| Make no myth-take: Lord of the Rings is Christian  By Clarence Roark Peter Jacksons trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, brings J.R.R. Tolkiens masterpiece to the public in dramatic fashion. When the story was first published in the 1950s, it became an international bestseller. With the film version, Tolkiens world view became more deeply etched into the experience of readers and cinema buffs the world over. During World War I, Tolkien fought at Somme, France. Surviving the hellish battles, he came down with pyrexia [trench fever] of unknown origin. Removed to a coastal field hospital, Tolkien was unable to break the fever. On Nov. 8, 1916, he returned to England, leaving France with a high fever and a searing memory of what he called the animal horror of trench warfare. As he convalesced in England, he worked on the beginning of what he saw as a mythology for England. Tolkien felt that England possessed no indigenous myth. Of course, many consider Beowulf to be English, while in truth its origins are Scandinavian. Tolkien wrote the Silmarrillion, which tells of the creation of the world and is the most religious of Tolkiens writings.  Years later his publisher requested a sequel to the previously published The Hobbit and was presented with The Fellowship of the Rings Tolkiens myth for England.
There are many themes running through the book. Many echo the themes of other universal myths, including the quest, and the battle of good versus evil. Tolkien never forgot the horror of trench warfare. While opposing war, Tolkien apparently felt that World War II was one that had to be fought. Thus, the story of the Rings challenges humanity to join together to overcome evil. Tolkien uses his writing as a setting to unfold a variety of issues with which all of humanity must struggle. Among these issues are people who choose to ally themselves with the forces of evil, and the ecological damage wrought by those waging a modern war. We must note that Sauron equipped his Orcs and human troops with gunpowder, catapults, a navy, and iron weapons of all types. On the other hand, the forces of good fight evil with bows and arrows, swords and a mixture of dwarfs, elves and the power of Gandalf. We are warned by Tolkien not to consider The Lord of the Rings as allegory to him it was truth in poetic and linguistic form. Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic. Responding to a letter from a priest, he said that the Rings is a fundamentally Catholic work. This is a strange statement. At minimum it means that the Rings reflect basic Christian and Catholic theologies. The theology does not jump off the page at the reader. For Tolkien, the essence of Roman Catholicism is the Mass a mystery. Additional insight is given to the Catholic influence when Tolkien tells his son Michael that Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlrien, represents the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is seen somewhat in her bestowing gifts upon the fellowship as they begin their quest to destroy the ring. The question of salvation and grace is addressed in Frodo and Sams ongoing conflict: whether to trust Gollum can he change and is he worthy of salvation? Can anything good come from his life? Tolkien was upset by the results of the industrial revolution, which advanced modern warfare. This position is seen many times throughout the book. At the end, when the Hobbits return home to the shire, they find it in ruins and under the rule of a dictator, who has changed the idyllic rural life of the shire into an industrial society that sees its production being exported with the profits claimed by the dictator and immediate underlings. Frodo and Pippin lead the citizens to overthrow the dictator and restore the shire to its previous pastoral life style. Readers and viewers of Tolkeins work, especially Christians, are compelled to explore the costs of faith and belief, and the struggle between good and evil on an individual and corporate level. The Fellowship of the Rings contains a multitude of themes and motifs running through it. Millions have seen the film. Millions have read the books. Hopefully, it is seen as more than a great tale. The Rev. Clarence Pete Roark is a retired pastor in the Baltimore-Washington Conference who holds a doctorate in theology of literature. From time to time he teaches courses in film and literature including The Lord of the Rings. | 
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