now unless he (Tolkien) actually says that, I think that is an ungrounded assumption. <BR> <BR>Yet as a Christian, I can most definitely identify places in the movies and books that do indeed go along with many ideas found in the Bible. When I first watch the Fellowship I <I>loved</I> how there was so much emphasis on resisting and refusing temptation. My friend and I had several long and in-depth discussions about this and how we loved being able to see some of what is so important in our lives in so many things in this world...now my favorite movies! <BR> <BR>Not everyone can see the parallels placed within the books and movies, and I am not saying they were put there on purpose. But it is enjoyable to see that Eru and God are quite similar and just some of the other ideas presented that I can apply to my life and faith. <P>What frustrates me is when people blow it out of proportion and say that 'Tolkien meant everything to be that way' and they try to make it the complete and utter focus of the movie. I think it is a very neat thing to be able to identify parallels and I love doing it, I just wish people didn't take it to the unattractive extreme all of the time.