arwenbaby2
Hobbit
I choose a mortal life.
Posts: 20
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Post by arwenbaby2 on Mar 6, 2005 17:37:46 GMT -5
Come on and take a chance with this.
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Post by vikingmaiden on Mar 6, 2005 21:33:13 GMT -5
i don't know if this is too much of a religious themed thread, but since it's here, i'll reply!!!
i'm a christian, and i don't think lotr has all that much "to do" with the bible. i mean, the bible is a very "epic" book, whether you believe it or not, and lotr is a classic epic story...so that's where they're similar. tolkien was a christian, so he put a lot of his worldview into the lotr. for instance, you see aragorn return as the king, just as christians believe christ will return as a king, plus, you have the idea of men being corrupted by a ring, which goes along with what christians believe happened when the human race became corrupt. also, at the end, there's a great battle to overthrow evil, which is sort of what christians believe also will happen at the "end of the world" if you choose to put it that way.
even if you are not christian, you can enjoy the genius of tolkien, but for me, reading the story as a christian is very enriching...hope that helps you somewhat!
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Post by Arien Elensar on Mar 6, 2005 21:56:09 GMT -5
Well Tolkien was catholic...
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Post by Altariel on Mar 7, 2005 7:35:32 GMT -5
I too am a Christain and Lotr has a lot of Biblical Examples. Like Bravery,Kindness and other Biblical Vrutues *cannot spell* Tolkien was in fact christain. He did put God into lord of the Rings
And If anyone is interested you can read the book Finding God In Lord of the Rings. There will also be a page about it on my website which is coming soon!
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arwenbaby2
Hobbit
I choose a mortal life.
Posts: 20
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Post by arwenbaby2 on Mar 7, 2005 12:27:15 GMT -5
Yes, I am too a christian. Just wanted to know if any others had any ideas about this. Trust, Faith, Believe in each other, Honesty, Hope, and Love.
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Post by vikingmaiden on Mar 7, 2005 13:17:14 GMT -5
And If anyone is interested you can read the book Finding God In Lord of the Rings. dude, i'm going to the christian bookstore in a moment, i'm going to look for that book! it sounds interesting.
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Post by Alessae on Mar 7, 2005 13:18:57 GMT -5
There are Christian bookstores? Whereabouts?
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Post by Elanor on Mar 7, 2005 13:33:43 GMT -5
Probably most cities have one, I know Glasgow does.
I'm sure that you can look at parts of the Bible and interprete from a religious perspective and I agree that it does have lots of Christian values. However these values are not only Christian but basic moral values too. They are also in the old stories that LotR was influenced by. Basically I think that LotR would not be that much different if Tolkien wasn't Christian.
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Post by Arien Elensar on Mar 7, 2005 14:55:56 GMT -5
Well I'm not christian (I'm Punjabi, a Sikh) but Tolkien did include some Bible symbolicness into LOTR seeing as how he was catholic. And all of those virtues like kindness, bravery and stuff; well they're aren't exactly religious. Just rules of all of humankind that make a good person.
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Post by Elanor on Mar 7, 2005 16:02:38 GMT -5
Hey that's cool that you're a Sikh, so's my best friend ;D
But the fact that Tolkien was Catholic doesn't prove that there was Christian symbolism in LotR. I'm not saying there defintly wasn't but that on it's own isn't a reason to assume there is.
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Post by Ktstar on Mar 7, 2005 17:11:25 GMT -5
I find small things similar to the Bible, such as the Ban of the Valar being similar to the Garden of Eden.
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Post by Eruannatari on Mar 7, 2005 18:40:13 GMT -5
Tolkien was Christian (and I am as well, for that matter) and there is a religious theme to his books; the mercy Frodo shows for Gollum, the Elves and the Havens, how Sauron tries to play God and ultimately fails are just a few.
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Post by Arien Elensar on Mar 7, 2005 19:02:34 GMT -5
aAwesome! What's her name? Are you Sikh?
And you all made very good points. Yes it does seem like the Garden of Eden. And Souran trying to play God is another very good one.
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Post by vikingmaiden on Mar 7, 2005 21:36:27 GMT -5
hey! i found an awesome book today!!!! it's called "following gandalf: epic battles and moral vistory in the lord of the rings" it's by matthew thingyenson...i would highly recommend it. it's a christian book, but the author mainly focuses on the themes and philosophy of lotr...he rarely talks about religion. well, anyway, this topic has become quite interesting. i however must disagree w/ some of you because i believe tolkien's catholic-ness was essential to what the lotr is today...but that's my view, i'm sticking to it! and there really isn't "symbolism" of the bible in lotr...but there are "parallels" in literature, those terms are two similar but different entities...so yeah, if you get a chance, read this book!!!!! it's awesome if you like that kind of philosophical stuff...
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Post by Jenny on Mar 7, 2005 22:02:17 GMT -5
I've heard of that book, vikingmaiden, I think my cousin has it. I too am a Christian, and I can definatley find a lot of parallels/similarities. One that is unique to Christians and not just a moral view, is that there is only one way for the ring to be destroyed, no alternative path, just as the Bible teaches that there is only one path to redemption and heaven, which is by accepting Christ. I think thats one of the most profound things, though there are several more. I guess one of the reasons why I really love about LotR is that I can apply it's principles (principals?) to my life, and be a better person because of it. I can honestly say that LotR has strengthened my faith in God as well, if you'd like to ask me about it feel free.
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