Public Research: Religion - What Confession Do You Belong to? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Nogrod · 01-22-2006, 02:24 PM

Well.

As we all know, Tolkien was deeply christian and had quite a many underlying religious themes going on behind his writing. Although he was much subtler than his more fanatic friend, Mr. Lewis.

"Stories of Narnia" do carry the card of christianity in a degree, that make them almost repulsing. It has too obvious metaphors to be swallowed with the storyline. They stand up from within the lines and demand attention. Sadly, that is not a good thing, at least on my view. Tolkien, on the other hand, managed to filtrate his "message" through pagan stories so that pagans like me can take the story as such and let the christian levels just bubble under.

So ten points to Tolkien, minus hundred points for Lewis!

But surely: without his religiosity, Tolkien would have not written as he did. So one cheer for that too?

I find more intresting the question, how do people of other (than caucasian & christian) races & faiths take the stories of Tolkien. Basically they seem to be stories of white males - with some exceptions - running the world & being heroes and individuals. An the darkness comes from the east, as it so often comes in european mythology.

View Poll Results: What Confession Do You Belong to?
Atheism	19	16.67%
Buddhism	4	3.51%
Christianity (Catholic)	20	17.54%
Christianity (Orthodox)	7	6.14%
Christianity (Protestant)	37	32.46%
Confucianism	0	0%
Hinduism	0	0%
Islam	2	1.75%
Judaism	6	5.26%
Other	19	16.67%
Voters: 114. You may not vote on this poll

01-22-2006, 02:24 PM	#10
Nogrod Flame of the Ainulindalë Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Wearing rat's coat, crowskin, crossed staves in a field behaving as the wind behaves Posts: 9,308	Tolkien, Lewis & belief Well. As we all know, Tolkien was deeply christian and had quite a many underlying religious themes going on behind his writing. Although he was much subtler than his more fanatic friend, Mr. Lewis. "Stories of Narnia" do carry the card of christianity in a degree, that make them almost repulsing. It has too obvious metaphors to be swallowed with the storyline. They stand up from within the lines and demand attention. Sadly, that is not a good thing, at least on my view. Tolkien, on the other hand, managed to filtrate his "message" through pagan stories so that pagans like me can take the story as such and let the christian levels just bubble under. So ten points to Tolkien, minus hundred points for Lewis! But surely: without his religiosity, Tolkien would have not written as he did. So one cheer for that too? I find more intresting the question, how do people of other (than caucasian & christian) races & faiths take the stories of Tolkien. Basically they seem to be stories of white males - with some exceptions - running the world & being heroes and individuals. An the darkness comes from the east, as it so often comes in european mythology. Last edited by Nogrod; 01-22-2006 at 02:37 PM.