Of course I recognized, or thought I recognized the inherent Christianity. The Trilogy became an oft-visited friend and even though it was a very busy time for me, I comsumed as much of The Sillmarillion as time would allow.
And then something odd occured to me.
So many friends were becoming so immersed in the ficition that it was seemingly replacing reality. For example instead of celebrating traditional summer events, we'd have a huge festive gathering at mid-year, or Mid-Lieth if I recall my Tolkien correctly.
Some of us took names patterned after our favorite characters or races.
Some of us who began focusing on The Sillmarillion whispered to each other in the "inner circles" what a beautiful alternative telling of Creation the work was.
And therein lay the danger I began to recognize.
When The Great Fiction became more revered by some than The Story on which it was based, I fear too many fell. I was saved when I realized how long it had been since I read or related my life to The Bible, but how The Silmarillion was becoming a daily reference.
So although Tolkien's works stayed with me, I put the books down so much so that I have never actually finished The Silmarillion.
The stories are still often told in my house, my children have come to know them well. However I have always cautioned them to not let them become their masters; not fall into the trap of obsession as so many of my friends did, and remain so today.
It's a similar story with Star Trek of Star Wars or any number of other works of fiction. Enthusiasm and love of the work is fine, and reading especially encouraged. But fanatacism and obsession is the danger. And while the works themselves are hardly to blame, it's Man's inherent weakness to try and replace God's works with his own that pays tribute to The Evil and is one of Satan's Songs.
Can't wait for the movie!
prisoner6
That goes for the Tolkien fanatics as well as the Star Trekkies etc.
*I* remember reading how HORRIFIED Tolkien was to learn of the hippie generation corrupting his lifelong work into escapes from reality and twisting it into something he never meant it to be. I also remember reading that he was in disagreement with Lewis of what the purpose of his stories should be. Lewis wrote tales that 'taught' Christian themes or pointed out a salient moral to the reader. Tolkien wrote for pure love of mythology, story telling and his love of land and England.
Here, I will quote from a letter he wrote and published in the beginning of the 1965 edition of LOTR:
As for any inner meaning or 'message', it has in the intention of the author none. It is neither allegorical or topical. AS the story grew it put down roots (into the past) and threw out unexpected branches; but its main theme was settled from the outset by the inevitable choice of the Ring as the link between it and The Hobbit....
Other arrangements could be devised according to the tastes or views of those who like allegory or topical reference. But I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence...I think many confuse 'applicability' with 'allegory'; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader and the other in the purposed domination of the author.
He goes on to say a good many other things about why he wrote LOTR and what he wished for the story to relate. I personally am sick of people injecting meanings into a work of pure love and talent. Tolkien knew from whence his passion came.
As for Harry Potter, the author is SO VERY WRONG to say it is occultic....I have read several pieces written by Christian theologists who write that it is anything BUT occultic. Those who are too afraid to read the books and judge for themselves obviously are too weak in spirit and faith to face anything more challenging than a peep from their own minister.
Which great fiction are you referring to; The Quran, The Torah or the Bible?