Would the Middle Earth saga be considered a religion in of itself?

[Lush]

Ah, aren't we all so touchy? [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] For what it's worth, I was merely stating my own feelings toward the subject at hand, which are, at best, feelings of utter bemusement.
To answer your question Bethberry, I would agree that certain works of art make the soul quiver with delight (excuse my high-falutin' talk, I've been reading Updike all week), and I believe in divine inspiration. Meanwhile, for some people, Tolkien's world really is limitless, and Varda or Manwë really are worshipped by some, and I should probably respect that. However I'm not above saying that I find the idea sort of silly.
Of course, I didn't mean to come off as making assumptions about dearest Bethberry's own religious beliefs, but ya know, I just act like a snob at times. Hell, I am a snob. Well, small price to pay for being so stupendously perfect otherwise! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]