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The hero in LotR doesn't use magic. He fights it.

Well, to be fair, Frodo's life was saved by elfen magic after getting stabbed by one of the nine-bad-guy-thingeys. Gandalf again used magic to save everyone's life in the mines of Moria when fighting the Balrog (and emerged a more powerful sorcerer for it). In fact -- all sorts of "good" characters use magic throughout the LoTR triliogy to fight evil.

Frodo doesn't fight magic per se. The quest is to destroy a ring bound with evil magic.

The ring doesn't have magical powers? It is a source of both magical power and simple raw power as well. And Gandalf doesn't use magic? He is a wizard after all, its not as whimsical as Harry Potter but do you think he carries that staff for fun? And lets not forget, there is a witch in the movie, just because she is an elf, does that make it better?

Frankly, I'm surprised that those I call religious intolerant Born Again Christians aren't raving against LOTR as much as Harry Potter. After all, The Hobbit and LOTR are the foundation for Dungeons and Dragons (and other fantasy role playing games) something which nearly drove them to madness with their ranting and raving back when I was a teenager. We were all going to be drawn into cults and witchcraft by playing D&D. Guess what, it didn't happen. It was entertainment, diversion .... nothing more. Although I still have friendships with the people I played D&D with back in those days, isn't that a good thing?

To me, when it comes down to it, both movies are fantasy/fiction/imagination and both have the same theme, good fighting evil and evil losing in the end. However, some people can see the nefarious and Satanic in anything, after all, isn't the Social Security # we all have, the mark of the Beast to more than a few Christians?

The hero in LotR doesn't use magic. He fights it.

Not entirely true. Frodo "uses" the invisibility conferred by the Ring to escape Boromir. Bilbo used the Ring regularly for 60 years, obviously with some side effects. And Gandalf uses magic constantly.

Frankly, I think people who claim Tolkien portrayed magic itself as evil haven't read the books very closely. Magic itself is portrayed as rather ordinary, much as we view technology today. Some can use it more effectively than others, but nobody promotes the idea that all magic is inherently evil.

Magic is portrayed as a tool, which can be used for good or evil, in most cases, as (almost) any tool can. The exception is the Ring, which cannot be used except with evil as the result. (And of course those of the other Rings which have been corrupted by it.)

Sauron and Saruman are evil not because they use magic, but because they use magic for evil. Saruman worked with magic for thousands of years before turning to evil, due originally to a desire to gain more power to do good. The desire to dominate (for whatever reason) is what is truly evil.

Actually, Tolkien has a very libertarian/anarchistic side.