LOTR vs. Religion

[Tar-Palantir]

Did anybody notice Gilthalion's post?<P>The allegory/metaphor/symbolism thing has been cooked and recooked on other threads. What is different here is another side of the coin - there are Christians (and others I'm sure) who see this as EVIL on the whole or in part. The post up above insinuates:<P>Breaking of scripture in a couple ways, including Gandalf telling Frodo to trust himself. Oh my.<P>Holding Tolkien as a profane man.<P>Connecting Lord of the Rings to the LSD and Drug culture. <P>Calling the sorcery witchcraft, a "truly devilish evil"<P>The movie has the same "power" as the Ring, holding sway over even sincere believers.<P>This one I'll post in it's entirety:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> 10. As you mentioned the other day, Hollywood chose an atheist <BR>> homosexual to portray the Christ figure Gandalf. Is this not deeply <BR>> disturbing and troubling?<BR> <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>That is just plain bigotry, and it disturbs me that it even bothers somebody. Who can honestly say there is another more skilled or universally respected actor in the films?<P>This is not just another religious allegory thread. <B>Gilthalion</B> gave a response to these queries above, but surely someone else must have an opinion on this subject?<p>[ February 18, 2003: Message edited by: Tar-Palantir ]